Buchholz and Columbia are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but likely not for long. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Buchholz Bobcats take on Columbia Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Buchholz is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Buchholz barely beat Bishop Kenny the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Buchholz blew past Bishop Kenny 10-1 on Wednesday. The Bobcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by seven runs or more this season.
Dion Wilborn looked comfortable as he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Cedaris Smith
| 03/12/25 vs Bishop Kenny | 4 |
| 02/28/25 vs Fleming Island | 3 |
| 02/14/25 vs Columbia | 2 |
| 02/11/25 @ Fleming Island | 2 |
| 04/18/24 @ Fleming Island | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Cedaris Smith, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, eight RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits. The team also got some help courtesy of Kai So, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three doubles.
Buchholz was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .387 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Columbia didn't have quite enough to beat Creekside on Tuesday and fell 5-4. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Knights recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
Columbia saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Trayce McKenzie, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Buchholz pushed their record up to 11-0 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Columbia, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.
Columbia's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Buchholz hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. It's a different story for Columbia, though, as they've only averaged .249. Will they be able to contain Buchholz's hitters?
Everything went Buchholz's way against Columbia in their previous matchup back in February, as Buchholz made off with an 8-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Buchholz since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
