The Baker County Wildcats will challenge the Columbia Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Baker County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They didn't even let ED White on the board, marking the Wildcats' second-straight 15-0 shutout. Considering the Wildcats have won seven matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Abigail Mercer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Mercer was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
Joselyn Halle
| 04/29/25 vs ED White | 3 |
| 02/28/25 @ Hilliard | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Baldwin | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ Paxon School For Advanced Studies | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Ridgeview | 1 |
In other batting news, Joselyn Halle was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Aubrey Worthington, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Baker County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, while Columbia put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Riverside. The Tigers put the hurt on the Generals with a sharp 21-0 victory. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Generals recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Josie Raulerson made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Raulerson was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sakiya Merriex, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Alex Collins was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
The victory (which was Baker County's fifth in a row) raised their record to 18-4. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Columbia, their victory bumped their record up to 14-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Baker County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Baker County's way against Columbia in their previous matchup two weeks ago, as Baker County made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
