The Homer Trojans will square off against the Columbia Central Golden Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Things were looking good for Homer after they put the first run on the board on Monday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 7-1 to Grass Lake. The match marked the Trojans' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Homer saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zak Smith, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Columbia Central won against Olivet on Saturday with five runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Monday. The Golden Eagles came out on top in a nail-biter against Leslie, sneaking past 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Golden Eagles.
Conor Rentfrow and Nick Wilding made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Rentfrow struck out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Wilding kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over 5.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. At bat, Rentfrow fired off two home runs, four RBI, and one stolen base while going 4-for-6, while Wilding got on base in three of his six plate appearances with two stolen bases. Those four hits gave Rentfrow a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chase Dukate, who went 3-for-6 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season.
Columbia Central lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Columbia Central's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Homer, they now have a losing record of 6-7.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Homer has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .454. However, it's not like Columbia Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .445. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Homer might still be hurting after the 22-2 defeat they got from Columbia Central in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
