The Columbus East Olympians will challenge the Bloomington South Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Columbus East has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight defeats, while Bloomington South will come in with six straight wins.
On Thursday, Columbus East came up short against Jennings County and fell 7-3.
Columbus East saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Marcus Wilkinson, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bloomington South). They never let Jennings County get on the board and left with a 12-0 victory on Wednesday. Bloomington South not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 30, 2024 (when they won 14-2).
Bloomington South also got a great performance from Collin Marcum as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Marcum also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Bloomington South is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Connor Osborne, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Reid Walker, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Bloomington South always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .536. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Bloomington South pushed their record up to 7-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Columbus East, their loss dropped their record down to 5-10.
Columbus East's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's match. The Olympians have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Bloomington South, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Columbus East continue to outrun the ball?
Columbus East came up short against Bloomington South in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 8-5. Will the Olympians have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
