Columbia Academy and Parklane Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Cougars will head out on the road to take on the Pioneers at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.
Columbia Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Oak Forest Academy, who was ranked sixth in their home state at the time (Columbia Academy was ranked 19th). The Cougars fell just short of the Yellowjackets by a score of 7-5 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Cougars have suffered since May 9, 2024.
Trent Buckley
| 04/11/25 vs Oak Forest Academy | 6 |
| 04/04/25 @ Silliman Institute | 10 |
| 03/28/25 @ Bowling Green | 9 |
Trent Buckley was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 4.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one double.
Buckley wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Corban Lawrence, who scored two runs while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Parklane Academy waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. Everything went their way against the Rebels as they made off with a 14-5 victory. The Pioneers not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since February 17th.
Parklane Academy also got a great performance from Aaron Holmes as he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits.
On the hitting side, Collin Smith was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (three). Another player making a difference was Eli Chandler, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Parklane Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.9 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.
Parklane Academy pushed their record up to 10-8 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Columbia Academy, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-8.
Columbia Academy took their win against Parklane Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 9-3 score. Will the Cougars repeat their success, or do the Pioneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
