Columbus won the last time they faced Sumter County, and things went their way on Thursday too. The Columbus Blue Devils put the hurt on the Sumter County Panthers with a sharp 14-1 win. Considering the Blue Devils have won nine matches by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Emmie Jones was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Jones was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Bethany Smith and Claire Beeler did most of the damage at the plate: Smith scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Beeler went 1-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a run. The last time Smith's batting average was this high was back in September of 2023. Another player making a difference was Jayla Lockhart, who went 1-for-2 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Columbus hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in 14 consecutive games.
Columbus' victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-4. As for Sumter County, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Columbus will play host again on Tuesday to welcome Hardaway, where first pitch is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Columbus is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season. As for Sumter County, they will challenge Westover at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Sumter County is facing Westover at the right time seeing as Westover is stuck on a seven-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
