Columbus is 0-6 against Stoneman Douglas since May of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Columbus Explorers will head out on the road to square off against the Stoneman Douglas Eagles at 6:30 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Columbus: 3.1, Stoneman Douglas: 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Columbus entered their tilt with Spanish River with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. They had just enough and edged the Sharks out 5-4.
Jack Muniz tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 6.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Columbus' victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Rene Ramirez, who went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Another player making a difference was Franklin Fransisco, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all two of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Stoneman Douglas stacked a ninth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Monday. They blew past Cooper City 15-2. Stoneman Douglas' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Breylynn Courtney looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (he also only allowed one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Rylan Lujo, who fired off two home runs and six RBI while going 4-for-4. Alex Rodriguez was another key contributor, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Columbus' win was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-4. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.9 runs per game. As for Stoneman Douglas, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which somehow isn't as good as their 14-4 record this season.
Columbus might still be hurting after the 10-1 loss they got from Stoneman Douglas when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Can Columbus avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
