The Columbia Blue Devils will head out to  square off against the Shaker Bison  at 4:15  p.m.  on Wednesday. Given that  the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this  matchup.
The scorekeeper got an easy start  on Monday as neither Columbia nor La Salle Institute made it on the board until the sixth inning. The Blue Devils fell  5-1 to the Cadets. The  contest marked the Blue Devils' lowest-scoring  game so far this season.
 Columbia saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was  Jackson Stilson, who  went 2-for-3 with one  double and one  RBI.
 For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Shaker and Niskayuna meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again  on Monday. The Bison fell just short of the Silver Warriors by a score of  5-4.
 Columbia has  been struggling recently as they've  lost six of their last eight matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record  this season. As for Shaker, their loss dropped their record down to 10-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart  on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbia has been retiring batters left and right this season,  having  averaged 6.9  strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Shaker struggles in that department as   they've been averaging 11.3  strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
 Columbia might still be hurting after the  7-1 defeat they got from Shaker  when the teams last played  back in April of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their  loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps