The Jackson-Milton Bluejays will venture away from home to face off against the Columbiana Clippers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Jackson-Milton 3.9, Columbiana 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Memorial hit Jackson-Milton with a four-run second inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Bluejays fell just short of the Red Devils by a score of 6-5.
Jackson-Milton saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brena McBeth, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. Grace Johns was another, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.
Meanwhile, Columbiana had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Wednesday. Everything went their way against the Bears as they made off with a 17-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Clippers, who have now won ten contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Caitlynn Pleska was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since April 1st.
In other batting news, Maryn Hepler and Ella Dota did most of the damage at the plate: Hepler got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs, while Dota got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. That's the most stolen bases Dota has posted since back in April of 2024. Alexis Sperling also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Columbiana always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .906. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Columbiana pushed their record up to 12-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Jackson-Milton, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 8-3.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Jackson-Milton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .535. However, it's not like Columbiana struggles in that department as they've averaged .481. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Jackson-Milton might still be hurting after the 8-0 defeat they got from Columbiana when the teams last played back in March of 2017. Can the Bluejays avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
