Columbus is 6-0 against Sumter County since September of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Columbus Blue Devils will look to defend their home field against the Sumter County Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Columbus took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Jordan a 12-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their two-run performance the game before.
Bethany Smith and Emily Balauatin made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Smith struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Balauatin tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the most strikeouts Smith has posted since back in September of 2023. At the plate, Smith went 1-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple, while Balauatin scored a run while going 1-for-1.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emmie Jones, who went 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Brianna Childers, who went 1-for-1 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
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 13 consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, everything went Sumter County's way against Spencer on Tuesday as Sumter County made off with a 20-3 victory. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by exactly 17 runs.
Like Columbus, Sumter County also got a great game from a two-way player: Tadaisha Aldridge. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Aldridge was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Candance Pitts was incredible, going 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Christina Battle, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
Columbus pushed their record up to 11-4 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home. As for Sumter County, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 8-5 record this season.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Columbus has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of 0. However, it's not like Sumter County struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Columbus' way against Sumter County when the teams last played two weeks ago as Columbus made off with a 16-0 victory. Will Columbus repeat their success, or does Sumter County have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
