Columbia hasn't had much luck against La Center recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Bruins will venture away from home to face off against the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Columbia comes in on three and La Center on 11.
Columbia is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Fort Vancouver on Friday as they made off with a 24-1 win. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Kellen Olson
| 04/22/25 vs Kalama | 3 |
| 03/18/25 @ Fort Vancouver | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Fort Vancouver | 2 |
| 04/24/25 @ Kalama | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Elma | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
Kellen Olson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Columbia's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-9 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Columbia got a massive performance out of Ben Borton, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. What's more, Borton posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March. Jaden Wang also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Columbia hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fort Vancouver struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, La Center gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Castle Rock by a score of 6-1.
Like Columbia, La Center also got a great game from a two-way player: Gunnar Schockelt. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). Schockelt was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Caden Taylor, who went 3-for-5 with two runs. Justin Fuller was another key player, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
La Center's win was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Columbia, their record is now 6-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbia has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like La Center struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Columbia suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to La Center in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can the Bruins avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
