The Columbus Explorers will square off against the Springstead Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Columbus is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Columbus' pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 3-0 victory over Mater Lakes Academy. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Explorers.
The result came thanks to Mathew Rios's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up ten Ks. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.
Rene Ramirez
| 03/18/25 vs Mater Lakes Academy | 2 |
| 02/18/25 @ Palmetto | 1 |
| 02/14/25 @ Florida Christian | 1 |
| 04/24/24 vs Florida Christian | 1 |
At the plate, Columbus let Rene Ramirez and Jose Correa run wild. Ramirez went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one double, while Correa went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Ramirez a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Springstead's offense. They came up short against Wesley Chapel on Thursday, falling 10-0. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Eagles' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Springstead also got a good showing from Derek Baldwin, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Baldwin has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Springstead saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tanner Henrickson, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
With the loss, Springstead broke their four-game winning streak and moved their record to 9-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Columbus, their win bumped their record up to 12-3.
Columbus' speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's contest. Columbus has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Springstead, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Columbus continue to outrun the ball? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
