The Columbus Explorers will venture away from home to take on the Southwest Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Columbus will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Columbus is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Coral Gables with a sharp 14-1 win on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Explorers in their matchups with the Cavaliers: they've now won nine in a row.
Mathew Rios looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Mario Magana was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one home run, seven RBI, and two runs. That home run was his first of the season. Jose Correa was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
Columbus lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Southwest came up short against Westminster Christian on Tuesday, falling 12-2.
Southwest saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Pedro Martinez, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2. That's the most runs Martinez has posted since back in April of 2024.
Columbus' record now sits at 4-1. As for Southwest, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-2.
Columbus came out on top in a nail-biter against Southwest when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Columbus since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
