The Bishop Kelly Knights will venture away from home to face off against the Columbia Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Bishop Kelly will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
On Wednesday, Bishop Kelly got the win against Emmett by a conclusive 9-1. The Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by seven runs or more this season.
Zach Wright was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Bishop Kelly's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-7 when he doesn't).
Jaxson Brady
| 03/26/25 vs Emmett | 2 |
| 03/22/25 vs Blackfoot | 1 |
| 03/15/25 vs Borah | 1 |
| 03/15/25 vs Borah | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaxson Brady, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Luca Quilici, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Bishop Kelly hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Emmett struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Columbia, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They skirted past Nampa 5-4. The Wildcats haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Columbia saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Finley Stern, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2. Eli Wilson was another, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
The victory was their first at home , bumping their record up to 4-6. As for Bishop Kelly, their record now sits at 4-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop Kelly has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbia struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Bishop Kelly's way against Columbia in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Bishop Kelly made off with a 13-5 win. Does Bishop Kelly have another victory up their sleeve, or will Columbia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
