East Columbus has gone 8-2 against North Brunswick recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The East Columbus Gators will host the North Brunswick Scorpions at 6:00 p.m. East Columbus is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
East Columbus had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 14-run drubbing they dealt East Bladen on Tuesday. East Columbus put the hurt on East Bladen with a sharp 15-1 win. The Gators might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by six runs or more this season.
Gracie Coyle
| 03/18/25 vs East Bladen | 7 |
| 03/14/25 vs Pender | 9 |
| 03/12/25 @ Pender | 5 |
Gracie Coyle was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Mackenzi Clemmons and Jenna King did most of the damage at the plate: Clemmons scored three runs while going 3-for-3, while King scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-2. That's the most stolen bases King has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ryleigh Owens, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
East Columbus hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, North Brunswick hadn't done well against Topsail recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. North Brunswick had just enough and edged out Topsail 8-7.
Shanley Hunt spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits. Those hits were her first of the season.
On the hitting side, North Brunswick let Jamya Hansley and Jada Thomas run wild. Hansley scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Thomas scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Katherine Kayler, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
East Columbus' victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for North Brunswick, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
