The Pius X Thunderbolts will challenge the Columbus Discoverers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Pius X was handed a seven-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They skirted past Norfolk 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Thunderbolts have posted since April 7th.
Pius X saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jesus Yanez, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases Yanez has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Columbus hadn't done well against Lincoln Southeast recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Discoverers had just enough and edged out the Knights 4-2.
Matthew Krueger tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Connor Cameron was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Jack Holys was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Columbus is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-13 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pius X, their win bumped their record up to 9-12.
Everything went Pius X's way against Columbus in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Pius X made off with a 7-1 victory. Do the Thunderbolts have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Discoverers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
