Columbian is 0-3 against Hopewell-Loudon since April of 2022 but things could change on Saturday. The Tornadoes will venture away from home to challenge the Chieftains at 11:00 a.m. Hopewell-Loudon took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Columbian, who comes in off a win.
On Tuesday, Columbian made easy work of Willard and carried off a 13-1 win. With that victory, the Tornadoes brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Maizie Mellott
| 04/22/25 @ Willard | 9 |
| 04/10/25 vs Sandusky | 8 |
| 04/04/25 vs Huron | 4 |
| 04/16/25 vs Norwalk | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Wynford | 2 |
Maizie Mellott made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Columbian got a massive performance out of Olyvia Steinmetz, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave Steinmetz a new career-high. Camryn Haman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, one stolen base, and one run.
Columbian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Hopewell-Loudon unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Thursday. They took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Gibsonburg. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since May 13, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Like Columbian, Hopewell-Loudon also got a great game from a two-way player: Araceli Velasquez. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. Velasquez has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, AnneMarie Berg made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.
Columbian is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten games. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Hopewell-Loudon, their loss dropped their record down to 10-6.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Columbian hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Hopewell-Loudon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Columbian couldn't quite get it done against Hopewell-Loudon in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 10-5. Can the Tornadoes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
