Columbus Christian had lost five straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 1-8 to make it six. They came up short against the Southwestern Spartans, falling 18-0. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Crusaders' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
As for Southwestern, they moved to 7-8 with that win, which also ended their four-game losing streak. The contest marked their most dominant victory of the season.
For Southwestern's part, Landon Drake made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, Drake posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and three RBI. He has become a key player for Southwestern: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-8 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chris Cecil, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and three RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Southwestern's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-8 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Clayton Randolph, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Columbus Christian does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Southwestern, they will be playing at home against Morristown at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The Spartans are facing the Yellow Jackets at the right time seeing as the Yellow Jackets are stuck on a three-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
