The Columbus Explorers will be taking part in a tournament against the Corona Panthers at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Columbus comes in on seven and Corona on 23.
If Columbus beats Corona with five runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Explorers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over Edwardsville on Wednesday.
Wyatt Goins looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Columbus got a big performance out of Matthew Fernandez, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Mario Magana was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Corona is ranked highly in their home state and on Wednesday they took on another highly ranked team in the form of Casteel. The Panthers narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Colts 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since May 3, 2024.
Mason Sims looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits.
At the plate, Trey Ebel was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Billy Carlson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Columbus' victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-4. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 7.8 runs. As for Corona, their record now sits at 15-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbus has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Corona struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
