On Thursday, Stoneman Douglas faced Columbus in a battle between two of the state's top teams. The Stoneman Douglas Eagles took a 9-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Columbus Explorers. It was the first time this season that Stoneman Douglas let down their fans at home.
Devin Fitz-Gerald and Erick Torres did some serious damage despite the final result: Fitz-Gerald scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Torres scored two runs while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Diaz, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Even though they lost, Stoneman Douglas didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with eight strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Columbus only tossed three.
On Columbus' side, they got a great performance from Mathew Rios as he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Rios has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Rene Ramirez, who fired off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3. Zahir Barjam was another key contributor, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base.
Stoneman Douglas' defeat ended a 20-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 14-5. As for Columbus, the victory was the sixth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-4.
Stoneman Douglas will head out on the road to challenge Flanagan at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Flanagan: 3.5, Stoneman Douglas: 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for Columbus, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Sunset at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Columbus: 3.2, Sunset: 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
