The Columbus Blue Devils will head out on the road to take on the Monroe Golden Tornadoes at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Columbus is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
On Wednesday, Columbus was able to grind out a solid victory over Northside, taking the game 8-3.
Michael Nottleman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Caden Bryans was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Taylor, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Monroe made easy work of Randolph-Clay on Wednesday and carried off a 16-1 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Monroe.
Raymond Tinch was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. Tinch was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on JaBraylen Mulkey, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Chase Dixon, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Columbus' victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 13-14. As for Monroe, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-11-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbus has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Monroe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Columbus took their victory against Monroe when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 17-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Columbus since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
