Columbia Academy dove into district play with a three-game series against Brookhaven Academy and a chance to gain an early lead on the pack for playoff positioning. The Cougars claimed the Game-1 victory on March 21, winning 9-8 in a seven-inning shootout, but fell in both games of a Friday double header to end the series, leaving them eager to get back into the win column this week against Oak Forest Academy.
Similarly to Game 1, in which the Cougars climbed back from an early deficit to earn a big win, they fell behind early in Game 2 after surrendering four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Despite a three-run surge in the third, CA was unable to keep pace with the bats from Brookhaven, who piled on seven more runs down the stretch to pull away for a 11-3 win.
Roman Lawrence and Jacob Reid split time on the mound, pitching three innings apiece in the outing. Reid allowed only one earned run, but BA took advantage of three walks to create more offense in their late-inning push.
Game 3 started and ended in a very similar fashion, with BA once again leaping out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. Despite the Cougars bringing in a pair of fourth-inning runs to slice the deficit, BA responded with three more runs in the sixth to cushion the lead and hold on for a victory of 8-2.
Logan Buckley delivered a fairly strong performance as the starting pitcher, tossing seven strikeouts and allowing only one earned run through four innings on the mound. Owen Simmons was 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the way offensively, but the Cougars were able to cash only two of their four total hits in for runs in their second straight loss.
Friday evening's pair of losses snapped a four-game winning streak for the Cougars dating back to March 12, bringing their overall season record to 8-7 with a bit of ground to make up after an 1-2 start in district play.
CA will have that opportunity this week, with yet another three-game district series scheduled against the Oak Forest Academy Yellowjackets. They hosted OFA in the first of the series on Tuesday, but results were unavailable at press time. They'll travel to Amite, La. Friday to wrap up the series with another road double header.
