Trojans Show Offensive Firepower in Four-Game Series with Butler
March 12, 2026
Colby Community College’s baseball team ran into a hot Butler lineup over a four-game series split between Young Memorial Field in Colby on March 12 and the return games at Butler, but the Trojans still produced several strong offensive stretches and a handful of standout individual performances throughout the set.
Colby’s top three offensive performers were C. Thomson, T. Zdunich and C. Langford. Thomson turned in the most consistent series at the plate, going 7-for-15 at-bats for a .467 average with four RBIs. Zdunich delivered the biggest power numbers, finishing 5-for-14 with two home runs, a double and seven RBIs. Langford added steady production near the top of the order, collecting five hits, two doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored.
Game 1 in Colby opened with an early spark for the Trojans. After J. Mraz reached on a fielder’s choice in the first inning, Zdunich launched a two-run homer to right field to give Colby a 2-0 lead. The Trojans then pieced together a big second inning. M. Murray singled, C. Kessler was hit by a pitch, and Langford ripped a two-run double before Mraz and Zdunich followed with RBI doubles of their own. That burst pushed Colby in front 6-3.
Butler answered quickly. The Grizzlies tied the game in the third on a three-run homer from K. Gomez-Gordon, then moved ahead for good with D. Wideman’s two-run homer in the fourth. Wideman added another solo shot in the sixth as Butler built an 11-6 cushion. Colby still had one more run in it, though. In the seventh, Langford doubled, Thomson singled home a run and Clifford added a two-run double as the Trojans trimmed the deficit to 11-10 before the provided play-by-play ended.
Game 2 started much better for Colby. J. Tjart singled to open the bottom of the first, Langford reached and later scored, Thomson lined an RBI double to right, and Clifford added an RBI single as the Trojans grabbed a 3-1 lead. Butler flipped the game in the third, however, scoring six times in a momentum-changing inning, then added three more in the fourth to stretch the margin.
Colby kept swinging back. In the fourth, Murray singled and M. Kesting hammered a two-run homer. In the sixth, J. Brooks belted a two-run shot, and later in the inning Zdunich crushed a three-run homer to right as the Trojans cut into Butler’s lead again. Brooks also added a two-run single later in that rally. Even with those offensive flashes, Butler continued to answer and held a 21-14 lead by the ninth inning in the provided log.
The series then shifted to Butler for Games 3 and 4, and Colby again showed it could strike early. In Game 3, Thomson singled in the second before Kesting launched another two-run homer to right, giving the Trojans a 2-1 advantage. Later in the inning, Langford singled home another run and Brooks scored on a wild pitch as Colby moved ahead 4-1. Butler tied it in the third on J. Ellison’s three-run homer, then took over with more offense in the middle innings to pull away.
Game 4 followed a similar pattern. Colby threatened in the second when Zdunich doubled and Thomson was hit by a pitch, then broke through in the third. Tjart walked, Mraz drew a free pass, Zdunich walked, and Thomson delivered a two-run single to left. Murray followed with an RBI double as the Trojans built a 3-1 lead. Butler responded with a solo homer from Y. Uzawa in the fourth, then added insurance over the next several innings. Colby’s late highlight came in the seventh when Mraz blasted a solo homer to left.
Although the series was difficult for the Trojans, Colby showed offensive potential throughout all four games. Thomson’s steady bat, Zdunich’s power and Langford’s ability to reach and drive in runs gave the Trojans a solid core at the plate. Colby also got timely contributions from Brooks, Mraz, Kesting and Clifford during different points in the series, evidence that the lineup was capable of producing even against a dangerous Butler club.