Columbus North High School

April 22, 2023 - One thing that no one can say about head softball coach Ron McDonald is that he is scared to play a tough schedule. McDonald’s third-ranked Bull Dogs tied top-ranked Roncalli on April 4 in a game called early due to darkness. This weekend at the Russ Milligan Classic at Center Grove, North faced off against second-ranked Center Grove and fifth-ranked Bedford North Lawrence, earning a split with the two highly-touted teams. The Dogs beat Center Grove 7-4 in the early game, and then fell to BNL 5-1 in the second game. Maddi Rutan, coming off a perfect game against Southport in her last start, struck out nine Trojans while scattering six hits and walking just one in seven innings. Payton Morris, Kirsten Danford, and Rutan all had home runs for the Bull Dogs. Rutan and Danford went back-to-back in the top of the seventh inning to pull away for the victory. Rutan then started game two against Bedford North Lawrence, but the 124 pitches in the first game combined with the 59 pitches she threw in the first four innings of the second game forced McDonald to bring in Bailey Scruggs in relief to begin the fifth inning after Rutan gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits. Scruggs gave up three earned runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before settling in and striking out four. The Dogs went scoreless the rest of the game and dropped a 5-1 decision. Rutan and Kaylee Cowan each had two hits in the second game for North. The Bull Dogs will have a chance to redeem the loss to BNL as they host the Stars again on Tuesday, April 25. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm. Photo: Payton Morris hit one of three Bull Dog home runs in a 7-4 victory over second-ranked Center Grove at the Russ Milligan Classic at Center Grove on April 22.