Columbus North High School

May 24, 2023 - With the exception of one-half inning that the Dogs would like to have back, Columbus North dominated Columbus East 14-4 to win their first-round matchup in the Columbus North softball Sectional and advance to the late game of the second round against Whiteland. The Dogs wasted no time in jumping on the Olympians 6-0 after two innings. They added two more in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to build a 10-0 lead and had their minds set on finishing the game early via the ten-run rule. However, the Olympians refused to go down without a fight, and a grand slam from East’s cleanup hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning cut the lead to 10-4, and got the Bull Dogs’ attention. The Dogs answered with four runs of their own in the top of the seventh inning to regain the ten-run advantage and advance to the second round. Maddi Rutan threw a complete-game for the victory, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out fourteen. The Dogs busted out eleven hits, including three by Josie Lemmons, and two each by Kelsey Lovelace, Rutan, and Payton Morris. North was helped with five Olympian defensive errors for the game. Columbus North (24-1-1) will face Whiteland on Thursday following the Shelbyville vs Franklin Community game at 6:00. North’s game will likely start around 7:45 pm. Photo: Maddi Rutan struck out fourteen Olympians en route to a 14-4 first-round victory in the Columbus North Softball Sectional.