Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympians put together multiple rallies and showed plenty of fight Thursday night at Olympian Field, but a decisive eighth inning proved too much to overcome in a 13-8 Hoosier Hills Conference loss to Seymour. Columbus East wasted no time getting on the board. Paxton Thompson sparked the offense in the bottom of the first with a triple to left, eventually scoring one of two early runs. Aiden Bumbalough added to the momentum with an RBI groundout as the Olympians grabbed a quick 2-0 lead. Seymour answered in the second and eventually pulled ahead 3-2 in the third, but the Olympians kept responding. Bumbalough delivered again in the third, driving in a run to even things at 3-3. After Seymour stretched the lead to 6-3 in the fourth, East stayed within striking distance and delivered its biggest push late. Trailing heading into the seventh, the Olympians rallied in a big way. JD Rotert came through with a clutch triple, and East capitalized on an error before Bumbalough added an RBI single to tie the game at 7-7 and send it to extra innings. At the plate, Thompson led the charge, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a triple. Rotert added a triple of his own and drove in two runs, while Bumbalough finished with a team-high three RBIs. The Olympians collected eight hits on the night, with contributions also coming from Bige Asher, Ryker Stott, Landyn Jewell, and Reid Koester. On the bases, Thompson and Kaden Arnholt created additional pressure with stolen bases, while East also showed situational awareness with a sacrifice from Logun Rager. On the mound, Stott got the start and worked four innings, allowing six runs (four earned) while striking out three. Jewell provided a solid middle relief effort, tossing three innings and allowing just one run (unearned) while keeping the Olympians within reach. Emmett Harden was tagged with the loss in the eighth inning. Defensively, the Olympians turned a double play but were hurt by four errors, which contributed to extended innings for Seymour. After battling back to tie the game late, the Olympians saw it slip away in the top of the eighth as Seymour capitalized to score six runs and take control for good. Despite the result, East showed a never give up attitude throughout, answering runs multiple times and forcing extra innings against a conference opponent. The Olympians will look to bounce back on Saturday when they hit the road to face HHC opponent Floyd Central Highlanders, with first pitch scheduled for 11:00 a.m.