Columbus East High School

BLOOMINGTON SOUTH HS - Friday night’s road trip to Bloomington started with a bang for the Columbus East Varsity Olympians, but the 4A #6 ranked Panthers eventually found their rhythm to overcome an early deficit and secure a 14-7 victory. The Olympians’ offense erupted in the top of the second inning, plating five runs to take a commanding 5-2 lead. Logun Rager provided the biggest spark of the frame with a clutch double that drove in two runs. He was joined in the extra-base hit parade by Jacob Huffman, whose RBI double added to the cushion, and JD Rotert, who also notched a double during the contest. Landyn Jewell contributed an RBI single to the second-inning surge, and Kaden Arnholt drove in a run of his own while also showcasing his speed on the paths with a stolen base. Pitching and Defensive Standouts Despite the early offensive fireworks, the Olympians' pitching staff faced a grueling task against the Bloomington South lineup. The Olympians gave up nine walks on the evening, giving to many opportunities to a good team. JD Rotert started on the mound, working through three innings and striking out four batters. Tanner Jewell and Ryker Stott appeared in relief, with Stott adding two strikeouts to the team's total during his inning of work. Paxton Thompson provided a late-game highlight from the rubber, tossing a clean sixth inning in which he surrendered no hits or runs. Thompson was equally effective with the bat, leading the Columbus East hit count by going 2-for-3 on the day. Other notable offensive contributions included: > JD Rotert, who finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored. > Kaden Arnholt, who went 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI. > Jacob Huffman and Logun Rager, who both finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and their respective doubles. While the rally by the Panthers proved too much to overcome this time, the Olympians showed showed some fight by jumping out to an early lead against a highly-ranked opponent. Columbus East will look to regroup and find the win column as they have another busy week of baseball ahead. They host two homes game to start the week; the Batesville Bulldogs on Tuesday, May 5th/5:30 p.m. and the host the Greensburg Pirates on Wednesday, May 6th/5:30 and then finish off the week when they make the short drive across town to the face the Columbus North Bulldogs on Friday, May 8th starting at 7 p.m. The Olympians are entering the final quarter of their season, with the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament and the IHSAA baseball tournament coming in the next few weeks.