Columbus East High School

Olympians Explode for 21 Runs in Road Victory Over Trinity Lutheran SEYMOUR - The Columbus East Olympians wasted little time getting the offense rolling Thursday evening in Seymour, erupting for six first-inning runs and never looking back in a dominant 21-7 victory over the Trinity Lutheran Cougars. Columbus East pounded out 20 hits in the win, with nearly every spot in the lineup contributing to the offensive surge. The Olympians scored in four different innings, including a seven-run sixth inning that put the game out of reach. Leading the offensive explosion was Baleigh Fish, who turned in a monster performance at the plate. Fish finished a perfect 5-for-5 with a double, a home run, four RBIs, and two runs scored. Her two-run blast in the second inning pushed the Olympian lead to 9-1 and highlighted a huge early offensive stretch. Ariel Darnell was equally impressive, going 4-for-4 with a double, triple, four runs scored, and two RBIs. Darnell ignited several East rallies, including a run-scoring double in the opening inning and a triple in the second. The Olympians attacked immediately in the top of the first. Lola Watkins opened the game with a triple before East strung together hits from Fish, Jacque Boroughs, Natasha Armstrong, and Taylor Wessel to build a quick 6-0 advantage. East stayed aggressive in the second inning, plating five more runs behind Fish’s home run, RBI hits from Thaise Jessup and MacKenzie Hampton, plus Darnell’s RBI triple. The Olympians added three more runs in the third inning. Fish ripped a double and later scored, while Boroughs and Ladaishia Logan each drove in runs as East extended the lead to 14-1. After Trinity Lutheran mounted a six-run fifth inning, Columbus East answered emphatically in the sixth. The Olympians sent 13 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the frame. Fish delivered another RBI single, Jessup added an RBI groundout, and East capitalized on patience at the plate with multiple walks and aggressive baserunning to push the margin back to 21-7. Several Olympians contributed multi-hit performances. Fish led the way with five hits, while Darnell had four. Wessel, Watkins, and Logan each added two hits, while Hampton, Boroughs, Armstrong, and Jessup also recorded hits in the victory. In the circle, Fish started the game and allowed just one run over two innings. Boroughs followed with two strong shutout innings, striking out three. Jayley Smiley closed out the final two innings to secure the win. Defensively, the Olympians played a clean game without committing an error while turning in several strong plays behind their pitching staff. The Olympians will be back to the friendly confines of Olympian Field when they host Indianapolis Liver Water Marlins on Saturday, May 9th. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. - one game only.