Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympians made the short trip to the west side of Columbus Friday evening for a rivalry matchup against the Columbus North Bulldogs, but the Olympian offense struggled to find momentum in a 5-0 setback. Columbus North scored three runs in the opening inning and added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, while East continued battling throughout the night despite being limited to one hit offensively. JD Rotert accounted for the lone Olympian hit, finishing 1-for-3 at the plate. East also showed patience offensively by drawing four walks during the contest. Bige Asher reached base twice with two walks, while Kaden Arnholt and Paxton Thompson each added a walk. The Olympians put runners aboard in several innings, but were unable to come up with the timely hit needed to break through offensively. East finished the game with five runners left on base. On the mound, Ryker Stott started for the Olympians, allowing just two hits over three innings of work while striking out two batters. Only one of the three runs charged to Stott was earned. Rotert provided a strong relief appearance over the final three innings, scattering four hits while striking out four. The right-hander allowed two runs, with only one earned, helping keep the Olympians within reach late in the game. Defensively, East battled through a difficult night against a rival opponent. The Olympians turned in several solid plays behind their pitching staff and continued competing inning by inning against a North team that managed six hits on the evening. After several games of no errors / 1 error games, the O's committed three errors on the evening, contributing to some of the Bulldogs success. The Olympians will look to regroup quickly as they return home to Olympian Field Monday to host the Beech Grove Hornets. Start time: 6 p.m.