Columbus East High School

The Columbus East Olympians closed out the Hoosier Hills Conference Tournament on a strong note Friday night, rolling past the Jennings County Panthers 13-3 at Olympian Field to claim third place in the conference tournament. After holding a slim 3-1 lead through three innings, the Olympians broke the game wide open with a massive nine-run fourth inning fueled by patience at the plate, timely hitting, and Panther miscues. Junior Ryker Stott powered the East offense with a perfect 3-for-3 night at the plate, including a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning. Stott scored three runs and drove in three more to lead the Olympian attack. Columbus East collected nine hits overall and showed discipline throughout the evening, drawing eight walks against Jennings County pitching. The Olympians first got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Stott singled to start the rally before Aidan Bumbalough lined a single into left field. Later in the inning, Logun Rager dropped down a bunt single that plated the game’s first run, and Landyn Jewell reached on an error that allowed another run to score, giving East a 2-0 advantage. East added another run in the third inning when Stott singled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Paxton Thompson to extend the lead to 3-0. The fourth inning proved to be the knockout punch. Jewell was hit by a pitch to open the frame before Kaden Arnholt walked and JD Rotert ripped an RBI double to center field. After another walk loaded the bases, Bige Asher drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run and push the lead to 5-1. Moments later, Stott delivered the biggest swing of the night, lacing a three-run double to center field that stretched the Olympian advantage to 8-1. East continued to pile on as Emmett Harden walked, Rager was hit by a pitch, and Jewell reached on an error that brought home two more runs. Kaden Arnholt later reached on a fielder’s choice that scored another run before Rotert capped the inning with an RBI single to right field. Rotert finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and also reached base four times after drawing a pair of walks. Jewell added a double and drove in three runs, while Kaden Arnholt scored twice and drove in two runs. Harden scored twice and added a hit in relief duty at shortstop. On the mound, Peyton Asher earned the victory for the Olympians. The right-hander allowed just two hits and one earned run across 3.1 innings while striking out one. Jacob Huffman worked through the fifth inning before Owen Arnholt shut the door in relief, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. Defensively, Columbus East played a clean game without committing an error and turned a key double play in the fifth inning to slow a Jennings County rally. The Olympians improve momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season and will return to Olympian Field on Monday, May 18, when they host Hoosier Hills Conference rival New Albany HS. Columbus East will also honor its senior class prior to first pitch, which is scheduled for 6 p.m.