Columbus East High School

In a tightly contested non-conference matchup on the road, the Columbus East Olympians softball team saw a hard-fought lead slip away late, falling 4-3 to Lawrence Central on Tuesday night. The Olympians got off to a sharp start, with leadoff hitter Laken Watkins setting the tone early. She reached on a grounder in the first inning, advanced on a wild pitch, and helped pressure the Bears’ defense. Although East stranded two runners in scoring position in that frame, they didn’t stay quiet for long. In the top of the second, Taylor Wessel sparked the offense with a double to right, then came around to score when Alyssa Darnell reached on an error. Watkins added an RBI single later in the inning to make it 2-0. Pitcher Reese Foster was steady early, striking out four in the first three innings and getting solid defensive support behind her. The Olympians also worked around a few errors, including a pair by the infield, to keep Lawrence Central scoreless through the first three frames. The Bears scratched across their first run in the bottom of the fourth on a groundout after a leadoff single and a wild pitch. But Columbus East’s defense held strong to maintain a 2-1 advantage. The game tightened even further in the sixth when Lawrence Central’s Luter launched a solo home run to center field, tying the game at 2-2. But Columbus East answered in the top of the seventh, with Watkins once again leading off with a double and scoring on a dropped third strike that allowed Fish to reach first safely. That gave the Olympians a 3-2 edge heading into the final frame. Unfortunately for East, the bottom of the seventh unraveled. A leadoff single by McGraw was followed by a sacrifice bunt and another single that tied the game. Moments later, Duszynski ripped a walk-off double to right field, scoring Luter and sealing a 4-3 comeback win for Lawrence Central. Watkins led Columbus East at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Foster struck out eight in the circle, but the Olympians were ultimately undone by three errors and a late surge by the home team. Columbus East will look to bounce back in their next contest as they head to Seymour, IN on Thursday(4/24) to battle with the Seymour Owls, a Hoosier Hills Conference battle.