Columbus East High School

FRANKLIN H.S. - The Columbus East Varsity Olympians fought hard in Game One of Saturday’s doubleheader at Franklin Community High School, ultimately falling 6-4 to the Grizzly Cubs in a competitive back-and-forth battle. Franklin jumped ahead early, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Columbus East answered back in the top of the second when Jacque Boroughs was hit by a pitch and later scored on a double by Natasha Armstrong. After a passed ball allowed Armstrong to score, the Olympians quickly tied the game at 2-2. The Grizzly Cubs responded with two more runs over the next two innings, taking a 4-2 lead. Columbus East refused to go quietly, putting together a strong rally in the fifth. Taylor Wessel, who walked to start the inning, was part of a sequence that saw Baleigh Fish, Boroughs, Armstrong, and Wessel himself all reach safely. RBI singles by Boroughs and Wessel trimmed Franklin’s lead to just one, 5-4. The Olympians threatened again but were unable to break through against Franklin’s pitching staff, led by A Coit and later L Buck. Franklin tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with an inside-the-park home run by A Martin, sealing the final margin. Despite the loss, the Olympians showed impressive resilience at the plate, including clutch performances by Armstrong, Boroughs, and Wessel. B Fish pitched a complete game for East, battling through Franklin’s lineup and recording multiple strikeouts. Columbus East will look to bounce back quickly as they prepare for Game Two of the doubleheader later today. Stay tuned for updates! ________________ Game Two: Franklin Holds Off Columbus East Rally in Game Two Thriller Franklin Community held off a late charge from the Columbus East Olympians, escaping with a 10-7 win in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. The Olympians came out swinging in the first inning, immediately putting pressure on Franklin. Lola Watkins started the game with a single and a stolen base, before racing home on a Thaise Jessup RBI single. Baleigh Fish followed with a deep double to center, and Jacque Boroughs kept the momentum going with a single to right that scored another run. By the time the dust settled, East had built a quick 3-0 lead. Franklin, though, responded in the bottom of the first. After a bunt single from A. Martin, Franklin’s offense got rolling. A pair of hits and a clutch two-run single by C. Cramer evened the game at 3-3. East briefly reclaimed the lead in the top of the second when Jade Hampton tripled to center and scored on a sacrifice bunt from Kenzie Hampton. But Franklin erupted for five runs in their half of the inning, highlighted by a two-run triple from M. Stimac and a series of run-scoring hits that pushed the Grizzly Cubs ahead 8-4. Refusing to go away, Columbus East chipped away in the third. After a walk and an error, the Olympians took advantage of a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly by Jade Hampton to bring home two runs, narrowing the gap to 8-6. Franklin responded once more, capitalizing on a passed ball and a triple in the fourth to stretch their lead to 10-6. The Olympians mounted one final rally in the seventh. With two outs, Jessup and Fish delivered back-to-back singles, and Boroughs drove in Jessup to make it 10-7. The tying run came to the plate, but Franklin turned a double play to shut the door on the comeback attempt. Despite the loss, East showed tremendous fight throughout, piling up 12 hits and battling until the final out.