Columbus East High School

The Columbus East softball team brought the bats to Connersville on Friday night, but despite multiple lead changes and a flurry of offensive fireworks, the Olympians dropped a hard-fought 12-10 decision to the host Spartans in a back-and-forth thriller. East struck early in the top of the first, plating two runs behind a hard-hit single from Lola Watkins, a walk by Baleigh Fish, and an RBI double from Jacque Boroughs. Taylor Wessel added a sacrifice fly to score another, giving the Olympians an early 2-0 lead. After Connersville answered with two of their own in the bottom half, the Olympians responded quickly. Jade Hampton launched a solo home run to left to lead off the second, and Watkins followed with a two-run homer later in the inning to put East ahead 5-2. The Spartans, however, weren’t fazed. They exploded for four runs in the bottom of the second—highlighted by a two-run home run from their cleanup hitter—and added another in the third to pull ahead 7-5. East clawed back in the fourth as a double from Natasha Armstrong cut the deficit to one. Then in the fifth, the Olympians erupted again. Boroughs doubled, Wessel singled, and Columbus East tied the game on a fielder’s choice. Moments later, Daisy Logan ripped a two-run double to cap a four-run frame, pushing East back in front, 9-8. An RBI single from Boroughs in the sixth extended the lead to 10-8, but defensive miscues proved costly in the bottom half. A pair of East errors opened the door for the Spartans, who took full advantage—scoring four times to swing the game back in their favor, 12-10. The Olympians tried to rally in the seventh after Logan's second hit of the night, but Connersville shut the door with two strikeouts and a flyout to end the game. Boroughs and Logan each finished with three hits to lead East’s offense, while Watkins and Hampton both homered. Armstrong also chipped in two key hits, including a run-scoring double. Despite the loss, the Olympians showed plenty of fight at the plate and will look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to Living Waters High School to face the Marlins. Game time: 2:30 p.m.