Columbus East High School

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — May 12, 2025 — The Columbus East baseball team saw a strong early lead slip away in the opening round of the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament on Monday night, falling 8-5 to Jeffersonville on the road. The Olympians came out swinging, scoring four runs in the top of the second inning and adding another in the third to take a 5-2 lead. But Jeffersonville responded with a six-run fifth inning that proved to be the difference in the game. Sophomore J.D. Rotert sparked the early offense for East, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Sophomore Emmitt Harden continued his strong season at the plate with a perfect 2-for-2 effort, scoring once and driving in a run. Senior Logan Warren added a double and two RBIs. Columbus East collected eight hits on the night, including extra-base hits from Warren and junior Bige Asher, who also scored a run. The Olympians were aggressive on the bases, swiping five bags, with steals from Rotert, Harden, Asher, Jackson Watkins, and AJ Tindell. On the mound, senior Jackson Watkins started for East, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing seven earned runs on four hits and seven walks while striking out two. Junior Ryker Stott entered in relief and kept the Red Devils off the scoreboard over the final 1.1 innings. Despite committing only one error defensively, East couldn't overcome Jeffersonville’s fifth-inning rally, which featured timely hits by three different Red Devil players. The loss knocks the Olympians out of conference title contention, but they’ll look to regroup to finish the highest place they can, starting on Thursday when they travel to Floyd Central on Thursday.