Columbus East High School

EAST CENTRAL H.S. — The Columbus East softball team picked the perfect time for payback. Just over a month after suffering a 12-4 defeat to cross-town rival Columbus North, the Olympians delivered a statement performance Tuesday night, blanking the Bulldogs 3-0 in the semifinal round of the IHSAA Sectional at East Central High School. Fueled by a masterful outing from pitcher Baleigh Fish and early offensive execution, East flipped the script and advanced to the sectional final with one of its most complete performances of the season. Fish was dominant in the circle, striking out 10 Bulldogs and scattering just five hits while issuing only one walk. Her poise and pitch placement kept North off balance all game and preserved the shutout. The Olympians wasted no time setting the tone. In the top of the first inning, Lola Watkins singled and stole second, then scored on a line-drive RBI single by Baleigh Fish to give East an early 1-0 lead. Watkins sparked the offense again in the third, this time ripping a triple to the left-field corner. She came around to score on a passed ball, stretching the lead to 2-0. In the sixth, East tacked on one more insurance run. Thaise Jessup smacked a double to center, and Fish followed with a double of her own. Although Jessup was tagged out at home trying to score, courtesy runner Lilly Tindell came around on another passed ball to make it 3-0 after a single from Jacque Boroughs kept the inning alive. Meanwhile, the East defense was airtight. The Bulldogs threatened in the first and fourth innings with runners in scoring position, but Fish shut the door each time — highlighted by two clutch strikeouts to escape a jam in the second and a pop-out to end a two-out double threat in the fourth. Columbus North never found a rhythm at the plate, as Fish struck out at least one batter in every inning but one. The Bulldogs' best chance to score came in the sixth when Sydney Williams reached on an error, but East's outfield locked it down with another key flyout and Fish’s final punch out of the frame. The Olympians will now look to ride this momentum into the sectional championship game tomorrow night(5/29) when they face the Whiteland Warriors. First pitch: 6:30 p.m. @ East Central H.S. For now, they’ll savor a shutout win that not only extended their season but earned them bragging rights in Columbus — and maybe a bit of revenge, too.