Four costly errors in the third inning by Columbus North helped Bloomington North score five runs to break the game open.
The Cougars had only a two-run lead on the Bull Dogs before the errors started to pour in, and Bloomington North ended the third inning with a seven run lead on its way to a 12-0, six-inning win Tuesday.
Columbus North ended with seven total errors, but coach Ron McDonald said he was proud how the Bull Dogs bounced back from their game the night before against Columbus East, when they fell 11-1 in six innings.
“Without those seven errors, we’re in this game,” McDonald said. “We had that one bad inning of the errors. We were in this game at least up until I think the fourth inning. We got the bat on the ball, too. I’m glad to see we hit a little bit. (Kenzey Ridge) is a great pitcher. She’s probably the best pitcher we’ll face all year.”
Charisma Boroughs, Sierra Norman and Bailey Lofton all got a hit for Columbus North.
Another positive that McDonald said came from the game was senior Madisyn Prince pitching the first three innings, which was longer than he expected. Prince is coming off of a sprained ankle on top of recovering from her torn ACL from six months ago. Freshman Lilly Hurt pitched the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
The Bull Dogs (0-12) managed to keep Bloomington North (8-0) from scoring any runs in the fifth, but three runs by the Cougars in the sixth ended the game.
Columbus North still is looking for its first win of the season, and McDonald said he believes the Bull Dogs can put themselves in a position to win a couple games before the season is over.
“We know if we eliminate the errors, we’re going to be in these games coming up,” McDonald said. “So we’re gagging everything toward the end of the season here. Maybe, we’ll hopefully come up with some wins and try to be competitive in the sectional. That’s our goal.”
