SHELBYVILLE — In the top of the fifth inning Tuesday night, Shelbyville had scored one run off an error and had the bases loaded for top power hitter Karissa Hamilton for a possible tie or go-ahead runs.
Columbus North starting pitcher Maddi Rutan and the defense behind her did the job to make sure history didn’t repeat. After hitting a solo home run in the previous inning, Hamilton hit a pop fly for the third out.
A similar situation happened again in the top of the sixth inning with runners in scoring position with only one out. Once again, the Bull Dogs held on to retire the side and eventually defeat the Class 4A No. 6 Golden Bears 4-2 in the opening round of the Shelbyville softball sectional.
Columbus North (22-4) will face Bloomington North, which defeated Columbus East 12-5 in the earlier game on Tuesday, in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Tuesday’s game was a nail-biter for Bull Dogs coach Ron McDonald, the team and the Bull Dog fans, but his team stayed mentally tough in the tight situation in a game that had the feel of sectional title with two of the top teams in the state squaring off.
“It was a great win for us,” McDonald said. “I’m so proud of Maddi and the other girls that made the plays. We had a hiccup there with those couple errors, but we didn’t let it get us down. I’m just really proud of everybody.”
North started out of the gate with a hot start. Josie Lemmons led off the game a hit to left field that looked like a single at first, but Lemmons used her speed to get to second base for the double. It paid off when Rutan blasted an RBI-double for the first run of the game. After Lillian Mackey walked, Bailey King delivered a single to plate two more runs for a 3-0 lead.
The Bull Dogs extended the lead in the top of the third when Rutan led off the inning with a triple, and King hit into a grounder to first base to score the run and extend the lead to 4-0.
Hamilton got the Golden Bears on the board with her state record-tying 22nd home run of the season over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 4-1.
Rutan was near perfect in the circle to start the game, striking out seven in the process until the Hamilton homer ended the no-hitter. She finished with nine strikeouts.
“I was nervous at the start of the game, but I became a lot better after the first few innings. During the middle of the game, I knew that we made errors, but errors are going to happen,” Rutan said. “My defense is not perfect, but I have an amazing defense, and I had to rely on them. My team pulled me through it. It’s not just myself. I had to dig deep, but they always have my back, and I always know that no matter what. So, they got me through it.”
For North, Rutan was 2 for 2 with a triple and a double, King was 1 for 3 with three RBIs and Lemmons went 2 for 3 with a double
“We’ll come back and practice (today) and be ready for (Bloomington North) Thursday,” McDonald said.
