In a game that ended with a final score more fit for a football game than a softball game, Columbus North was defeated by the visitors from Bloomington South Tuesday night 23-9 in six innings.
The game, which was an offensive juggernaut, featured a combined 32 runs, 34 hits, and 12 errors.
Both teams started the offensive fireworks right away, with each team scoring runs in their first three plate appearances. A three-run homer by the Panthers’ Lizzie Halstead put the visitors on the board in the top of the first.
The Bull Dogs (3-14, 1-6) were able to answer with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. A Sierra Norman double plated Brooke Bruin, who had reached with a double of her own, for the first run. Norman then scored on a double steal for North’s second run, pulling the Bull Dogs to within a run after the first.
The Panthers (4-8, 1-3) answered right back, scoring five in the second to take an 8-2 lead. In North’s half of the second, they once again answered right back.
Jenna Fath led off the inning with a hit. Bruin’s second double of the game moved Fath to third. Norman continued her stellar offensive night, coming to the plate and clearing the bases with a deep home run to left-center, making the score 8-5.
After each team scored a run in the third, Bloomington South was able to put four more runs on the board in the fourth to take a 13-6 lead. The Bull Dogs, for the first time all night, were unable to answer the Panthers’ offensive production.
After Bloomington South scored two more runs in the top of the fifth to take a 15-6 lead, North was able to score three runs of its own to cut into the lead, making the score 15-9.
Once again, it was the combination of Fath, Bruin, and Norman that did the offensive damage for the Bull Dogs, with the help of Bailey Lofton. Fath singled, Bruin reached on an error, and Norman singled to knock in Fath. That was followed by an RBI-double by Lofton, scoring Norman.
The Panthers put the game out of reach in the sixth, however, scoring eight runs to secure the victory. The first three Bloomington SOuth hitters did most of the damage, going a combined 15 for 18 with three doubles, a triple, a homerun, 10 RBIs and 10 runs scored.
For the Bull Dogs, Norman led the offensive charge with a single, double, home run and five RBIs. Bruin had two doubles, an RBI and scored three runs and Lofton had two doubles.
