Columbus North softball seems to be turning the corner, winning two of the past three games heading into today’s matchup with crosstown rival Columbus East.
The hitting of the Bull Dogs is starting to come together. The leading hitter on the team has been sophomore Meghan Waggoner.
Waggoner, who mostly plays first base, hit a solo home run earlier in the season against Whiteland.
“I’ve been focusing in practice,” Waggoner said. “I’ve been practicing on hitting the ball in the right place, and so I’ve been trying to take that into the game.”
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So far it has been working well for Waggoner. She is batting close to .500 with four doubles and the homer.
As well as she’s been on the field this year, her off-the-field skills have turned her into a better softball player.
“Let alone being a great player, she is one of the best people that I’ve ever run into,” North coach Ron McDonald said. “She’s a sweetheart and does everything that you ask her to do.”
Waggoner provided the spark in the offense early in the season when veteran players Sierra Norman and Bailey Lofton had their early season woes.
“Talk about being on fire — she’s leading us in hitting,” McDonald said. “Every time she goes up there, you know that she is going to do something, so I really couldn’t ask for more than what she is doing right now.”
McDonald also is pleased with Waggoner’s progress from her freshman to sophomore year.
“It’s been unbelievable, especially as a hitter,” McDonald said. “It’s just so much fun to see her doing this and see the confidence she has when she walks up there regardless of who’s pitching. I’m just really proud of her.”
With the pieces finally coming together and Norman and Lofton getting out of their slumps, combining for three home runs the last three games, North, which hasn’t beaten East since 2014, has the power it needs to challenge the Olympians today.
Waggoner also has done some pitching for the Bull Dogs early in the season. She has been bothered by a back injury since the summer and it has limited her at times in the circle this year. But with freshman teammate Peri Foust coming back in the rotation, it will take some of the load off Waggoner to get her herself 100 percent healthy.
“I haven’t been pitching the best because of my back,” Waggoner said. “I’ve been trying to get into it, but when I pitch, it aggravates it some.”
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Columbus East vs. Columbus North softball
When: 5 p.m. today
Where: Columbus East High School
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