In the bottom of the sixth inning, Columbus North baseball coach Ben McDaniel asked his team to just scratch one run across the plate.
With extra innings possibly looming and the threat of darkness, the Class 4 No. 2 Bull Dogs answered their coach’s words.
With runners on second and third in the bottom of the sixth inning, senior Blake Huffman slapped the ball back to the pitcher and the deflection came to a stop right in the middle between third and second to score the winning run. North retired the side in the top of the seventh to send him and his fellow seniors home happy with a hard earned 1-0 victory over Jeffersonville Tuesday night.
“I was thinking in my head, ‘If we’re going to do it, now is the time to do it,’” Huffman said. “I thought to be aggressive and get the bat on the ball, kind of got lucky and got on base.”
In the bottom of the sixth, Austin Bode walked, and Kyler McIntosh hit an infield single to put runners on first and second. Reese Harmon advanced the runners with a groundout, setting up Huffman’s game-winning hit.
“It was a game we had to grind,” McDaniel said. “Two good pitchers on the mound, and both were doing their jobs. They were effective, they were efficient. The defenses were behind both teams were solid. A lot of balls were put in play, and a lot of good plays made.
Jacob Bailey earned the win on the bump for the Bull Dogs (21-4-1) going six innings and allowing three hits with four strikeouts. McIntosh came on in the seventh to earn the save.
McDaniel appreciated how much his seniors meant to the program.
“I challenged these seniors in the offseason. Our culture wasn’t in a good place. I asked these seniors to come together, to take each other and change the culture, and they have done that. Better than what I could have asked for,” McDaniel said. “I recognize them every chance I get in front of the team. This seniors are responsible for the season we’re having.”
After dropping its previous two games at Terre Haute South on Saturday and against Fishers on Monday and dropping from the top spot in the latest coaches poll, this was a bounce back win for North.
“It’s huge getting a win. The past few games haven’t gone the way we wanted to,” Huffman said. “Just getting back on the right track feels really nice.”
The Bull Dogs now face 4A No. 3 Center Grove on Thursday in a makeup game that was postponed last month due to not having umpires available for the game.
