Kirsten Danford
A 10-day layoff didn’t do much to slow down the bats of Columbus North.
Playing for the first time in 11 days, the Class 4A No. 6 Bull Dogs had only one hit and no runs in the first inning Monday, but then pounded out 15 hits over their final five trips to the plate in cruising to a 12-3 softball win against Brownstown Central.
“I think we came back there once we all got settled in,” junior catcher Kirsten Danford said. “It was natural.”
Danford led the charge at the plate for North (15-2), going 4 for 4 with two RBIs. Not long before the break in the schedule, she had gone through an 0 for 9 slump.
“I feel like I keep breaking out of slumps,” Danford said. “I’m on, and then I’m off and then I’m on. Hopefully, I just stay on for awhile.”
Josie Lemmons
Josie Lemmons also had a hot bat, going 3 for 5 with four RBIs. Her three-run homer in the third was her first home run of the season.
“I’ve gotten close off and on all year, but it’s nice knowing that it finally got over,” Lemmons said.
The Bull Dogs broke the ice with five runs on five hits in the second. Kaylee Cowan, Lemmons and Kelsey Lovelace all had RBI-singles.
After the Braves scored three times in the third, North put up five more run on five hits in the bottom of the inning. An RBI-single by Bailey King preceded Lemmons’ three-run blast.
The Bull Dogs’ final two runs came in the fifth on a two-run single by Danford.
“I think (Brownstown coach) Darren (Bryant), by bringing in different pitchers, was trying to throw us off a little bit, but we were able to muscle through it,” North coach Ron McDonald said.
Meanwhile, North’s Rachel Cowan and Maddi Rutan combined to strike out 16. Cowan allowed six hits and struck out seven in three innings, and Rutan struck out nine of the 12 batters she faced in four perfect innings.
Lovelace finished 3 for 5 for the Bull Dogs. Kaylee Cowan went 2 for 2, and Rutan and King each went 2 for 4.
“All of our girls got to play,” McDonald said. “It was nice to get them out there, especially after we had been off 11 days.”
