Late rally lifts Bull Dogs to victory over Flashes

Kyler Hashman

By the way the baseball game was flowing on Tuesday night, Columbus North and Franklin Central seemed to be heading toward extra innings.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bull Dogs changed the narrative.

North picked up three runs with a Kyler Hashman double that cleared the bases. The Flashes had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh, but the Bull Dogs recorded the final strikeout to hang on for a 5-3 baseball victory.

In the sixth inning, North got a single from Zach McLean. Blake Osbourne then laid down a bunt down the first base line that stayed fair once the ball stopped rolling. An infield hit from Trenton McCain loaded the bases when the Franklin Central defense failed to cover first base. That set up the hit from Hashman.

“We executed to get to the bases loaded. We got one on and got a couple bunts down, and Kyler comes up big,” North coach Mike Bodart said. “It was a big hit, and it was big for him, he needed that for a boost of confidence. I’m proud to see that result for him.”

Luke Harmon was credited with the win for the Bull Dogs (5-5). He went six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and struck out nine.

“Luke’s grinding. His pitch count was a bit higher than what we wanted it to be, but he’s gritty, and that’s what we want,” Bodart said. “We want guys that are gritty, they want the ball, they are going to go out and give it their all. Proud of him for getting us into six. I was a little concerned in about the third inning how much we were going to get out of him since we had a doubleheader on Saturday, so we used some arms, and then three games later this week. We were glad to get six innings out of him.”

The Flashes scored first in the top of the first, but then North came back with two runs in the bottom of the second to lead 2-1. Franklin Central tied it at 2-2 in the top of the third. After The Bull Dogs got the lead in the top of the sixth, the Flashes added a run in the seventh until Connor Hensley pitched in relief to record the final strikeout.

For North, Hashman was 1 for 3 with a double and four RBIs, and Osbourne was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.