Columbus North’s Zach McLean, center, celebrates hitting a home run against Columbus East at Columbus East, Friday, May 5, 2023.
Paige Grider | For The Republic
Columbus North put together an all-around team performance Friday night.
The Bull Dogs put the necessary hits together, had quality pitching from Luke Harmon on the mound and the defense behind him was nearly flawless. All of that helped lead to a 7-1 baseball victory on the road against crosstown rival Columbus East.
Harmon went the distance, allowing one run on four hits and struck out 11 for North.
“I’m glad I could establish that curveball early, so I had it late in the game. Trenton (McCain) did a heck of a job behind the plate working back there,” Harmon said.
It didn’t take long for North (11-8) to strike first. Harmon led off the game with a walk, and a Tyler Blythe bunt-single put runners on first and second. A sacrifice bunt by Connor Hensley advanced both runners. A wild pitch from Olympian starter Will Boyer scored Harmon. Zach McLean then hit an RBI-single for a quick 2-0 lead.
East (4-14) cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second when Caleb Martoccia and Eli Tindell singled to put runners on first and second. However, a double play stalled the quick momentum the Olympians had, although Martoccia eventually scored from a two-out single from Boyer to make it 2-1.
From the third through the sixth innings, the Olympians didn’t have a single baserunner.
“We starting hitting it pretty hard there in the second inning, and then we just went on a lull,” East coach Jon Gratz said. “(Harmon) made a bunch of good pitches. He’s a really good pitcher. We’ve got to find a way to put the bat on the ball and string some hits together. When we get guys on, we need to execute and get them in.”
In the top of the third, McLean blasted a solo home run to get the run back. In the fourth, Dillon James smacked a solo home run to left field, and Harmon later scored off a double from Hensley to make it 5-1. Harmon scored from an sacrifice fly from Hensley in the sixth, and Kyler Hashman scored the final run off of a passed ball in the top of the seventh.
“As a pitcher, it’s nice to pitch with a lead rather than being down. We had tremendous at-bats. Zach McLean had a really good at-bat, fouling off three or four and then hitting a liner,” Harmon said, “and props to Will Boyer. He’s actually one of my best friends since we were kids. He did a heck of a job, but I’m glad that we could pull it out.”
Boyer went five innings and allowed five runs off on six hits and struck out six for East. Jacob Clark finished the final two innings in relief, allowing two runs on two hits with one strikeout.
For the Olympians, Martoccia, Tindell, Jordan Flanders and Boyer accounted for their four hits in the contest.
For North, McLean was 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs. Hensley was 1 for 4 with a double and two RBIs, Blake Osbourne was 1 for 4 with a double and James was 1 for 4 with a home run.
“Truthfully, you‘ve got to look at Trenton McCain, and what he did behind the plate. He didn’t allow a single passed ball, no runner advanced on a passed ball, and I think they had one stolen base. All in all, defensively, we did what we were supposed to do. I’m pleased with the execution today,” North coach Mike Bodart said.
