Columbus East’s Ariel Darnell, in orange, slides under the tag by Columbus North shortstop Payton Morris to steal second base in a softball game April 21 at Columbus East.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
The crosstown softball rematch is Wednesday, and this time, it will be win-or-go-home.
Columbus North (13-11) and Columbus East (9-15) are slated to play in the first game of the semifinal round of the East Central Sectional, with the first pitch scheduled at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The winner will advance to Thursday’s sectional final.
In the other half of the bracket, the host Trojans will take on Whiteland Tuesday, with the winner meeting Franklin in the second semifinal game Wednesday. The sectional championship will be Thursday.
The Bull Dogs won over the Olympians 12-4 April 21 in the regular-season game, with North erupting with 11 runs in one inning.
Both teams played their regular season finales Friday, and now the focus turns to each other.
During the regular season matchup, East led 3-1 until the sixth inning, then the tires went flat. Not having one bad inning is going to be key for the Olympians, and perhaps the Bull Dogs, as well.
“A lot of my hitters now have found their legs, and they have started to figure out how to put the ball in play,” East coach Rusty Brummett said. “We need to scratch out a few runs here and there give ourselves an opportunity, and you’ve got to couple that with a good pitching effort on our side, along with great defense and then keep yourself in the ballgame.”
Sophomore Baleigh Fish has been the top pitcher for East this year. She has pitched 85 1/3 innings with a 3.61 ERA in 14 appearances.
“Her stamina, her strength in the circle has gotten better throughout the season,” Brummett said. “She found a second wind, and she’s been pitching really well. She’s been able to go seven innings. The positive pitching she’s had over the last few times we’ve been out will help her with that.
While it’s probable that Fish will get the call to the circle for the Olympians Wednesday, it may not be a shoo-in for Bailee Scruggs to get the nod for North. Payton Morris has provided the Bull Dogs with a perfect 1-2 punch on the pitching staff. It can be a “good” problem for North coach TJ Jarvis.
“Obviously, you see the pitching that we have. I have confidence in both of them,” Jarvis said.
Another key could come down to which team is producing better in the bottom-third of the batting order.
“The top five, six in the lineup are comparable,” Brummett said. “Both teams have some power, both teams have some speed, both teams have the ability to put the ball on the ground and bunt people and move people around. I think how the bottom third of the lineup performs is going to be a big factor.”
“We’re starting to heat up at the right time. When we have the bottom running with the top, we can put up a lot of runs,” Jarvis added.
Another big factor for the Bull Dogs could be staying flawless on defense.
“We’re cleaning up mistakes. We always want to walk out of there with no errors,” Jarvis said.
