It did not take long for the Columbus North bats to come alive in Tuesday night’s baseball matchup against Lawrence Central.
The Bull Dogs picked up seven early runs in the first inning and went on to rout the Bears 12-0 in a game that lasted less than 90 minutes. The Bull Dogs are now on an eight-game winning streak.
Cooper Trinkle led the way for the Bull Dogs. He was a home run away from hitting for the cycle and also added three RBIs and scored two runs.
“We have been taking a lot of batting practice this week in the batting cages because of the rain, and it helped,” Trinkle said.
It was a different kind of pitch that Bears starting pitcher Joe Wilson was producing, but the Bull Dogs adjusted nicely and got five hits in the first inning. Collin Lollar, Logan Jones, Korry Drum and Tyler Finke all drove in runs to put North ahead 7-0.
The Bull Dogs (11-3) finished with 11 hits for the game.
“I like the way my guys adjusted,” said North coach Ben McDaniel. “We put in a lot of good swings on the right pitches. Now the pitch will be different again when we face Cathedral (today).”
Jake Petrusky had another strong night on the mound for the Bull Dogs. He only allowed two hits through four innings with a stellar defense playing behind him.
A great defensive effort like Thursday’s is what the Bull Dogs will need to finish the season strong, Trinkle said.
“It nice to not have any errors,” Trinkle said. “It is good momentum and we definitely need it if we want to compete against a top team like Cathedral.”
The hits were still coming for North in the second inning when Canaan Baum led the inning off with a single, then Trinkle scored him with a triple. Brice McDaniel drove in Trinkle to give the Bull Dogs a 9-0 lead.
The Bull Dogs picked up three more runs in the fourth inning when Hayata Takauchi led off with a triple and Trinkle scored him with a double. Lollar also knocked in a run as well.
Petrusky left the game after four innings when the game was out of reach for the Bears.
“He steps on the mound and is ready to go,” Ben McDaniel said. “Jake is going to throw his game and doesn’t matter who the opponent is. The only reason we pulled was because he was up to 40 pitches and the game was in hand and I wanted him good to go this weekend.”
The Bull Dogs face arguably their toughest challenge of the season when they travel to Class 4A No. 2 Cathedral this evening at 6 p.m. and then travel to Greensburg Saturday for a doubleheader that begins at 10 a.m.
