East earns 1st victory of season

Thursday was Autism Awareness Night at Columbus East, and players used wooden bats instead of the louder metal bats.

As a result, hits and runs were at a premium, especially with East’s Drew Hasson and Seymour’s Jayden Brown firing zeroes for most of the game. But the Olympians were able to put up three runs in the fifth, highlighted by Hasson’s two-run double, to claim a 3-0 victory.

“Everyone got off to a slow start,” Hasson said. “Using wood bats is a whole lot different than using BBCORs (metal bats). I just got my pitch, and I drove it.”

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Hasson allowed only two hits in six innings. Julian Greenwell pitched a perfect seventh to preserve the shutout.

Those were bounce-back efforts from Saturday’s season-opening losses for Hasson and Greenwell.

“I thought my command was a lot better with both the fastball and the curveball,” Hasson said. “I was getting first-pitch strikes, and they made plays behind me.”

The Olympians (1-2) put runners on second and third with one out in the fourth, but Brown pitched out of the jam for the Owls (1-1). It looked like he might get out of another second-and-third, one-out jam in the fifth after Alex Burnett and Conner Barkes singled and Klayton Brummett bunted them to second and third.

Brown came through with a strikeout, but then a passed ball allowed Burnett score the game’s first run. Then after a walk to Greenwell, Hasson delivered a two-run double to center, ending the night for Brown, who was replaced by Alan Perry.

“We got that leadoff single, and we were playing for one,” East coach Jon Gratz said. “Conner Barkes got a great bunt down and got on base, and Klayton Brummett put another great one down right after it. That’s what you want out of your seniors.”

Dalton Back went 2 for 3 to lead East’s six-hit attack.

Hasson finished with six strikeouts and one walk, while Greenwell struck out two of the three batters he faced. Hasson threw less than 60 pitches in his six innings of work.

“Drew was very efficient today,” Gratz said.