Revenge Served Cold: Olympians Shut Out Bull Dogs in Sectional Semifinal

Columbus East softball is marching into the championship round with a chip on their shoulder and a fire in the circle. The Olympians flipped the script from their regular-season collapse and blanked rival Columbus North, 3-0, in Wednesday night’s Sectional 14 semifinal at East Central.

Sophomore standout Baleigh Fish was dominant from start to finish, tossing a complete-game three-hit shutout and striking out eight in the revenge victory. After being pulled with a lead in their regular-season meeting—only to watch North put up 11 runs—East kept Fish in command all night, and the decision paid off big.

Lola Watkins was a difference-maker at the top of the order. She reached base with an infield single to start the game, stole second, and scored on Fish’s RBI blooper into shallow right. Watkins later tripled in the third and dashed home on a passed ball to make it 2-0.

East added another run in the sixth when Thaise Jessup doubled and courtesy runner Lilly Tindell crossed the plate on another passed ball, giving Fish all the cushion she’d need. Columbus North struggled to string anything together offensively, placing just one runner on base over the final three innings.

With the win, the Olympians (10-15) advance to tonight’s sectional final against Whiteland, who dominated Franklin in the other semifinal. East will now look to capture its first sectional crown in over 20 years.