COLUMBUS – In a rematch of two state heavyweights, No.3 Columbus North earned revenge, rallying late for a thrilling 4-3 victory over No.4 Bedford North Lawrence.
North ace hurler Maddi Rutan, an Eastern Kentucky recruit, was firing lightning bolts, striking out 14 as the Bull Dogs (11-1-1) avenged Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Stars during the three-team classic at Center Grove.
The Bull Dogs scored twice in the fifth to take the late lead and finally subdue the Stars (15-5). If the teams meet again this year, it will be deep in the Class 4A state tournament, and this battle had that type of intensity.
“How much fun was that?” BNL coach Brad Gilbert said. “I think we had a couple of raised eyebrows when I said that. Obviously we don’t want to lose, but – my goodness – it was like two heavyweight fighters trading punches, going back and forth.
“Super proud of the kids. It was a big-time game. These are the games we want to be in. If we’re going to make mistakes and not play our best, this is the time.”
BNL took a quick lead when lead-off batter Lauryn Anderson greeted Rutan with a home run to left.
“She just squared it up and drove it out,” Gilbert said. “She hit it, and it was like a ‘Here we are’ moment.
“Maddi was throwing hard. It was like she found another gear. We punched the bear in the face, and she just reached back.”
North pulled even in the bottom of the second when Payton Morris clubbed a homer off BNL ace Annie Waggoner. The Dogs then went up 2-1 in the third when Kelsey Lovelace doubled and Josie Lemmons reached on one of four BNL errors.
The Stars bounced back in the fourth. Waggoner was hit by a pitch, Braxton McCauley crushed a ball down the right-field line that was ruled foul, but Aliza Jewell thumped a RBI double to left. BNL took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when Hayley Davis walked, Anna Williams sacrificed her to second, and Anderson smacked a RBI single to center.
But that didn’t hold up. North loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth as Lovelace singled, Lemmons doubled, and Rutan was intentionally walked. With one out, Bailey King lifted a sacrifice fly to left, and the go-ahead run scored on another misplay when the Stars attempted to catch Rutan off second base.
“There are plays we have to clean up, a couple of things we learned that we have to do better,” Gilbert said. “We had chances to win the game. They made one play better than us.”
Lovelace had three hits for North. Waggoner struck out five innings in the circle and gave up only two earned runs. Anderson had two of the four hits Rutan allowed.
BNL will return to action on Friday, hosting Columbus East.
