Zach Wager
Class 3A No. 3 Batesville had a early lead in Tuesday’s baseball contest against Columbus North, but North had a strong rally in the bottom of the third inning that ended up being the difference in a 7-3 win.
North made some mental errors of its own, but took more advantage of the four Batesville errors.
“We took advantage of the freebies that they gave us,” North coach Pat Antone said. “We put some balls in play, which is good because they’re starting to get their timing down and swinging the bats better.”
The game was originally supposed to be played in Batesville Tuesday night, but with the Batesville field still unplayable, the venue switched to being played at Southside Elementary.
Zach Wager started on the mound for North and earned the win. He gave up three runs on eight runs and struck out five batters in five innings pitched. Will Baker came on in relief to close out the final two innings.
“They’re a quality team, and I knew they were going to come out here and battle,” Wager said. “They hit really good, and I had to compete with every pitch and fight the whole way.”
Batesville (5-1) led 2-0 after two inning, but North (3-0-1) rallied for four runs in the bottom of the third inning to lead 4-2. After Batesville cut it to 4-3 in the top of the fifth, North got another insurance run in the bottom half of the fifth to increase the lead to 5-3. North would score two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to keep its unbeaten record intact.
“The start feels great but we have a lot of things we still need to work on,” Wager said. “We’re playing team baseball. We’re starting to come together and work as a team to get the win.”
In the game for North, Dyllan Redmon finished 2 for 2 with a double and Baker went 2 for 4.
“If we can eliminate the freebies that we are giving up, whether it’s with the baserunning, more so, in the top of the first (inning),” Antone said. “We need to be difference makers in the first. We talk about that all the time, step up, make routine plays, don’t give them freebies, compete and find a way to come out of the first inning with a zero. If we can find a way to bear down and compete, then we’ll be in a good spot.”
