Kirsten Danford
The Columbus North bats exploded Tuesday night.
The Class 4A No. 4 Bull Dogs tallied a total of 18 hits and cruised to an 18-4 softball win against Seymour in five innings.
“The girls have done a really good job on staying disciplined up there and making sure they’re swinging on strikes,” North coach Ron McDonald said. “We’ve got a great defense. It’s going to be hard to get by our defense. Our defense is really good.”
The Owls got on the board in the top of the first with a two-run homer from Kendall Allman to put them ahead 2-0. That lead evaporated quickly. In the bottom of the first, the Bull Dogs (4-0-1) got five hits for three runs. Maddi Rutan, Kirsten Danford and Payton Morris each hit a single to drive in the runs.
In the second inning, Josie Lemmons started out with a one-out single. After Kelsey Lovelace and Rutan walked, Danford smacked a grand slam to center field for a 7-2 lead. Danford was faced with a full-count in the at-bat before the home run.
It was Danford’s first career grand slam.
“I was expecting that pitch to be more outside because (Seymour pitcher Taylor Stuckwisch) was already up on the count with me, so I was thinking, ‘Get an outside pitch and drive it that way,’” Danford said of the at-bat. “But she ended up coming a little more over the middle than I thought, and it was a good height, so I took my chances there.”
North wasn’t done, yet. Bailey King then doubled and scored on a Morris double. Miley McClellan was hit by a pitch, and Kaylee Cowan walked to load the bases. Morgan Jarvis hit an RBI-single, Lemmons and Lovelace both walked to load the bases, and Rutan ended the 10-run rally by knocking in two with a single to go ahead 13-2.
The Bull Dogs scored five more runs in the bottom of the third, with Rutan hitting a three-run homer to increase the lead to 18-3 after Seymour had added a run in the top of the third.
For North, Rutan was 3 for 3 with a home run and six RBIs, Danford was 2 for 4 with a grand slam and five RBIs, Lemmons was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, King was 2 for 3 with a double. Morris was 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs and was the winning pitcher in the circle going three innings, allowing three hits and striking out four.
“Payton had another good outing, had a rough first inning, but, she pitched real well,” McDonald said. “Bailee (Scruggs) came in and pitched real well at the end.”
