The East Central Trojans are headed away from home for the first time to face off against the Columbus North Bull Dogs at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Columbus North took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on East Central, who comes in off a win.
On Tuesday, East Central earned a 9-6 victory over Connersville. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Trojans.
Paige Hotze made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. Hotze was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Taylor Sommer, who fired off two home runs while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Delaney Donawerth, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Columbus North didn't have quite enough to beat Roncalli on Tuesday and fell 9-7.
Like East Central, Columbus North also got a great game from a two-way player: Bailee Scruggs. On the mound, she struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Scruggs was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Scruggs wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Payton Morris, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Morgan Jarvis was another, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Columbus North's loss dropped their record down to 0-2. As for East Central, their record now sits at 2-0.
East Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Columbus North in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Do the Trojans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bull Dogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
