Columbus North baseball coach Mike Bodart was hoping to give Joey Fry a night off, but when Shelbyville was threatening to tie or take the lead in the seventh inning Monday, Bodart called upon his senior pitcher.
Fry recorded the final out necessary to pick up the save and give the Bull Dogs a 9-8 win over the Golden Bears.
“I’ve had the privilege of having varsity experience since freshman year so I could be put in moments like this, and I’ve been more and more confident every year with my pitching,” Fry said. “Coming into this game, coach said I might pitch, never said I would. If I ever need to do something, I’m always ready.”
North (7-8) led 9-6 going into the seventh inning. Shelbyville (8-7) drew a one-out walk, then Aiden Smith smacked a two-run homer to left field to bring the Golden Bears within one.
Fry was then called to the mound. He surrendered a walk and a two-out single to put runners on first and second but got the final strikeout to end the game.
Dillon Long started the game for the Bull Dogs and went 2 2/3 innings, and Franko Ortega went 3 2/3 innings to earn the win.
“We were trying to keep a two-, three-run lead before we brought in the next guy, and it got to the point where we need to end it with Joey,” Bodart said. “He came in and did a good job in a tough situation not thinking he was going to pitch today at all and close the game out for us with a win.”
The teams combined for 27 hits in the contest. North finished with 15 of them, with everyone in the lineup recording at least one hit. Brock Kintner finished 3 for 4 with double and three RBIs, Jack Whaley was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, Jackson Newman was 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs, Lane Schrader finished 2 for 4 and Jesse Clark was 1 for 4 with a double.
The Bull Dogs will host Silver Creek Tuesday, which will be senior night, and then will visit Columbus East for the crosstown rivalry game Friday.
“(Shelbyville) is a top 3A program. They’re an excellent team. You look at our schedule, and we have five of the top 10 right now on our schedule in 4A and five of the top 10 of 3A are on our schedule, as well,” Bodart said. “These kids knew that coming in that we were going to have a schedule that was going to be one of the toughest, and it is, and that was the intention. We want to come in and play a really tough schedule.”
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