Ike Genth
Columbus North has been producing plenty of hits in three of its past four baseball games, but the Bull Dogs haven’t been getting the timely hits.
North coach Mike Bodart shuffled the batting order Thursday, and the Bull Dogs came through with nine hits. But they left 11 runners on base in a 3-2, eight-inning Conference Indiana loss to Southport.
The loss was the fifth in a row for North, which stranded 13 runners in last week’s 2-0 loss at Columbus East and seven in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss at Bloomington South.
“We’re hitting the ball,” Bodart said. “At some point in time, we have to get a timely hit and multiple timely hits to make everybody feel a heck of a lot better because it’s frustrating when you have nine hits in a game, and we don’t score any more than two runs.”
The Bull Dogs (7-13, 1-3) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third when Ike Genth led off with a single, went all the way to third on a sacrifice bunt bu Dillon Long and scored on a wild pitch.
The Cardinals (12-7, 2-1) plated a run off North starter Javier Uscanga in the fourth and an unearned run off reliever Franko Ortega in the sixth.
The Bull Dogs tied it in the bottom of the sixth when Lane Schrader and Jayce Emmitt singled to start the inning, Jackson Newman sacrificed them to second and third and Genth came through with an RBI-single.
North left runners on first and third in the seventh. Then after Southport scored in the eighth, the Bull Dogs left runners at first and second in the bottom of the eighth.
Genth, a freshman second baseman finished 4 for 4 for the Bull Dogs, who outhit the Cardinals 10-6. Brock Kintner and freshman Jack Whaley each went 2 for 4.
“Ike Genth had a 4 for 4 day, and he’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing,” Bodart said. “He’s putting the bat on the ball, beating balls out for infield hits, making plays on defense.”
The losses to Bloomington South and Southport the past two nights eliminated North from the conference title chase. The Bull Dogs have one more conference game left Saturday at Terre Haute South.
“We have the seventh- or eighth-toughest schedule in the state of Indiana for all classes,” Bodart said. “Southport is having a good year. Bloomington South is a top-20 team. We’re close, and we’re getting there and one of these days, we’re going to start getting some balls to drop our way and then the floodgates are going to open.”
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