Columbus minor softball team comes in 2nd place

The Columbus Minor All-Star softball team came in 2nd place with a 5-3 record at a recent tournament.

Columbus played hard and earned a spot in the championship game despite starting the tournament off with a loss.

In game one Columbus took on Washington County and was on the wrong side of a 9-2 final score. The loss stung but these young ladies quickly put it in the rear-view mirror and game back in game two with some strong offense.

In game two Columbus took on Bellville and found themselves in a 4-1 hole to start the game. Columbus then scored seven runs in the third, four in the fourth and six in the sixth inning all while shutting out Bellville for an 18-4 final score.

Jensen Anderson and Bree Krpec both hit triples on their way to victory and Krpec hit a double along with teammates Taitlyn Beauchamp and Landry Stancik. In the circle was a combination of Beauchamp, Krpec and Emri Chester, and they combined to pitch all six innings and struck out 14 batters.

Game three saw Columbus pick up their second win of the tournament by a score of 8-1 over Twin Cities. Offensively Krpec hit the only double for Columbus and also spent some time in the circle with Chester, and they combined to pitch all six innings and struck out 18 batters.

Game four was another victory for Columbus as they defeated La Grange 8-3. Columbus held the lead for the entire game and only gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Piper Fedako hit the only triple for Columbus while Krpec kept her hitting streak alive with another double and a home run. Krpec was the only pitcher used in the 8-3 over La Grange, and she pitched all six innings and struck out 10 batters during the victory.

In game five Columbus lost their second game of the tournament when they took on Washington County for the second time. The game ended with a final score of 6-4 in favor of Washington County.

But like Columbus does so often, they bounced back in the next game where they defeated Bellville 6-4 for their fourth win of the tournament. Like their game against Twin Cities, Columbus had a shutout, 6-0, until the bottom of the sixth inning where Bellville scored four runs.

Offensively Addie Werland, Anslee Busselman and Michelle Zajicek all hit doubles while Chester, Krpec and Beauchamp worked in the circle pitching all six innings and striking out six batters.

Columbus picked up win number five in game number seven where they took on Washington County for a third time. This time though, it was Columbus who walked away with the win.

Columbus jumped out to an early lead and played some strong defense for the entire game to keep the potent Washington County offense off the bases. Werland, Beauchamp and Jalayah JAckson all hit doubles on their way to victory while Chest and Krpec pitched all six innings and struck out four batters.

In their fourth and final game against Washington County, Columbus unfortunately could not find a way to beat this team for a second time, and they lost this game 10-5.

It was a rough end to the season but to come in second place just adds more fuel to the fire to come back even better next year to try and win the whole thing.