Bussard goes 3 for 3, but Columbia City holds off Valley rally in 6th, wins sectional

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Dalynne Bussard

Softball

Columbia City 4, Tippecanoe Valley 2 (Thursday): Dalynne Bussard went 3 for 3 with an RBI, and Malaynie Costello and Temperance Caudill had two hits each, but Valley lost to Columbia City in the Class 3A, Sectional 20 final at Fairfield Thursday.

Kahlyn Manns doubled and drove in a run. Mackaylie Costello had a single in her final high school game.

Bussard pitched an eight-hitter with three walks and seven strikeouts.

Trailing 3-0, Malaynie Costello and Manns led off the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back doubles to make it 3-1, and Bussard followed with an RBI single. 

Kaitlyn Threlkel’s sacrifice bunt moved Bussard to second, but Emma Hiss got Caudill on a fly to left and Naomi Gaerte on a grounder to third to retire the side.

Hiss gave Columbia City an insurance run with an RBI double in the seventh.

In the bottom half, Mackaylie Costello singled with two outs, but Hiss struck out Malaynie Costello to end the game.

Columbia City improved to 18-5 and will travel to John Glenn for a regional Tuesday. The sectional is their third in the last five years. Valley finished 12-11.

Columbia City opened the scoring on Mackenzie Taulbee’s sacrifice fly in the fourth. They made it 3-0 on Mylie Ward’s two-run homer in the sixth.

Elise Smith, Addy Dunnuck and Olivia Powell are also graduating in addition to Mackaylie Costello.

Columbia City 4, Valley 2

Columbia City 000 102 1 – 4 8 1

Valley 000 002 0 – 2 9 1

WP – Hiss (7 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K)

LP – Dalynne Bussard (7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 K)

2B – Emma Hiss 2 (CC), Kahlyn Manns (TV), Malaynie Costello (TV)

HR – Mylie Ward (CC)