Sophomore Hayden Compton took the mound on Wednesday, March 29, as the Vikings battled the Bloom Carroll Bulldogs.

The Vikings bent but didn’t break early on, as Compton pitched his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the first.

It was a quick eight-pitch inning in the second for Compton, who settled in against a tough Bloom Carroll lineup.

It was the Bulldogs, however, who jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning, capitalizing on three walks and a costly fielding error by the Vikings.

But, Columbus Academy wouldn’t go away. Two out offenses from junior Matt Saling proved crucial, as he knocked in a pair of runs with a base hit to left field in the fourth inning.

Saying pitched next and took control of the game in the top of the fifth, shutting down the Bulldogs in order.

The Vikes stayed hot in the bottom half of the fifth, with sophomore Evan Scott and junior Ryan Mitchell taking advantages of the base paths to tack on another run, making the score of 3-2 in Academy’s favor.

In the sixth, walks–again–became an issue for the Vikings, giving the Bulldogs late life. The Bulldogs scored another run off a sacrifice fly, tying the game a 3-3.

This didn’t faze the Vikings as they looked to win the game in the bottom of the last inning. Sophomore Nick Rothmann got it started with a base hit, followed by back-to-back Vikings, who were hit by a pitch.

Senior Nick Stringer was the hero, putting the ball in play to create the fielder’s choice that helped the Vikings win in walk-off fashion, 4-3!

This was a great win for the Vikings against a solid Bloom Carroll team.

Academy should use this victory to build some confidence as it begins league play against Whitehall on Monday, April 3.