Clyde - The Tiffin Columbian varsity softball team struggled to keep pace with a potent opponent on Wednesday, falling 11-2 in a conference road matchup against Clyde. Despite an early spark from the Tornadoes' bats, the Fliers responded with a consistent attack that proved difficult to contain.

Columbian jumped out to a promising start in the top of the first inning. Emma Daugherty opened the scoring with a double to center field, followed quickly by a Maddy Richie single to left. Both hits drove in runs, giving the Tornadoes a quick 2-0 advantage. However, the lead was short-lived as Clyde answered back in the bottom half of the frame to take a 4-2 lead and never looked back.

Maizie Mellott took the loss for Columbian, allowing four runs in one inning of work. Camryn Haman provided a solid relief effort, pitching three and two-thirds innings and surrendering three runs while striking out two. Offensively, the Tornadoes were led by Mellott and Olyvia Steinmetz, who each collected two hits. Richie finished the day 1-for-2 and led the team with one run batted in.

The Tornadoes will look to bounce back against Sandusky this Friday.