Tiffin - The Columbian Junior Varsity Tornadoes built an early cushion and showed plenty of grit late to hold off Lake for a narrow 8-7 victory on Thursday. After jumping out to a four-run lead in the second inning, Columbian successfully fended off a persistent comeback attempt to secure the win.

Lake opened the scoring in the first, but the Tornadoes answered immediately when RJ Kelley lined out to drive in a run and knot the game at 1-1. After Lake briefly regained the lead in the top of the second, Columbian’s offense exploded in the bottom half of the frame. The Tornadoes flipped the script with a five-run outburst on three hits, highlighted by a clutch two-RBI single from Brahm Bolen that pushed the lead to 6-2.

Kelley anchored the middle of the order, finishing the day with a team-high three runs batted in. The Tornadoes’ offense remained active throughout, tallying nine total hits. Brady Renninger and Connor Donaldson each turned in multi-hit performances, while Ayden Yoshimoto showed a keen eye at the plate with two walks.

Aggression on the basepaths proved to be a deciding factor, as Columbian racked up an impressive 10 stolen bases. Yoshimoto, Donaldson, and Brayden Shoemaker led the charge, each swiping multiple bags to keep constant pressure on the defense.

Russel Fox earned the start on the mound, battling through five and two-thirds innings. Fox struck out four and navigated a high-traffic afternoon before turning the ball over to Kelley, who provided crucial relief to seal the one-run victory.

The Junior Varsity squad will look to keep the winning streak alive as they hit the road to face Sandusky on Friday.