HOWLAND OFFENSE WINS THE DAY

HOWLAND OH-  What started as a slugfest turned into a comeback clinic, as Howland stormed back from a five-run hole to beat Columbiana 18-10 on Thursday.

Columbiana came out swinging, putting up five in the first with back-to-back bombs and a run-scoring single. They added three more in the third and looked in full control early, leading 8-3. But Howland had other plans.

The Tigers flipped the switch in the fourth, stringing together hits and lighting up the scoreboard for six runs to take a 9-8 lead. A double, a single, then a two-run blast flipped momentum right on its head.

Columbiana briefly snatched the lead back in the fifth, but it didn’t last. A solo shot in the bottom half put Howland back in front, and from there, it was all gas, no brakes.

The sixth was a full-on offensive explosion—seven runs on six hits. A solo homer, a two-run single, a couple sac flies, and a pair of RBI base hits put the game out of reach for good.

Howland piled up 18 knocks on the day, with three players notching three-hit performances. Schmitz led the RBI parade with four, while Tatar brought the hammer both at the plate and in the circle, striking out 10 over seven innings to earn the win.

The Tigers ran wild on the bases too—seven stolen bags and sharp instincts turned base hits into scoring threats all night.

Columbiana didn’t go quietly, putting together 12 hits of their own. Four different players picked up two-hit games, and they pushed across runs in the first, third, and fifth. But they just couldn’t slow down the Howland avalanche once it started.

It was a gritty, gutsy bounce-back win for the Tigers—one they’ll remember when things get tight down the stretch.