Northeast Nodaway and South Nodaway were playing each other again Friday afternoon. It was the same players and the same pitchers going up against each other. However, it was a different outcome as Northeast won 4-1 in what Coach Vance Proffitt called the cleanest game his team ever played since he had taken the helm.
It didn't look like it would be South Nodaway's day after Bryce Deen struck out into a double play as Jed Galbrith was nailed by Andrew Freemyer trying to steal second in the top of the first. That meant that one of Northeast's few miscues, a dropped fly ball by Dylan Mildfeldt who lost it in the sun, was erased.
Northeast recovered from the scare as Max Giesken hit the first pitch from Garrett LaMaster over the left field fence for Northeast's first run of the afternoon. On the other end, Andrew Faustlin began establishing himself as he began to record strikeout after strikeout; he recorded 14 for the afternoon to match his career high.
The Bluejays killed a potential rally in the bottom of the second as Austin Jones wandered too far off third after Korey Adwell's single and was picked off. South Nodaway got two runners on base in the second after a walk and an error, but Faustlin got two called third strikes to get out of the third.
South Nodaway looked to keep their deficit at 1-0 in the third as the first two Bluejay batters got out, but Andrew Faustlin helped himself out with a grounder under shortstop Ben Jermain's legs for an error to start off Northeast. He reached second on a passed ball as catcher Bryce Deen lost one in the dirt and couldn't find it in time and took third on Rowdy West's single. Andrew Freemyer whistled a single down the line at third to bring home Faustlin to make it 2-0.
The Longhorns sought to cut into Northeast's lead in the fourth with two out as Galbrith walked and reached second on a wild pitch. Ben Jermain, trying to redeem himself for the error in the third, hit a screamer to right; Korey Adwell tried for a diving catch and missed as Galbrith crossed home to make it 2-1. Somehow, Adwell still held Jermain to a single. Faustlin struck out Tristan Freemyer to get out of the inning. It might have been much worse, but NEN first baseman Rowdy West snagged a screamer by Garrett LaMaster earlier in the inning that would have gone for extra bases.
In the fifth, once again Northeast scored with two outs. Andrew Faustlin walked and Rowdy West followed with a single to left past third. Andrew Freemyer showed some of the power he has displayed in practice as he doubled over the left fielder's head to score Faustlin. Austin Jones atoned for his earlier baserunning miscue as he hit a shot in the gap between right and center that dropped in for a single and plated West to make it 4-1.
South Nodaway mounted its most promising threat in the sixth. With out one, Bryce Deen singled to center and Northeast elected to walk Garrett LaMaster to get to the bottom of the order. The move looked like it would backfire as Faustlin proceeded to walk Galbrith on four pitches. That loaded the bases for South Nodaway with one out. But Ben Jermain hit a soft line drive that was snagged by West at first and Faustlin got a called third strike on Tristan Freemyer to get out of the inning. It was the second time Faustlin got a favorable call from the umpire to get out of a jam.
With two outs in the seventh, Faustlin walked Logan Murphy on four pitches, but then Quentin Ebrecht grounded to Dalton Auffert at third, who threw to second for a force for the final out.
The win put Northeast back in the driver's seat in the Northwest Missouri Baseball Conference as South Nodaway had also lost to East Atchison 6-2 last Tuesday. Northeast is in control of its own destiny at this point; if they win out, they will repeat as conference champs.
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