Northeast Nodaway's baseball team dropped a pitching duel to the South Nodaway/Jefferson Longhorns and fell 2-0 Tuesday evening in a Northwest Missouri Baseball Conference game. The loss was the first-ever defeat for the Bluejays in the new conference. Northeast won the conference last year outright, running the table against South Nodaway, North Nodaway, East Atchison, and West Nodaway. But the level of play figures to improve dramatically this year. North Nodaway won three games, but threw a scare into West Nodaway in districts before losing 6-5; they played South Nodaway tough this year. West Nodaway, in their inaugural campaign last year, posted a winning season.
The Bluejays are now 0-2 on the year. They dropped a 20-4 game last week to powerhouse Mid-Buchanan at home. They played better against South Nodaway Tuesday, in a well-played game in which two miscues by Northeast proved costly. The pitching, as expected, turned out to be a strength; Andrew Faustlin started and went the distance, getting stronger as the game progressed and keeping Coach Vance Proffitt's squad in the game with some timely pitching. The fielding, which was a concern of Proffitt's going into the season, turned out to be an asset, with some outstanding defensive plays being made despite some new faces on the field.
Northeast figures to do well with their hitting, but they struggled at the plate against South Nodaway pitcher Garrett LaMaster. The Longhorn hurler, who was touted as a player to watch by Proffitt before the season, lived up to his billing by limiting the Bluejays to one hit as he pitched a complete game shutout.
Andrew Freemyer, making his first varsity start as a catcher, struggled at first, dropping a third strike which set up what turned out to be South Nodaway's winning run in the first. LaMaster would help himself by singling Bryce Deen home later in the inning to put the 'Horns up 1-0. But Freemyer got stronger as the game progressed, throwing out two runners stealing. South Nodaway tried to test the new catcher's arm, but he was up to the task. He had some big footsteps to fill, following Shaun Burns, who graduated. But he will save a lot of runs with his arm and Proffitt said he and Faustlin were on the same page for the most part.
Northeast had their chances, but LaMaster would always get timely strikeouts to get out of innings. Northeast got two on after a dropped third strike in the second, but LaMaster got a strikeout to get out of that inning. Northeast loaded the bases in the fourth on two errors, one on a ball lost in the sun. At Beale Park in Maryville, where South Nodaway plays its home games, the sun shines right into the center fielder's eyes when it is setting in the west, making playing that position an adventure. Tim Jermain, who was in the stands, started getting agitated, but LaMaster got out of that inning by striking out Austin Jones looking.
Bluejay freshman Dylan Mildfeldt impressed folks with his bat in preseason, but his glove saved a run in the bottom of the fourth. After a dropped third strike got Bryce Deen on base, LaMaster crushed one into the gap between left and center, but Mildfeldt, despite battling the sun, played the ball perfectly to get an out. The Longhorns loaded the bases later in the inning; Faustlin walked one batter after he didn't get a call on a checked swing situation. But with Tristan George batting for South Nodaway, he went to first on what appeared to be ball four, only to be called back because it was only ball three. Faustlin subsequently struck him out.
Freemyer, Northeast's slugger at the plate, had gotten some good swings through the game against LaMaster, but had not put one in play yet. But he finally got a hold of one in the sixth and gave it a long ride into the gap between right and center. But Galbreath, playing center, ran it down to retire Freemyer.
South Nodaway got an insurance run in the sixth as LaMaster doubled over rightfielder Korey Adwell's head and later came around with two outs as Clint Ebrecht reached on shortstop Garrett Jackson's error. Dalton Auffert singled with two outs down the right field line for Northeast to bring the tying run to the plate in Brayden Welch, but once again, LaMaster got a timely strikeout to end the threat.
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