Worth County and North Nodaway locked horns an another epic battle, and once again, North Nodaway emerged victorious, winning the King City Tournament in the process. This time, they scored three in the bottom of the sixth to get the walkoff 8-7 victory. Once again, Ashley Thompson provided a big blow for them.
Worth County opened the scoring in the top of the first when Kristin New walked. Anna Gladstone – who put on a clinic all afternoon, hitting everything up the middle for hits – did so. Kristin New was out trying for third, but Gladstone took second on the play and came home as Kennedy Galanakis successfully stretched a single into a double.
North Nodaway struck back in the bottom of the inning as Keagan O’Riley hit a pop fly that dropped in between short, left field, and center for a base hit. She stole second and came home as Shai Dailey hit a grounder that went under shortstop Jill Hardy’s legs and rolled to the wall as she took second as the game was tied at 1. Makayla Cross hit a pop fly down the right field line for a double – Dailey didn’t score as she held up in case it was caught. Ashley Thompson struck out and Emma Hart grounded into a tag play at the plate, but Cross came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-1.
Worth County regained the lead in the second when Haley Hunt led off with a walk. Jill Hardy singled to right and Hunt went first to third on the play. Worth County successfully pulled off a double steal when Hardy took off for second, North Nodaway threw down and had second baseman Shai Dailey cut it and throw back home, but Hunt was long gone. Abby Caddenhead reached on an error to score Hunt as pitcher Keagan O’Riley bobbled a grounder and Dailey threw it away. That put Worth County up 3-2. But Caddenhead was out trying for second on the play and Braidy Hunt’s shot off Dailey’s glove was recovered in time for an out.
The offensive fireworks continued in the bottom of the second as Worth County pitcher Braidy Hunt walked Alisha Davison and Kristin Herndon and then Audrey Trimble, normally a slapper from the left side of the plate, doubled home one run to tie it at 3. Keagan O’Riley put down a perfect bunt, Herndon scored to make it 4-3, and O’Riley went all the way to second as nobody was covering for Worth County. Shai Dailey popped out, but Trimble scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3. Ashley Thompson was hit by a pitch, but Worth County centerfielder Anna Gladstone made a running catch of Emma Hart’s drive to prevent any further damage.
Worth County fought back to tie in the third as Kristin New hit a pop fly that dropped in for a double down the right field line and once again, Anna Gladstone shot one up the middle for a score; she took second on the unsuccessful throw home. Kennedy Galanakis popped out to O’Riley, but Merrideth Spiers hit a drive off the top of the fence to score Gladstone to tie it at 5. Worth County had two more chances to take the lead, but couldn’t convert. First, Haley Hunt hit a pop fly double to left center field, but Spiers held up to make sure it wasn’t caught, and she only made it to third. Jill Hardy hit a grounder to Kristin Herndon at third; she held up Spiers perfectly before making the throw and no advance was possible and the game remained tied. Keagan O’Riley struck out Megan Cassavaugh to get out of the inning.
The defenses took over after that. Kandace Damgar beat out an infield hit, racing down to beat out third baseman Merrideth Spiers’ throw to start the third. Alisha Davison walked, but Kristin Herndon popped out, as did Audrey Trimble. On the play, Worth County tried to double off Davison, but threw it away and Damgar went to third. But then Damgar broke home on a wild pitch and was tagged out to preserve the tie.
Worth County could not score in the fourth as Damgar caught Kristin New’s line drive and doubled off Braidy Hunt. North Nodaway couldn’t score in their half of the fourth as they loaded the bases with one out, only for Jill Hardy to double off Ashley Thompson after catching a hard shot from Emma Hart.
Finally, with two outs, Worth County got a two out rally in the top of the fifth to make it 7-5. Merrideth Spiers singled to left; it rolled into the big gap in the left field corner in King City, but somehow, left fielder Audrey Trimble got to it in time to hold her to a single. Haley Hunt’s pop fly double put runners on second and third and Jill Hardy’s double to right center brought them both home to put Worth County up 7-5. But North Nodaway successfully threw behind Hardy for the third out of the inning to prevent any more damage.
With one out in the top of the sixth, Abbi Caddenhead reached on a bad hop single past third. But Braidy Hunt popped out to Kristin Herndon at third and then catcher Makayla Cross made a running catch against the fence near the Worth County dugout of a Kristin New popup, keeping Anna Gladstone, Worth County’s best hitter that afternoon, away from the plate and denying Worth County a chance to add to their lead.
Audrey Trimble reached on a bad hop single to start the North Nodaway sixth as it scooted past pitcher Braidy Hunt. Keagan O’Riley struck out, but then Shai Dailey won a 9-pitch battle with Hunt and walked, and then another 3-2 pitch to Makayla Cross was high, loading the bases. Worth County brought the infield in for the play at the plate, but then Ashley Thompson hit a carbon copy of her drive against Worth County from two weeks ago for a double to tie the game up at 7. Emma Hart’s sac fly to Anna Gladstone in center brought home Shai Dailey for the winner.
Worth County had advanced to the finals by beating King City 5-4, avenging an 8-2 loss in the Albany Tournament. Worth County threw out Grace Schottel at third to kill a Wildkat rally in the second and then scored in their half when Kristin New singled home Megan Cassavaugh to make it 1-0. Victoria Washburn hit a shot off second baseman Kristin New to score Shanely Muff and Gillian Armfield to put King City up 2-1 in the third, but Worth County tied it up in their half when Jill Hardy singled home Kennedy Galanakis. Shae Gilbert homered down the line in right field to score herself and Grace Schottel in the fourth, but once again, Worth County answered as Kristin New recovered from an 0-2 count to reach on an error by the shortstop and went to second on a wild pitch. Anna Gladstone hit a chopper that found its way into center field and went second on the throw home and third on a wild throw in an unsuccessful effort to get her. Kennedy Galanakis grounded out to tie it at 4.
The game stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh. Braidy Hunt led off the inning with a single, Kristin New laid down a perfect sac bunt to move her over, and Anna Gladstone shot a single into right center for the winning hit. King City’s dugout contended that Hunt had not slid and should have been out, but the umpire ruled that since the throw home had been off line, it would not have mattered.
North Nodaway had their backs to the wall in the third inning of their 2-1 victory against Gallatin, but battled back to get the victory. Maelea Coulson got hit to lead off, then an errant pickoff put her on second. Bethany Bailey hit a pop fly just beyond the reach of second baseman Shai Dailey as Coulson crossed home and Bailey went to second on the throw. She took third on a wild pitch with nobody out, but slap hitter Aubrey Feiden popped out to Makayla Cross behind the plate and Madalyn Shubert and Caragan Baker struck out to end the inning.
The Mustangs had a golden opportunity to break through in the fourth as Makayla Cross, Ashley Thompson, and Kandace Damgar all singled to load the bases. But Alisha Davison hit a line shot to second and Damgar was doubled off to keep North Nodaway off the board.
North Nodaway finally broke through in the fifth as Kristin Herndon and Audrey Trimble started off with scratch hits. Keagan O’Riley popped out, but the runners went to second and third on a wild pitch and came home on Shai Dailey’s double to go up 2-1.
Audrey Trimble made an over the shoulder catch in the sixth to take extra bases away from Jerilynn Hoover. In the seventh, Addison Burns singled with one out, but Keagan O’Riley struck out Coulson and Bailey to get out of the inning.
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