Northeast Nodaway completed their sweep of North Nodaway with a 10-0 victory as freshman Levi Boulting went deep for the Bluejays and NEN continued to be undefeated. During the last two years, the two teams split meetings, with North Nodaway winning the first meeting and NEN winning the second both times. The two coaches, Vance Proffitt (NEN) and Jake Shipman (North Nodaway) are best friends, but always want to beat each other on the basketball court and on the diamond; Tuesday’s meeting was no different, as Proffitt was agitated at his players before the game even started as the rust from not having practiced outdoors a lot due to wintry conditions showed during warmups.
Proffitt had every reason to fear the worst during the first inning as shortstop Spencer Weir bobbled Tyler Bix’s grounder to start the game, Karson Oberhauser moved him over with a bunt, and Arron Coleman walked. But then NEN pitcher Chet Spire settled down and began putting on a clinic, striking out the last two batters of the first and shutting down the Mustangs with a two-hit shutout. Meanwhile, his mates put tallies on the board in every inning in the five inning victory as the Bluejays moved to 4-0 in the young campaign.
The first four Bluejays reached base in the bottom of the first. Spencer Weir lined one between third and short and stole second. Reed McIntyre hit a sharp grounder stopped by shortstop Arron Coleman, but he didn’t have a play as Weir took third. Cameron Staples and Chet Spire walked to force in a run. Ethan Adwell flied out to Karson Oberhauser in center as Reed McIntyre tagged up and scored, and Brayden Welch singled to left to score Staples to make it 3-0.
Reed McIntyre caught a pop fly at first in the second for NEN. In the bottom of the inning, Levi Boulting shot one into the right center field gap and only a great play by center fielder Karson Oberhauser kept him to a single. Spencer Weir hit a towering fly ball to center; Oberhauser collided hard with the fence trying to make the catch and the runners were at first and second as the ball dropped in for a hit and Boulting held up to make sure the ball wasn’t caught. Reed McIntyre advanced them with a groundout, and North Nodaway pitcher Logan Keho was lifted for Ryan Riley. Cameron Staples grounded out to score Boulting, and Chet Spire hit one sharply up the middle that shortstop Arron Coleman was able to stop but had no play on.
NEN added to their lead in the third as Levi Boulting hit a drive to deep left field. Aided by a stiff wind that was blowing right to left, the ball carried out of the ballpark 325 feet from home plate, landing on the edge of the timber east of the park.
Lucas Alvarez broke up Chet Spire’s no-hit bid in the fourth as he shot one past Levi Boulting at second into right field for an opposite field hit. Later, Austin Bird walked to set up first and second with nobody out, but Makayla Cross’ shot was caught by Reed McIntyre in foul territory behind first for the third out.
Cameron Staples shot one down the third base line and Chet Spire walked. Ethan Adwell struck out, but Brayden Welch shot one up the middle to score Staples. Spencer Gray walked, but forgot there were two runners ahead of him, took off for second on a passed ball, and was picked off by North Nodaway catcher Tyler Bix. But then Maverick Price walked to load the bases again and Levi Boulting doubled to right, bringing in two runs. But Price was thrown out at the plate as North Nodaway relayed it home perfectly, and Maverick’s head first slide could not change matters. North Nodaway stayed in the game, but barely, trailing 9-0.
With two outs, Coleman got another opposite field single, shooting one between first and second to get on board. He pulled off a successful delayed steal of second, but Spire struck out Logan Keho, his eighth strikeout victim in five innings work, to retire the side.
Spencer Weir reached on an error as shortstop Arron Coleman overran a grounder. NEN put on a successful hit and run as Reed McIntyre grounded out to Coleman as Weir was off with the pitch. Weir came all the way from first to third on the play and Cameron Staples’ fly ball to Cody Cline in left was dropped as Weir came home for the 10th run.
No comments:
Post a Comment