Northeast Nodaway finished an undefeated regular season Monday when they beat North Harrison 9-5. It was not without its anxious moments, but the Bluejays were able to go into districts Friday with a leg up.
North Harrison, in pursuit of their 10th win, sent out Timothy Heintz to the mound in an effort to put on the brakes to NEN’s aspirations. He got in trouble early, walking Spencer Weir and Reed McIntyre on four pitches each, but settled down and got Cameron Staples to fly out, Chet Spire to pop out to Sam Mejia in short right field, and get Ethan Adwell called out on strikes.
NEN sent out Chet Spire to start the game; he started out strongly, getting Logan Huitt and Grant Claycomb called out on strikes and Brett Emig to ground out to short.
The game was not going to turn into a home run derby; the wind was blowing in from right towards the third base line, knocking everything down and keeping balls in the yard. Consequently, everything had to be manufactured. Neither team got a single extra base hit that afternoon.
The game started off as a pitching duel for the first two innings, but in the third, Spencer Weir’s grounder got by third baseman Collin Castleberry for an error. Reed McIntyre hit a deep drive to center, but the wind kept the ball in the yard and he was held to a long single. But Weir, who could see that the ball was going to drop in, ran through Coach Vance Proffitt’s stop signs and scored all the way from first on the play. McIntyre went to second on the throw home, which was off line.
Cameron Staples walked, and ball four got away, allowing McIntyre to go to third on a wild pitch. Staples stole second, Chet Spire walked to load the bases, and Ethan Adwell grounded into a force at second to score McIntyre to make it 2-0. Adwell stole second to put runners on second and third. Brayden Welch was called out on strikes, but Spencer Gray singled to left to score Staples. Adwell tried to score as well, but Shamrock left fielder Lane Huitt’s throw was in time to get Adwell for the third out of the inning to put NEN up 3-0.
North Harrison got one run back in the bottom of the third. Sam Mejia walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Logan Huitt reached on a third strike that got away for a wild pitch as Mejia took third. Huitt went to second on a first and third situation, NEN elected to throw down to second, but Mejia, the fastest player on the team, took off and easily beat the throw home to make it 3-1. Huitt was on second with nobody out, but Grant Claycomb’s fly to right into the wind was too shallow to advance him to third. Brett Emig’s fly ball to center was deep enough to advance Huitt to third, but Logan Craig struck out to end the threat.
Maverick Price walked on four pitches to start the NEN fourth and Levi Boulting grounded out into a force at second. At that point, Timothy Heintz had run out of pitches and Grant Claycomb came in to pitch. Collin Castleberry was not available, since he had pitched the full game Thursday, while Tyler Lundy was out with an injury. Claycomb started off shaky for the Shamrocks, but then he got better as the game progressed pitched his best two innings of the year to give his team a chance at the end.
Spencer Weir and Reed McIntyre walked to load the bases and Cameron Staples singled and went to second on the throw home as two runs scored. Two more runs scored for NEN after Chet Spire shot one down the left field line for a base hit to make it 7-1. It threatened to get out of hand at that point, but Ethan Adwell struck out and Brayden Welch grounded out to keep it there.
Mindful of last year’s district game between the two teams, when NEN built up a 6-1 lead only for North Harrison to erase it before NEN scored again for a 7-6 win in a wild game, coach Vance Proffitt brought in Spencer Weir to pitch the fourth. He retired the Shamrocks in order in the fourth and NEN threatened to end it right then and there as Spencer Gray singled and Dylan Mildfeldt came in to run. Maverick Price reached on Sam Mejia’s error as a possible double play ball went through his legs and Mildfeldt went to third. Price stole second and then Levi Boulting flied out to left deep enough to score Mildfeldt and Weir grounded out to Castleberry at third to score Price.
Reed McIntyre singled for NEN, but then Cameron Staples hit a foul pop into the wind that looked like it might drop. But first baseman Logan Craig came all the way to the area in front of the right field batting cage to make the catch for the third out.
North Harrison got out of danger from the ten run rule in the fifth as Sam Mejia walked and stole second with one out. Catcher Chet Spire airmailed out into center, putting Mejia on third. Logan Huitt walked and stole second and NEN third baseman Ethan Adwell misplayed Grant Claycomb’s grounder, putting runners on first and third. NEN got an out as Logan Huitt’s dash to the plate on a passed ball was unsuccessful as Claycomb took second. Brett Emig walked and a double steal put them on second and third. Logan Craig reached on an error as shortstop Cameron Staples let one get by him to make it 9-4.
North Harrison twice got the tying run to the plate in the last two innings, but could only get one run across. In the sixth, Ethan Adwell came on to pitch for NEN and walked Timothy Heintz and Lane Huitt. Hunter Parkhurst reached on an error when Adwell bobbled his grounder loading the bases with nobody out. Everything looked set for a big inning, but Sam Mejia grounded back to Adwell, who went home for the force for the first out. Logan Huitt was hit by a pitch to force in a run, and it looked like trouble as Grant Claycomb and Brett Emig were coming up with the tying run. But Adwell struck out Claycomb on three pitches and Emig grounded out to Levi Boulting at second, and the score stayed at 9-5.
Cameron Staples came on to pitch the seventh for Northeast. Logan Craig and Collin Castleberry both struck out, but Timothy Heintz kept North Harrison alive by singling to left center. Lane Huitt got to his final strike, but drew a walk. Hunter Parkhurst got down to his final strike, fouled two pitches off, and hit a hard shot to shortstop. Spencer Weir knocked the ball down to save a run, but he had no play and the bases were loaded and the tying run came to the plate in Sam Mejia. But on a 1-2 pitch, Mejia foul tipped into catcher Chet Spire’s glove to end the game.
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