Shamrock Baseball Erupts for School Record 20 Runs Against Grundy County

North Harrison has gone on a tear recently. After their heartbreaking 8-7 loss to South Harrison on April 12th, the Shamrocks have won four out of their last five games to move above .500 at 7-6 pending the outcome of Monday’s game with Mercer. In all four of their wins, they have scored 12 or more runs; before this year, 12 runs was the most they had ever scored in a game. After breaking their record for runs scored with 14 against Trenton on March 17th, they topped it again on April 13th with an 18-2 win over Tri-County. They nearly matched that against Mercer/Princeton with a 16-2 victory on the 17th. Their one setback was on the 23rd against Class 3 powerhouse Lathrop, against whom they fell 13-0. They recovered on the 24th against Milan, breaking up a 4-4 tie and pulling away to win 12-4 before Thursday’s 20-4 win over Grundy County.

It looked at first like the Panthers would upset the applecart as they tagged Shamrock pitcher Tyler Lundy for two runs in the first. With one out, Austin Blair and Caden Gann both singled to left. Wayne Baxter walked to load the bases and then Jonathan Simpson doubled to the wall in right center to put the Panthers up 2-0.

But then Logan Huitt shot a hard grounder under third baseman Simpson’s legs to start off the Shamrock first. He stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Grant Claycomb shot a double over the right fielder’s head, aided by the wind, to drive in Huitt and stole second. Brett Emig then homered to the right of the flagpoles to put the Shamrocks up 3-2 and erase their early deficit.

Logan Craig got a hard line drive to short for the first out, but then back to back walks to Timothy Heintz opened the floodgates for North Harrison. A double steal put them on second and third and Lane Huitt singled them both home to make it 5-2. Lane took second on a wild pitch and third on a steal. Hunter Parkhurst was called out on strikes, but Samuel Mejia drew a walk on a 3-2 count to keep North Harrison going. Lane Huitt scored on a wild pitch as Mejia took second; then, Mejia took third on yet another wild pitch. It was the fifth wild pitch that Grundy County threw in the inning. Logan Huitt walked and then Grant Claycomb homered to center, over the trees for a moon shot as the players left the dugout to prank him after he came in. When the dust had settled, North Harrison had jumped out to a 9-2 lead and was in control.

Lundy plunked Emma Baxter, the number nine hitter, with one out and the lineup turned over; however, Carter Searcy grounded out and Austin Blair, who had started the Panther first, struck out. Logan Craig started off and hit a pop fly to left center field that dropped in for a base hit. Collin Castleberry hit a line drive to right that dropped in for a single. Logan Craig was off on the pitch and scored all the way from first on the play to make it 10-2 after second.

The heart of the Panther order was up in the third and North Harrison first baseman Logan Craig dropped a throw as Caden Gann reached on an error to start. Wayne Baxter was called out on strikes, but Jonathan Simpson singled into the gap in left. Logan Huitt made a great play to cut it off to stop a run from scoring and deny extra bases. Bryson Gann hit a screamer, but right at Logan Craig for an out; he tried for a double play at second, but the ball got away, allowing Caden Gann to score and make it 10-3.

Samuel Mejia and Logan Huitt got back to back walks to start off the first and Grant Claycomb got his second home run of the game, a three run shot that barely cleared the wall. After the shot, Logan Craig inspected the bat to see if it had broken, the ball was hit so hard. Brett Emig hit another one 325 feet from home plate into one of the trees beyond left field. Timothy Heintz singled in Logan Craig to make it 15-3.

The reserves took over for the fourth, but the Shamrocks didn’t skip a beat. Samuel Mejia walked and stole second and third to set up the big inning. Aaron Lundy struck out, but Cruz Ury’s pop fly to left dropped in; the left fielder threw it into the screen trying to retire Mejia and threw it into the screen as Ury took second. Ryan Jones hit a pop fly to right that Tanner Williams made a shoestring catch of for the second out, but Kadyn Hukill walked and he and Ury took second and third on a wild pitch.

Collin Castleberry hit a screamer to left center that scored Ury; Hukill held up to see if the ball would be caught and only made it to third. Timothy Heintz reached on an error as third baseman Simpson let another one get through his legs to score two after Castleberry had stolen second, and Lane Huitt hit a pop fly to center to score Heintz.

With one out, Wayne Baxter singled and Jonathan Simpson doubled to make it 20-4, but Tyler Lundy got two called third strikes to end the game. By the time the dust had settled, Lundy struck out 12 batters to pick up the complete game win. North Harrison had extended their school record for the third time of the year, getting 20.