Worth County’s softball team, playing with only half of their varsity players and playing with several players who had played in a basketball shootout in Stanberry earlier that day, erased a 3-0 deficit and came back to win 10-4 over Northeast Nodaway Thursday. The Tigers used a six run fourth inning to take control of the game for good, as once again, NEN let one bad inning sink their chances.
The Tigers tried to get something going in the first as Merrideth Spiers tripled into the gap in right center with two outs, but NEN pitcher Blair Stoll threw a riser up and in to Jill Hardy that caught the plate and got a strikeout to end the inning.
NEN used a pair of errors to go ahead in the bottom of the first. Jana Walker reached safely when a ball rolled under second baseman Abbi Caddenhead’s legs and Paige West beat out a slow roller when third baseman Merrideth Spiers hurried a throw to try to retire the speedy West and threw it away to put runners on second and third. Maggie Schmitz hit a slow roller to pitcher Haley Hunt and Walker came far enough off the bag that Hunt held the ball, loading the bases. Madelynn Mattson was called out on strikes, but Makayla Adwell hit a slow roller between first and second and beat it out to score one run. Worth County was in danger of giving up a big inning, but Haley Hunt got Blair Stoll called out on strikes and Anne Schieber roped one the hardest she had ever hit one, but right back at Hunt for the third out with NEN up 1-0.
Worth County nearly got out of the second inning with no damage done, but a two out walk to Jana Walker kept Northeast’s chances alive. That brought up Paige West; normally, a scratch hitter, she turned into a slugger as she hit one over everyone’s head 250 feet away and circled the bases before Worth County could get it back in to put Northeast up 3-0.
But then Worth County used a pair of errors to get back into the game in the third as Megan Cassavaugh reached when first baseman Madelynn Mattson dropped a throw. Anna Spainhower walked and they took second and third on a wild pitch. Braidy Hunt hit one under Mattson’s legs that went on through as two runs scored to make it 3-2. It would have been worse, but Makayla Adwell, the second baseman, made a running catch of Allison Larison’s ball that took a base hit away from her to preserve the lead.
Worth County took advantage of three Northeast errors in the fourth inning to take control of the game. Jill Hardy reached on third baseman Delainey McIntyre’s error when she bobbled one; Hardy then stole second and third. Haley Hunt hit a shot off Blair Stoll’s glove into center for a base hit to score Hardy and tie it at 3-3. EmiLee Brown forced her at second, but then Morgan Beagle singled just over shortstop Paige West’s glove to put Brown on third. Beagle took second on a wild pitch and then Megan Cassavaugh hit a grounder to West. However, Beagle cut in front of West while heading to third, the ball got by West, and two runs scored to put Worth County in front 5-3. Since there was no contact, there was no interference called. Anna Spainhower walked, and the two took second and third on a wild pitch. Braidy Hunt hit a sharp grounder that caromed off Mattson’s grounder at first and two runs scored on the play as Hunt took second on an unsuccessful throw home. That made it 7-3. Hunt stole third and Abbi Caddenhead grounded out to make it 8-3. It would have been worse, but Allison Larison beat out a scratch hit down the third base line. She turned towards second, but NEN first baseman Madelynn Mattson alertly tagged her out; once a runner headed down the first base line turns towards second, she can be tagged out.
Northeast tried to get some runs back as Anne Schieber beat out a slow roller and Jana Walker walked, but Paige West grounded out and then Tiger pitcher Hailey Hunt struck out Maggie Schmitz and Madelynn Mattson to get out of the inning.
Maggie Schmitz came on in relief of Blair Stoll for NEN, but Merrideth Spiers greeted her with a leadoff double down the left field line in the fifth. But Jill Hardy grounded out to first, Haley Hunt popped out to first, and shortstop Paige West made a running backhanded catch of Emilee Brown’s drive to take a base hit away from her and save a run.
Worth County added to their lead in the sixth with two outs when Anna Spainhower shot a base hit down the third base line and stretched a single into a double to keep the Tigers’ chances going. Braidy Hunt walked and Abbi Caddenhead hit a grounder that went under second baseman Makayla Adwell’s legs to score both runs. It would have been worse, but third baseman Anne Schieber robbed Allison Larison of a base hit with a fine catch to end the inning.
Northeast tried to make some noise in the bottom of the sixth. Kami Adwell grounded out, but Jana Walker hit a pop fly that dropped in for a base hit. She successfully stole second and the ball caromed off a black shirt, allowing her to go to third. Paige West singled up the middle to score her and make it 10-4 and pulled off a successful delayed steal of second. But Maggie Schmitz struck out and Madelynn Mattson popped out to Hunt to end the game.
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