North Harrison Wins Softball Jamboree

North Harrison won the softball jamboree at South Harrison Tuesday, beating Worth County 2-1, Mercer 14-0, and South Harrison 4-2.

The Shamrocks lost seniors Payton Craig, Brandy Rivet, and Audry Briggs from last year’s squad. But they still returned several of their horses from the team that finished third place in the state.
After South Harrison beat Worth County 3-2, the third game turned out to be for all the marbles. North Harrison hit the ball hard in the first inning, but couldn’t punch a run across. Ashlynn Gilpatrick beat out an infield hit to start off. Carly Rinehart popped out, but Emma Craig singled to put runners on first and second. But then Kami Gibson grounded into a force at third and Deva Wallace hit it hard, but right at the first baseman to end the inning.

South Harrison got their two runs in the second as Emma Craig walked three batters and threw two wild pitches to score them.

With the Shamrocks down 2-0 and down to their final three outs, a freshman, Camden Castleberry, beat out a slow roller in front of the plate to lead off. Ashlynn Gilpatrick then beat out another slow roller that squirted just out of the third baseman’s reach to put runners on first and second. Carly Rinehart hit one as hard as anyone had all night, roping it right at the third baseman, who speared it for the first out. There was a heartstopping moment as Gilpatrick was too far off the bag at first, but the third baseman threw to second, and Castleberry scrambled back to barely avoid being doubled off.

North Harrison took advantage of its new lease on life as Emma Craig hit one as hard as one could hit it in high school softball. Roasted by her sisters for being too strong for her own good, she hit one hard on the ground that shot past second for what looked like a routine base hit. But the ball was hit so hard that it kept right on carrying all the way to the wall as Craig got a triple to tie it up at 2-2. Kami Gibson hit another rocket into right field for what looked like another single. But she stretched a single into a double as Emma Craig crossed the plate to make it 3-2.

Deva Wallace was up next, and she squibbed one down the first base line that nobody could make a play on and everybody was safe. Addie Slaughter (running for Gibson) advanced to third on the play. Mason Cracraft reached on a throwing error by the third baseman to make it 4-2.

The game was not over yet, as #13 hit a screamer to the wall for a double to start off the South Harrison third to lead off. She took third on a wild pitch, #5 was hit by a pitch and stole second, and South Harrison had the tying runs on second and third with nobody out. At that point, North Harrison catcher Kami Gibson went out to talk to pitcher Emma Craig, who had other things on her mind as she fixed Gibson’s hair during the visit. The hair fix was apparently the good luck charm North Harrison needed as Craig proceeded to strike out the next two batters and get the next one to ground out to end the game.

Before the jamboree, Coach Brandon Craig said the team would learn a lot about itself this year. But they had every reason to like what they saw, and their goal is to get back to state. “We can make it back to state if we work hard,” said center fielder Rainey Fordyce.