Worth County’s softball girls dropped two close games in the jamboree at South Harrison Tuesday before beating tailender Mercer handily in its third game.
Against North Harrison, the Shamrocks, returning several of their horses from their team that got third in state last year, scored once in the first and once in the third and made it stand up for a 2-1 win. In what has become a pattern for the Shamrocks, they have allowed multiple baserunners against everyone, only to get out of them in the first week of the season.
In the Shamrocks’ first, Ashlynn Gilpatrick worked a full count and drew a walk. Carly Rinehart advanced her to second on a bunt and she took third on a wild pitch. Tiger pitcher Braidy Hunt almost got out of the inning, striking out Emma Craig. But then Kami Gibson reached on shortstop Jill Hardy’s bobble, scoring Gilpatrick before Hunt pulled the strong on Deva Wallace to avoid further damage.
Against pitcher Carly Rinehart, Megan Cassavaugh flied out and Megan Cassavaugh struck out, but then Worth County loaded the bases after Jill Hardy worked a 10-pitch walk. Anna Gladstone singled off second baseman Mason Cracraft’s glove, and Merrideth Spiers worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases. But in what would become a recurring pattern for North Harrison, they escaped the jam with no damage done, as Rinehart froze Kennedy Galanakis for a called third strike.
Worth County escaped a bases loaded jam of its own in the second inning. North Harrison got the bases loaded with nobody out as Mason Cracraft shot a single up the middle. Rainey Fordyce shot one through the hole at short as shortstop Jill Hardy leaned towards second to cover a possible steal attempt and Fordyce shot one right past her. Sally Briggs laid down a perfect bunt and catcher Megan Cassavaugh’s throw was in the dirt. Briggs stumbled and fell over first in a scary moment reminiscent of North Nodaway standout Makayla Cross’ spill over first base in districts last year, but she walked off under her own power and came back out to first base next inning. The Tigers got out of the inning when Braidy Hunt struck out Addie Slaughter. Ashlynn Gilpatrick went after Hunt’s first pitch and hit it hard, but right at Jill Hardy, who forced out Cracraft at home. Carly Rinehart flied out to Haley Hunt in left for the third out.
Kami Gibson led off the Shamrock third and got one of her longest hits ever, a screamer over right fielder Eleonora Bermini’s head about 275 feet away from home plate. Gibson flew around the bases and by the time the Tigers got the ball back in, she was at third with a triple. Braidy Hunt hit Deva Wallace, who stole second. Mason Cracraft grounded out to Allison Larison at second, scoring Gibson.
Worth County nearly caught North Harrison in their half of the third. Braidy Hunt hit a carbon copy of Gibson’s hit to right center and flew around the bases for a triple to start off. Allison Larison walked and Morgan Beagle grounded to Carly Rinehart on the mound. Rinehart tried to pick off Braidy Hunt at third, but she scrambled back safely as the bases were loaded with nobody out.
Carly Rinehart challenged EmiLee Brown and struck her out with a pitch right down the middle, but there was a heartstopping moment for North Harrison as Aivry Griffin shot one hard past first, but just foul; that could have been the game right there. Griffin walked, but Rinehart recovered by freezing Haley Hunt on a change and getting Anna Spainhower to ground out to first.
Worth County’s second game, with South Harrison, followed a similar script. South Harrison, who had been down in softball for the last few years, showed vast improvement this year as they were able to field 22 players and a ton of depth. The Bulldogs used a two out rally to score in the first and make it 1-0 as they got a triple and a wild pitch. But Worth County kept themselves in the game with a pair of outstanding defensive plays. The first was when the next batter singled, but Megan Cassavaugh picked off the courtesy runner and she was thrown out at second. The second was when South Harrison scored two more in the second and nearly broke it open, but Anna Spainhower made an over the shoulder catch for the third out in right field to end the inning with Worth County still within shouting distance down 3-0.
Spainhower was hit by a pitch to start the third, but it looked like Worth County would go down quietly when Jill Hardy popped out and Allison Larison struck out. But then Spainhower stole second, an errant return throw put her on third, and she scored on a wild pitch as the huge backstop wreaked havoc on pitchers all night unless they had good control. That made it 3-1.
Megan Cassavaugh kept Worth County alive with a squib in front of the plate that she beat out. Anna Gladstone hit what could have been a game-ending pop fly, but it dropped in untouched as three purple shirts went after it, but nobody called for it. That put runners on first and third as Cassavaugh flew around the bases on the crack of the bat with two out. Anna Gladstone stole second, and Kennedy Galanakis hit a pop fly to third that the third baseman tried to make a shoestring catch on. But it was ruled a trap as Cassavaugh scored to make it 3-2. But then Merrideth Spiers struck out to end the game.
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