Keagan O’Riley fanned 15 Northeast Nodaway batters Thursday night and North Nodaway’s win streak hit four games as they rode Keagan’s arm and the bats of Alonna Cross and Kandace Damgar to a 6-1 win.
NEN pulled out all the stops for this one. About two dozen of their boys got together for a Hawaiian-themed dinner that evening, came to the game, and made a racket all night long. Northeast hung with the Mustangs for six innings, with Blair Stoll pitching the game of her life, before North Nodaway finally broke the game open in the seventh for the win.
North Nodaway could not score in the top of the fourth as shortstop Paige West easily took care of Shai Dailey’s towering pop fly and MariBeth Lamb made a running backhand of Keagan O’Riley’s screamer to take extra bases away from her. In the bottom of the first, Makayla Adwell shot one up the middle for a base hit and stole second. Maggie Schmitz and Paige West struck out, but Anne Schieber, who had greatly improved her hitting over the summer, shot one into center just past Shai Dailey at second to put NEN on top 1-0.
The Mustangs caught a break in the second when Keagan O’Riley hit Blair Stoll on the foot, but neither one of the umpires saw it, and O’Riley proceeded to strike out the side. North Nodaway tied it up in the third when Alonna Cross shot a single past Paige West at first and successfully pulled off a delayed steal of second. Kandace Damgar hit a screamer into the gap in left center to score Cross; she was out trying to stretch a double into a triple, but North Nodaway had tied it at 1.
Neither team could manufacture a run in the fourth. In the top of the fourth, MaKayla Cross worked the count to 3-2, fouled off a couple of pitches, and drew a walk to start the North Nodaway half. Emma Hart struck out, but Kristin Herndon hit a shot into the hole at short and beat out Paige West’s throw. Ashley Thompson struck out, but they successfully pulled off a double steal on the play. However, Audrey Trimble popped out to Cassy Redden and no damage was done.
Anne Schieber got her second hit of the night for NEN in their half of the fourth, hitting a shot down the right field line, but Alonna Cross hustled after it and made a great play to hold her to a single with one out. Keagan O’Riley took care of the rest, striking out Angela Standiford and Blair Stoll.
Once again, the bottom of the order came through for North Nodaway as Alonna Cross shot one into center for her second base hit. She took off for second when the cutoff throw got away and made it safely, and came home on Kandace Damgar’s single to put North Nodaway up 2-1 in the fifth.
Damgar took second when another cutoff throw got away, but Shai Dailey flied out to Maggie Schmitz, Keagan O’Riley popped out to Blair Stoll, who caught the pop fly despite being tangled up with both first baseman Angela Standiford and O’Riley. MaKayla Cross walked, but Emma Hart grounded into a force at second to end the inning.
North Nodaway had a chance to get a big inning in the sixth when Kristin Herndon reached when Paige West dropped a pop fly. Ashley Thompson shot one up the middle to put runners on first and third and stole second. Audrey Trimble tried to slap one, but hit it right back to Blair Stoll. She played it perfectly, looking back Herndon at third before throwing to first, meaning nobody could advance. The bottom of the order, which had hurt NEN previously, was coming up, but Stoll froze Alonna Cross on a change and Kandace Damgar on some heat after she had fouled back four different pitches to get out with no damage done.
NEN could not tie it up in the sixth, as MaKayla Adwell hit a grounder to Kristin Herndon. She threw it in the dirt, but first baseman Ashley Thompson dug it out, the second time she had done so. Maggie Schmitz hit a tricky pop fly that Shai Dailey made a basket catch on, and O’Riley struck out Paige West for her 13th strikeout.
Shai Dailey grounded out to start the North Nodaway seventh, but Keagan O’Riley walked. MaKayla Cross got to 2-2, fouled two pitches off, then crushed one to left center field. She hit it so hard that it sliced away from center fielder Maggie Schmitz for a double and Jadon Dobbins (running for O’Riley) scored all the way from first. Emma Hart hit a vicious shot, but right at Cassy Redden for the second out. But then the floodgates opened when Kristin Herndon hit a grounder that went right through Paige West’s legs at short, and Herndon stretched it into two bases as Cross scored. Ashley Thompson hit a pop fly down the right field line that dropped in fair and rolled away from everyone as she made it in for a double, scoring Herndon. Audrey Trimble hit a perfect slap behind second that dropped in for a base hit to score Thompson. Alonna Cross hit a hard shot, but right at Paige West for the third out.
Anne Schieber hit a hard chopper, but Keagan O’Riley made a reflex move and grabbed it and threw to first for an out. O’Riley struck out Angela Standiford and Blair Stoll for her 14th and 15th strikesouts.
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