North Nodaway survived Albany 5-4 Saturday to advance to the District Finals to face either Platte Valley or Stanberry. They overcame a 2-0 deficit and then survived a scare in the last inning to get the win as Keagan O’Riley struck out eight batters and the Mustangs were able to solve Riley Houts and the Warriors.
The Mustangs had lost 9-7 to the Warriors in Albany previously, and had to turn around and play them again. The Warriors hit a pair of inside the park home runs and exploited North Nodaway’s fielding to get the win.
Albany picked up right where they left off in the first inning as Gabby Newman beat out an infield single and went to steal second. Catcher Makayla Cross’ throw got away and Newman was able to circle the bases to make it 1-0.
In the meantime, Houts was able to throw her breaking ball on the outside corner for strikes and shut down the Mustang bats as everything was darting in and out. It would have been worse, but rightfielder Alonna Cross’ shoestring catch in the second took extra bases away from Emily Poppa.
Albany added to their lead in the third inning as Houts flied out to center to score Sierra Anthony to make it 2-0. But in the bottom of the third, Kandace Damgar beat out an infield hit to third, catching a breaking ball on the outside corner that would have been strike three and somehow getting it in play. Audrey Trimble grounded out to move her up a base, and Shai Dailey singled to right and went all the way to third when rightfielder Amber Davis’ throw home got away. Makayla Cross grounded out to bring her in to tie it.
With one out, Alonna Cross caught hold of one and hit it so hard, it rolled past second baseman Katie Brown and rightfielder Amber Davis despite the soggy grass; that was good for a double. She took third on a wild pitch and scored on centerfielder Michaela Martin’s dropped fly as Kandace Damgar reached safely. Damgar stole second and scored on Shai Dailey’s single to make it 4-2.
In the fifth, North Nodaway scored again with one out as Keagan O’Riley, who had been fed a steady diet of inside pitches by Houts and kept fouling them off, suddenly turned on one and crushed it into left field for a base hit. Ashley Thompson then caught hold of an inside pitch and hit it so hard, it went all the way to the left field wall despite her hitting it directly into a brisk wind that was blowing in from left. Thompson was picked off second as she took too wide a turn as Albany cut off the throw home, but O’Riley scored on the play.
Albany went down quietly in the sixth, but Emily Poppa crushed one for a triple into the right field corner and came home on Kaycee Messner’s groundout to make it 5-3. Katie Brown struck out for the second out, but there was a heartstopping moment as Sierra Anthony hit a shot off Keagan O’Riley’s glove that nobody had a play on. Instead of eating the ball, North Nodaway panicked and threw it around twice, allowing Anthony to circle the bases and score to make it 5-4. But then Keagan O’Riley settled down and got Abigail Wilson to ground out back to the mound for the final out.
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