The Shamrocks, after winning their first-ever tournament on the 13th, won two games handily, downing Mercer/Princeton 16-5 and Grundy County 14-4, with their only blemish being a triple play that they ran into. After having beaten three Class 3 schools this year, North Harrison then played Savannah, only to run into a buzzsaw; the Savages had rung up a 16-1 record, mostly against quality opponents, and were on a three game shutout streak before North Harrison finally plated a run against them.
Somehow, the fallout from that game carried over to Monday’s game, as Longhorn pitcher Trevor McQueen, after North Harrison got two on with one out, started mowing down one Shamrock batter after another in the top of the first. Meanwhile, Tyler Lundy came to the mound for North Harrison and Platte Valley immediately jump on him as Logan Stoll singled and stole second. Trevor McQueen struck out, but Nate Jermain singled Stoll home to make it 1-0.
But then Lundy settled down and pitched his best game ever as a Shamrock; the vast field at Guilford is 330 out to right and a little farther out to center. With the wind blowing in, it is one of the most pitcher-friendly parks and Lundy took full advantage, constantly pounding the plate and mixing in a breaking ball just enough to keep Longhorn batters off balance. The Longhorns sprayed one hit after another against Lundy, but North Harrison overcame their hitting woes by making enough plays in the field to stay in the game.
After they scored in the first, Platte Valley looked to add to their lead in the inning, but Logan Huitt ran down Dalton Luke’s drive to the deepest part of the park in center and catcher Brett Emig shot down Jermain trying to steal to get out of the inning.
It looked like Lundy’s efforts would be in vain as McQueen hypnotized the Shamrock batters, keeping them standing and looking through the second and third. But things changed after the Longhorns failed to break it open in the third after loading the bases with one out, as Lundy kept right on pounding the zone and trusting his fielders, being rewarded when Nate Jermain popped out to Logan Craig at first and Dalton Luke grounded out to Grant Claycomb at short.
That seemed to swing the momentum back in North Harrison’s favor in the fourth as Brett Emig hit a screamer that sliced away from Spencer McQueen in left for a double. Logan Craig singled to left, McQueen let it get away from him in the rough outfield, and Emig came home to tie it at 1-1. Platte Valley went back on top in their half as Tanner Davis singled and Quentin Murphy singled him to third. Lundy kept right on pounding the zone as Taylar Freemyer was called out on strikes. Mason Kelmel grounded into a force at second to score Davis, but Spencer McQueen’s potential extra base hit down the left field line was run down by Lane Huitt to end the inning.
Trevor McQueen ran out of pitches and gave way to Koby Stoll late in the fourth. In the fifth, Stoll froze two green shirts just like McQueen did, but then Grant Claycomb beat out an infield hit with two outs to keep the fifth inning alive. Stoll began fighting the strike zone, walking the bases full before Logan Craig crushed one and doubled off the left field wall to swing the game in North Harrison’s favor at 4-2.
Platte Valley got a run back in their half of the fifth after Koby Stoll doubled into the left field corner. The glove of freshman third baseman Brandon Hamilton nearly got the Shamrocks out of the inning as he made two sparkling defensive plays on the heart of Platte Valley’s order, on Trevor McQueen and Nate Jermain, to get to two outs. Dalton Luke doubled off the wall in left field to bring home Stoll and make it 4-3. But once again, North Harrison bailed out Lundy as Lane Huitt hustled after the ball and threw to the cutoff man, Grant Claycomb. Grant made a perfect relay throw to Hamilton to retire Luke trying to stretch a double into a triple for the third out to preserve the lead.
But then North Harrison could not add to their lead as Logan Huitt, on third with one out in the seventh, tried to score on a wild pitch. He normally makes those plays, but was cut down at the plate to kill a potential rally.
Grant Claycomb came on in relief on Lundy to start the seventh, and struck out the first two batters and got Seth Patton down to his final strike. But then he began fighting the strike zone, missing a pair of close pitches and walking him and then plunking Nate Jermain to keep Platte Valley’s chances alive. Dalton Luke took full advantage as his pop fly to right field dropped in for a base hit and Platte Valley scored the tying run.
North Harrison couldn’t score in the eighth, and then Quentin Murphy crushed a single to right center field. Taylar Freemeyer laid down a perfect bunt to move pinch runner Patrick O’Connor over, and Mason Kelmel singled home the winning run.
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