The Bluejays have to put their 275 conference title celebrations on hold. They have already clinched at least a share of conference, but they must still invade DeKalb on May the 7th to win the title outright; DeKalb is much better this year, with four wins under their belt as of last Tuesday evening. Platte Valley and East Atchison both had two conference losses as of last Tuesday evening and still have to play each other one more time. Platte Valley won the first game between the two schools.
NEN clung to a lead throughout most of the game, but then all hell broke loose in the sixth and seventh innings as the Wolves took advantage of NEN’s decimated lineup and Jake McEnaney got the complete game win.
With two outs in the first, Chet Spire doubled into the left field corner and then Ethan Adwell singled just past short to bring him home to give NEN a 1-0 lead that would stand up for a while.
In the meantime, the Bluejays made some outstanding plays in the field as Lane Dack, a freshman forced into action at second, made a great catch of Gus Hurst’s line drive in the first; later, catcher Ethan Adwell threw Jake McEnaney out stealing third.
Chet Spire started for NEN and cruised through four innings, but had to give way as Northeast had to save him for an upcoming tournament in King City, a round robin between North Platte, NEN, and King City.
In the bottom of the fourth, NEN added to their lead as Ethan Adwell hit a home run to dead center to make it 2-0. Adwell came on in the fifth and got through the heart of the order in the fifth. East Atchison had a murderer’s row for their top three; he had to get through McEnaney, Hurst, and Gage McAdams one more time. But it didn’t happen.
In the sixth, with one out and runners on first and second, Tyler Brown hit what could have been an inning ending double play ball to Adwell at the mound. He threw to second for the first, but Northeast threw the ball to first away as Keaton Williams crossed the plate with East Atchison’s first run. The Wolves’ #9 hitter, Zachary Garrison, came up, but he walked and the heart of the order came up. East Atchison made them pay as third baseman Ben Boswell, out of position at third instead of his normal second base position, couldn’t handle McEnaney’s hard grounder that tied it up at 2-2. Gus Hurst followed with a three run blast to dead center field to put the Wolves in control at 5-2.
Chet Spire led off the NEN sixth with a home run to give them a chance, but once again, NEN could not get out of the seventh inning despite #9 hitter Zachary Garrison at the plate and two outs. East Atchison loaded the bases with one out, but Chace Atkins, pressed into service in left field, made a great catch to rob extra bases from Tyler Brown. It was the second such play Atkins made; he robbed Tony Skeen of an opposite field extra base hit in the fifth. But it didn’t matter as Garrison squibbed one down the third base line and nobody had a play on it as a run scored. The Wolves’ murderers row came up and McEnaney singled to drive in a run and Hurst walked to force in another as East Atchison led 8-3.
Auston Pride hit a screamer fair into the left field corner for a double to start off the NEN seventh. Lane Dack, who improved with every at bat, nonetheless popped out to Tyler Brown at second; Brown made several lights-out plays of NEN hits that were right on the button. Levi Boulting grounded out and Garrison, in right, nearly threw Ben Boswell out at first, but Ben barely beat it out as Brayden Munns (running for Pride) crossed home to make it 8-4. Chet Spire came up to bat and got an intentional pass despite Ethan Adwell, who already had one home run, coming up to the plate. Had he gotten on, things would have gotten interesting with the tying run coming up, but he hit it hard but right into a force at third for the final out.
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