Bluejays Win For First Time in 25 Days; Down King City

Northeast Nodaway had not won a game in 25 days. Their only complete game was a 10-6 loss to East Atchison, and the only other time they took the field was an aborted game with North Harrison, in which they were trailing 10-6 in the fourth inning when rain struck. In the meantime, torrential rains washed everything else out. Northeast lost standout Spencer Weir to the flu against East Atchison and for good later on due to an arm injury, which meant they had to learn to play together all over again for Monday’s game.

King City came into Monday’s game with seven wins after having won seven the year before. They are in the second year in existence. They have shown the capability of scoring runs in bunches and of beating anyone on a given night; they beat Platte Valley 23-17 earlier in the year and lost a 13-10 track meet to North Andrew. At times, Monday’s game threatened to turn into another track meet. But the Bluejays suddenly scored three in the fourth and six in the fifth to put the game away by the ten run rule.

Trying to steal a game in districts, King City brought out Hunter Abney, one of the better pitchers NEN has faced this year. He shut down Ben Boswell and Levi Boulting to start the first, but then Chet Spire’s line drive sliced away from Brody Tunks in left and dropped in for a double. Ethan Adwell’s slow roller up the middle somehow got through for a base hit. Reed McIntyre reached on an error when the shortstop dropped an inning-ending force, and Spencer Gray’s pop fly dropped in for a base hit as McIntyre scored all the way from first on the play as he was off on the crack of the bat with two outs.

NEN pitcher Ethan Adwell shut down the Wildkats 1-2-3 in the first inning, but then started fighting the strike zone with one out in the second. He walked Zach Poling on four pitches, and then Hawkins Townsend reached on second baseman Colton Swalley’s bobble. Holden Farmer walked, as did Kystin Aborn to force in a run to make it 3-1.

Chet Spire’s sac fly in the second scored Ben Boswell to make it 4-1. King City answered in the third when Abney was hit by a pitch and stole second. Brody Tunks reached on Colton Swalley’s error at second when he bobbled a grounder to put runners on first and third with nobody out. It could have been a big inning for King City, but then Sawyer McCallon grounded into a 6-4-3 double play as Abney scored to make it 4-2.

Reed McIntyre singled to start the NEN third and stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Spencer Gray had an apparent strikeout when he swung at a pitch in the dirt, but the ball got away and he safely reached first as McIntyre scored. Maverick Price took a close 3-2 pitch to walk. Auston Pride struck out, but Chase Atkins and Ben Boswell were plunked to force in a run to make it 6-2.

But then the Bluejays nearly had a collapse similar to last year’s game with Green City, in which they had a 7-1 lead at one point, only to implode in the District Finals in Pattonsburg. With runners on second and third and two outs in the fourth, left fielder Chace Atkins lost Landon Wells’ fly ball in the sun as it dropped in for a double and two runs scored to make it 6-4. Hunter Abney singled in Wells to make it 6-5 and stole second and third and Brody Tunks walked. Sawyer McCallon hit an apparent game-tying single up the middle as the ball caromed off the mound high in the air. But shortstop Ben Boswell snagged it and stepped on second just in time to keep the Bluejays ahead 6-5 in the fourth.

Northeast’s bats went right back to work as Chet Spire singled to left center and Ethan Adwell also singled. For some reason, pitcher Hunter Abney went into the windup position instead of the stretch, and they both took second and third uncontested. Reed McIntyre struck out, but Spencer Gray worked the count to 3-2 and singled them both home. Maverick Price singled to advance him to second and Auston Pride kept the inning going by hitting a shot off the second baseman’s glove to put runners on first and third. Chace Atkins then singled past third to score Gray and put the Bluejays in front 9-5.

Levi Boulting came on in relief of Adwell in the fifth, but got into trouble at first, walking Zach Poling on four pitches. Poling then beat out a force play at second with nobody out as Hawkins Townsend got a scratch hit. But then Poling misjudged a pitch in the dirt and was an easy out at third. Holden Farmer was called out on strikes, but Kystin Aborn’s tricky grounder to Ben Boswell kept King City going as Boswell’s attempted force throw pulled Colton Swalley off the bag and Derrick Taylor walked to load the bases, putting the tying run on in Landon Wells. But Wells hit a high chopper to Colton Swalley that he fielded cleanly for the third out to keep King City off the board.

Abney ran out of pitches as he was up to 97, and Sawyer McCallon came on to relieve in the fifth. Levi Boulting walked and took second on a wild pitch and third on a balk. Chet Spire walked and stole second, and Ethan Adwell hit a slow roller up the middle which somehow got through to score both runs to make it 11-5. Adwell took second on a balk. Reed McIntyre popped out to first, but Adwell took third on a wild pitch and Spencer Gray’s pop fly down the third base line kept carrying, dropping out of everybody’s reach in fair territory as Adwell scored. Colton Swalley ran for Gray and Maverick Price was hit by a pitch for the second time and Rory Bredlow ran for him. Bredlow and Swalley took second and third on a wild pitch and McCallon was finished.

Kystin Aborn pitched, but he walked Auston Pride and Chace Atkins got his second hit, a base hit that scored two runs and put Pride on second. Ben Boswell’s drive to right center field dropped in for a base hit to end the game on the ten run rule.