The Shamrocks had lost to Pattonsburg earlier in the year, and had lost a jamboree game and a regular season game to them the year before. The Panthers had their number over the last two years, but it was North Harrison who jumped out on top. Grant Claycomb hit a sinking line drive to right field that dropped in for a hit, then Brett Emig doubled into the left field corner to put runners at second and third. Logan Craig’s pop fly single to center brought in North Harrison’s first run and put runners on first and third, then he stole second. Brandon Hamilton’s pop fly to center dropped in and scored another as Logan Craig, who had to hold up to make sure the ball wasn’t caught, took third. Wade Briggs walked; Cruz Ury struck out, but Lane Huitt singled to right center to score two. He was out trying to stretch it into a double, but North Harrison was up 4-0.
North Harrison sent Grant Claycomb to the mound, and he got Dylan McCrary and Connor Ireland out, but Cameron Jones, Logan Pankau, and Cooper Teel hit back to back to back doubles to score two and cut North Harrison’s lead in half at 4-2.
It looked like a nailbiter would develop as both Grant Claycomb for the Shamrocks and Connor Ireland for the Panthers settled down and the game turned into a pitching duel. Pattonsburg got closer in the third as Cameron Jones hit a home run to left to make it 4-3. North Harrison loaded the bases in the top of the fourth with one out, but Cameron Jones came into pitch against Brett Emig. Emig missed a grand slam as the ball landed foul in left before chasing a pitch in the dirt and striking out; Logan Huitt swung under a pitch and struck out as well.
In the Pattonsburg fourth with one out, Zane Reed walked on a 3-2 pitch as Claycomb missed outside and Patrick Cowley chased a high pitch and singled to center to put runners on first and second. The top of the order came up, and Dylan McCrary was jammed, but crushed it to center, but Logan Huitt made a leaping catch. With the dangerous Cameron Jones on the on deck circle, Connor Ireland hit one that looked headed into the gap in right center, only for Logan Huitt to run it down again for the third out to preserve the lead.
Both teams went down quietly in the fifth, but then Lane Huitt’s home run to left center field opened the floodgates for North Harrison in the sixth as the Shamrocks finally started to catch up to Cameron Jones’ heater. That made it 5-3. Matthew Heintz took two called strikes, but then singled to right. Logan Huitt got to 3-2, fouled off two pitches, and then took a pitch on the inside corner. Grant Claycomb chased a pitch out of the strike zone and got to 0-2, only for Cameron Jones to plunk him to load the bases and bring up Brett Emig. Jones’ first pitch to Emig was a hung breaking ball, and Brett made the most of his second chance, hitting a grand slam over the left field fence to make it 9-3.
Pattonsburg could not score in their half of the sixth as Dillon Turner singled to start the inning. But then Kaden DeJong struck out looking on a big breaking ball, and he knew it as he started walking away even before the umpire rang him up. Turner tried to steal second, but was thrown out by Brett Emig and Zane Reed was called out on strikes on a perfect pitch on the outside corner.
Cameron Jones continued to fight the strike zone as North Harrison got an insurance run in the seventh inning. He walked the bases full with one out, and Connor Ireland came back to pitch. He got Grant Claycomb swinging on a breaking ball, but then didn’t give Brett Emig anything good to hit, walking him with the bases loaded to force in a run to make it 10-3.
But Grant Claycomb was out of pitches, and gave way to Logan Huitt in the seventh. Huitt plunked Patrick Cowley, but then got Dylan McCrary on a strikeout and Connor Ireland on a popup to Wade Briggs. But then Cameron Jones came up, and he narrowly missed a home run twice. His popup then squirted out of second baseman Wade Briggs’ glove to open the floodgates. Logan Pankau then caught a high pitch and shot it to left for a single to score one, and then Cooper Teel hit a screamer off Matthew Heintz’ glove in center for a double to score two more to make it 10-6. Dillon Turner doubled to right center to score Teel to make it 10-7, and it looked like a repeat of the Green City game, where North Harrison couldn’t buy an out. Caleb Sutton pinch hit and hit it hard, but right at shortstop Grant Claycomb, who knocked it down and threw to first to beat Sutton by half a step.
North Harrison beat Braymer 8-3 in the semifinal game after getting a bye in the first round. Grant Claycomb was 4 for 4 in the game, while Cruz Ury and Wade Briggs had key RBI’s in the game.
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