Anna Gladstone Gets Walkoff Hit Again as Tigers Complete Sweep

Worth County had won the King City Tournament by virtue of winning the tiebreaker over Hardin-Central, but they managed to complete the sweep and beat King City 4-3 in the nightcap as Anna Gladstone once again got the walkoff hit. It was her third career walkoff hit; two of them were on the same field and against the same team in King City. The other was against Stanberry earlier this year.

King City, which came into the game winless, lost their fourth straight late-inning game. Against Albany Thursday, they jumped on the Warriors 4-0 and led the whole way until Albany scored two runs off a wild pitch to win 7-6. Against the dangerous hitting South Holt squad, they led 12-3 going into the last inning, only for South Holt to score ten in the last inning to win 13-12. Against Hardin-Central, they took a 3-1 lead into the fifth, only for Hardin-Central to come back and pound the ball hard in the late innings to win 8-4.

The Wildkats jumped on Worth County early when their first four batters reached on three hits and an error to go up 2-0. Nobody else scored, and the lead stood up until the fourth inning. Anna Gladstone was twice robbed of a big hit; the first time, she hit a screamer right at right fielder Hallie Washburn, and the second time, another one right at third baseman Hollie Washburn.

The lead threatened to grow in the fourth when Hallie Washburn reached on a bobble from pitcher Ali Brown and Kamdyn Carlson reached on an error from Allison Larison before Brown settled down and struck out Sydney Overmann to end the inning.

Worth County finally got one run back in the bottom of the fourth. Megan Cassavaugh reached on an error when shortstop Kelcie Catlett threw away her grounder, allowing Cassavaugh to take second. She took third on a passed ball and then Merrideth Spiers had an epic at-bat, fouling off nine of pitcher Emberlyn Medsker’s pitches before finally getting a pop fly single down the left field line to score Cassavaugh. That made it 2-1.

It looked like Worth County’s best efforts would come up short and King City would get their first win, but then Jill Hardy doubled down the right field line with one out in the sixth. Anna Spainhower struck out, but with Worth County down to their final out due to the time limit, Megan Cassavaugh reached on an error on a grounder under Catlett’s legs to bring home Hardy and tie the game at 2-2.
Since time had expired, the game went to the International Tiebreaker, with the person who made the last out taking second to start each inning. Kamdyn Carlson grounded out to advance Hallie Washburn to third, and then Sydney Overmann walked and stole second to put runners on second and third with one out.

It looked like Worth County was once again in a tight spot, but Taryn Hunter’s single only brought one run home as Hunter took second on the throw to third. But then Victoria Washburn popped out to Jill Hardy at short and Kristen Butrum flied out to Braidy Hunt to keep Worth County’s deficit at 4-3.

Worth County had lost an International Tiebreaker game two years ago in Eagleville against Princeton, but this time, with two strikes on her, Hailey Adwell crushed a double down the right field line and went to third on the unsuccessful throw home as Braidy Hunt scored. Aivry Griffin struck out, but Anna Gladstone picked her up. Anna had been robbed twice earlier in the game, but not when it counted; she dropped a line drive just over the outstretched shortstop’s glove for the game-winning base hit.