Against Gallatin Saturday, Worth County erased 14 years of futility against the Bulldogs with a 13-7 consolation win. Against Maryville, Worth County beat the Spoofhounds for the first time ever after previous games had been 10 and 15 run rule mismatches in Maryville’s favor. Against Stanberry, Worth County erased 13 years of futility; their last win against Stanberry was in 2006, when they beat Stanberry 4-2 in a conference game.
It looked like a long day for Worth County at first, when a dropped fly ball allowed Sydney Mattson to reach and third baseman Merrideth Spiers’ throwing error allowed Ellie Ellis to reach second to put Stanberry up 1-0 just two batters into the game. But then all of a sudden, Worth County prevented any further damage. Riley McQueen grounded out to Jill Hardy at short to advance Ellis to third with one out, but Lexi Craig popped out to first baseman Anna Gladstone for the second out. Sadie Runde tried to catch Worth County napping with a bunt in the air, but pitcher Ali Brown alertly snagged it and threw her out at first.
All of a sudden, after Worth County got out of the inning with only one run across for Stanberry, they realized they could play softball with them. That was similar to Monday night’s game, when Worth County fell behind 3-0 in the first, tied it up behind Merrideth Spiers’ home run, and suddenly realized they could play softball with Maryville, going on to win 12-3.
The game moved quickly, with both pitchers throwing strikes, both teams putting the ball in play, but hitting it right at people. Stanberry threatened to add to their lead in the third and fourth, but came up short. In the third, Sydney Mattson got a scratch hit off Ali Brown’s glove on the mound with one out, Ellie Ellis moved her over with a sac bunt, but Riley McQueen flied out to Morgan Beagle in left to end the inning. The wind was blowing in from the east, so everything had to be manufactured Monday.
With two out in the fourth, Stanberry threatened again as Ashley Peterson hit a shot off Merrideth Spiers’ glove into left, and Morgan Beagle made a rare miscue when her errant cutoff throw allowed Peterson to go to second. But Beagle atoned for her mistake the next play when Morgan Wallace singled to her in left. Beagle came up firing, and threw a strike to Megan Cassavaugh at the plate, and Peterson was out by a mile.
Worth County finally got the run back in the fourth when Hailey Adwell drew an eight pitch walk off Sidney Mattson after fouling off some pitches. Anna Gladstone struck out, but Megan Cassavaugh walked. Merrideth Spiers walked, but Adwell stole third and came home on an errant throw from the catcher to tie it up.
Stanberry seemingly put the game away in the sixth when Lexi Craig doubled with one out and Sadie Runde’s single got past Aivry Griffin in right and she flew all the way around to third as a run scored. Ashley Peterson laid down a perfect bunt, Megan Cassavaugh threw her out at first, but Worth County had no play at the plate as the fleet-footed Runde scored to make it 3-1.
But then Ali Brown hit a shot off Mattson’s glove to get a scratch hit to start the Worth County sixth. Sometimes, coaches have sixth senses about who will step up big, and Aivry Griffin came up big off the bench when she laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line bobbled by Runde at third as everybody was safe. Anna Gladstone hit it hard, but right at the shortstop, who forced Brown at third, but Megan Cassavaugh singled to load the bases.
Once again, Aivry Griffin came through as she came flying home on a wild pitch, and then Merrideth Spiers, who drove in six runs the night before, was intentionally walked. But EmiLee Brown hit it hard to short; Stanberry had no play at the plate as Anna Gladstone was on third, and they took the force at third as Worth County tied it up at 3-3.
Morgan Beagle led off the Tiger seventh; she had kept the Tigers in the game with her glove with three catches and an outfield assist, and she came up big with her legs as she beat out a slow roller to second to start the seventh. Braidy Hunt moved her over to second on a sac bunt, and Ali Brown got her second scratch hit and Worth County’s third in the last two innings as she beat out a slow roller between the mound, first, and second to put runners on first and third. Aivry Griffin struck out, but then Anna Gladstone turned on a change and crushed it into left field for a walkoff win; had play continued, she would have stretched it into a double.
The Junior Varsity won 3-0 as Taylor Sanders tossed a shutout over three innings. Aivry Griffin’s RBI double scored a run in the first, and the Tigers manufactured another when Megan Cassavaugh successfully stole third and came home on an errant throw in the third. Maddie Runde singled in a third run.
Maddie Runde made a catch at third, while Braidy Hunt made a catch at shortstop. Aivry Griffin had a double, while Megan Cassavaugh, Maddie Runde, and Ali Brown had hits as well. Megan Cassavaugh had two stolen bases, while catcher Allison Larison threw a runner out stealing.
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