The Shamrocks were recovering from a 9-0 loss from Platte Valley, in a game that coach Brandon Craig said was one of those in which everything that North Harrison hit hard was right at people, while everything they hit hard plugged gaps.
But Ashlynn Gilpatrick restored order on the mound for North Harrison with a one-hitter, while Jayliegh Robins, only a freshman, crushed a home run into the wind and flew around the bases for the Shamrocks.
The only tense moment was whether there would be a game, as a sudden storm passed through the area, threatening to drench the Ridgeway field. The thunder was audible as far west as Sheridan, and the clouds and rain rolled in. But the storm missed Ridgeway, drenching Hatfield instead as it barely sprinkled in Eagleville and Ridgeway, while Blythedale wasn’t touched at all. There was some spectacular lightning visible from the south, but the storm missed Ridgeway, and the game was underway.
The wind was blowing in from center, which meant runs would have to be manufactured, but that proved to be no problem for North Harrison in the first inning as Jayliegh Robins walked after overcoming a 1-2 count, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Carly Rinehart singled to center to score her and repeated the process, stealing second and coming to third on a wild pitch. Emma Craig grounded out to score her.
Rainey Fordyce repeated the process by walking and stealing second and going to third on a wild pitch. Ashlynn Gilpatrick then crushed a double fair down the right field line and Fordyce scored. Lola Breshears (running for Gilpatrick) stole third and scored on Kami Gibson’s groundout.
Gilpatrick mixed three different pitches effectively, while Robins provided a steady hand behind the plate. Robins scooped Kennison Roberts’ third strike out of the dirt on one play as East Harrison went in order in the first.
The floodgates opened in the second as Jayliegh Robins and Carly Rinehart walked with one out in the second and then Emma Craig hit a pop fly that dropped out of everyone’s reach in right center. Emma successfully stretched a single into a double as two runs scored, making it 6-0.
Rainey Fordyce’s fly ball was dropped in center by Cianna Corum, and Craig took third as Rainey reached first. Ashlynn Gilpatrick was hit on the helmet by a pitch to load the bases, Kami Gibson singled to center, and Kenna Slaughter was also hit, finishing Camie Vaughn as East Harrison’s pitcher.
The Bobcats made a pair of errors that kept North Harrison’s inning alive, and it was capped off when Emma Craig hit a pop fly that was apparently caught by new pitcher Kennison Roberts, but the umpire saw it otherwise, Emma Craig beat out the base hit, and Carly Rinehart, off with the crack of the bat with two outs, scored from second. It was the kind of opportunistic baserunning that coach Brandon Craig wanted to see more of from his team at the start of the season. It was also an object lesson in why you always run such plays out.
Kennedie Baxter got East Harrison’s lone baserunner in the second with a solid single down the left field line with two outs in the second. She should have been picked off, as catcher Jayliegh Robins threw a perfect strike to Kami Gibson, who applied the tag before she got back, but the umpire missed it and play continued. It didn’t matter, as Gilpatrick struck out Marissa Meek for the third out.
The wind was still blowing in from center, but it didn’t matter for Ashlynn Gilpatrick, as she crushed one into the gap between left and center for her second double. Kami Gibson reached on a dropped third strike as Lola Brashears (running for Ashlynn) took third on the play. Kenna Slaughter hit a pop fly that dropped in between the mound and second. Camie Vaughn, playing third, made a great play by coming all the way over from her position to grab the ball and force Gibson at second as Brashears scored. Trendi Johnson popped out, but Camden Castleberry reached on an error to keep the inning alive.
Jayliegh Robins was up next for North Harrison, and once again, the wind blowing in didn’t matter as she crushed it to right field like it wasn’t even there and flew around the bases for a three run home run before the orange shirts could get the ball back in.
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