Tigers Use Two Big Innings to Down South Holt

Worth County opened up the King City Tournament Saturday against a dangerous South Holt squad that had just come off a 13-12 comeback win over King City, in which they had trailed 12-3 going into the last inning. But Worth County scored four in the first and six in the fourth, and the pitching of Ali Brown kept the Knights from mounting any kind of a comeback threat.

The Tigers worked around Jacole Hunziger’s one out double in the top of the first and then Aivry Griffin reached on left fielder Kenlyn Grove’s dropped fly ball to start their half of the first. Anna Gladstone recovered from an 0-2 count to draw a walk, and they moved to second and third on a wild pitch. Megan Cassavaugh reached on a fielder’s choice as Griffin was safe at home and Gladstone took third. Cassavaugh stole second.

Anna Gladstone was cut down at the plate by pitcher Laini Sisk to temporarily quash the rally, but Jill Hardy singled Spiers to third and stole second. Spiers came home on a wild pitch as Hardy took third. EmiLee Brown walked and Morgan Beagle grounded out to score Hardy to make it 4-0.

Shortstop Jill Hardy caught Sara Wilson’s line drive to start the second, but South Holt cut the lead in half when Chenoa Hunziger walked and Zoey Prussman singled and advanced to second when the throw to third got away. Laini Sisk singled in a run and Kenlyn Grove grounded out to score another to make it 4-2.

Sisk was injured and came out for the game (ankle), but Worth County had trouble solving Jacole Hunziger’s pitches in the second and third, picking up only one run in the second when Megan Cassavaugh’s infield hit to short scored Anna Gladstone all the way from second to make it 5-2.
South Holt got the run back in the fourth when Grove singled in a run to make it 5-3.

Worth County finally got a big inning in the fourth when Braidy Hunt broke out of a slump with a triple off the right field wall to lead off the inning. Ali Brown grounded out to bring her in, and Aivry Griffin walked to restart the Tigers. Anna Gladstone doubled off the right field wall to score Griffin, and then took off on a pitch in the dirt and came home to score when catcher Grace Cotton’s throw got away.

Megan Cassavaugh singled and reached second on right fielder Brianna McCarty’s bobble, and Merrideth Spiers turned on a change and singled her home to center. Jill Hardy hit a shot off pitcher Hunziger’s glove to put runners on first and second. EmiLee Brown forced Spiers at third, but Morgan Beagle walked and then Braidy Hunt won a long battle with Hunziger, earning another to force in a run. Ali Brown walked to force in Worth County’s sixth run, leaving the score 11-3 in Worth County’s favor.

South Holt got a run back in the fifth when Maddisyn Martin singled to lead off, as did Grace Cotton. Sara Wilson forced Martin at third and Chenoa Hunziger doubled to cut it to 11-4. Megan Cassavaugh doubled and Merrideth Spiers singled to make it 12-4 in the bottom of the fifth before the game was called due to the time limit after first baseman Anna Gladstone made a running catch against the fence of Martin’s foul ball to end the South Holt sixth.