Worth County and North Harrison’s softball teams put together the first of two epic battles Thursday, with North Harrison building up an 8-0 lead, only for Worth County to put together a frantic rally that fell just short as they fell 8-5.
North Harrison was riding the wave of a 1-0 nine inning win over Hamilton, in which they broke up Julia Kanoy’s no-hit bid in the final inning after having been in hot water the whole game. This looked like a perfect trap game; last year, Worth County was riding the momentum of clinching the GRC West title, winning the King City Tournament, and beating traditional softball power Stanberry. North Harrison came in and won, sending the Tigers into a tailspin in which they dropped five out of their last six games.
But the game started off well for North Harrison, as Carly Rinehart struck out three batters in Worth County’s first; the only blemish was when Morgan Beagle beat out a scratch hit. Rinehart backhanded Anna Spainhower’s hard line drive in the second and Lola Breshears caught Megan Cassavaugh’s fly ball in the second.
The green shirts finally got on the board in the second when Rainey Fordyce beat out a slow roller to second. Camden Castleberry put down a bunt and third baseman Anna Spainhower airmailed the throw, putting Fordyce on third and Castleberry on first. Camden stole second, and then Kami Gibson grounded out to score Fordyce and Jaci Davis grounded out to score Castleberry to put North Harrison up 2-0.
Carly continued her mastery of the Tigers in the third, striking out the side, getting a called third strike on the inside corner on Ali Brown, getting another pitch on the inside corner to strike out Allison Larison, and shutting down Aivry Griffin. North Harrison had a chance to add to their lead in the third, but Trendi Johnson was shot down stealing after leading off the inning with a single. Jayliegh Robins singled down the right field line, but right fielder Hailey Adwell made a great play to stop her at first. Later, after Carly Rinehart flied out, Megan Cassavaugh picked her off, and she was out in a rundown.
North Harrison seemingly broke open the game in the fourth when Emma Craig walked and Rainey Fordyce reached on an error when Jill Hardy bobbled her grounder at short. Camden Castleberry bunted again, and it succeeded beyond her wildest expectations as she got it past everyone for a base hit and Craig came all the way home to score as Fordyce advanced to second. That set up the big inning after Fordyce and Castleberry advanced on a wild pitch. Kami Gibson singled just over Larison’s outstretched glove at second to score both, Jaci Davis struck out, and then Baily Briggs singled to right center. Morgan Beagle cut it off to keep Briggs to a single, but Kami Gibson showed some speed as she flew all the way home from first to make it 6-0.
Trendi Johnson hit it hard, but right at Jill Hardy, who forced Briggs at second, but then Jayliegh Robins hit one into the gap in right center for a double as Johnson scored all the way from first. Carly Rinehart doubled to left center to score Robins to make it 8-0.
Worth County started laying off Rinehart’s rising fast ball and started getting better swings as a result, but Shamrock catcher Emma Craig threw out Braidy Hunt out stealing after she had walked to start the fifth. Later, she picked off Megan Cassavaugh from first, one of several successful pickoff plays she has had this year.
North Harrison seemed to have the game under control in sixth and threatened to end the game in their half as Baily Briggs singled. Trendi Johnson forced Erica Gerken (running for Briggs) at second, but then Jayliegh Robins hit a screamer at Jill Hardy which she snagged to rob her of extra bases. She doubled Johnson off first, and a totally different Worth County team came to bat in the seventh.
First, Hailey Adwell, who had struck out every time she faced Rinehart before, shot a single to right just over second basemen Trendi Johnson’s glove. Morgan Beagle hit a grounder to short, and Adwell successfully beat out the force play to put runners on first and second. Jill Hardy flied out to center, but Adwell advanced to third. Braidy Hunt walked, and then Megan Cassavaugh singled just past short and went to second on a throw to third as two runs scored. That put runners on second and third with one out and two runs across.
Anna Spainhower popped out to Kami Gibson at short, but then Ali Brown crushed a double to right center to score two. Allison Larison singled to right to score Autumn Cousatte (running for Brown), and Aivry Griffin singled to bring the tying run to the plate before Hailey Adwell struck out to end the game.
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