Brett Emig hit a monster shot for North Harrison, Cooper Cracraft turned two double plays at third base, and North Harrison weathered Green City’s repeated charges to pull off a 16-11 win Saturday to take their home tournament and hand the Gophers their first loss of the year.
The Gophers had a big advantage in that they had played a full fall season, a season in which they only lost one game and had four games in which they scored 15 or more runs. So when everything restarted this spring, the Gophers were ready to go, reeling off six straight wins to start the season. They had little trouble disposing of Milan in the first round as North Harrison was putting away South Harrison.
Green City put Aaron Peavler on the mound, a pitcher sporting a nasty fastball, a curveball that he can throw just as hard, and a deadly pickoff move that he can throw just as hard, and that he can throw to either first or third. Sure enough, the first batter of the game, Wade Briggs, singled to start the game only to get picked off.
But then Grant Claycomb worked Peavler for a walk, and all of a sudden, North Harrison figured out they could hit him as Brett Emig and Brandon Hamilton hit singles to follow. The center fielder let Hamilton’s single get by him for an error as two runs came around to score. Matthew Heintz drew a walk and then Cooper Cracraft singled down the left field line to score Hamilton to put North Harrison in front 3-0.
Green City got a run back in the first when Riley Schoonover grounded out to score Laydon Fields to make it 3-1. But it was not Peavler’s day as he plunked Grant Claycomb with one out and then Brett Emig doubled to left center field to score him. Emig took third on a wild pitch and then Brandon Hamilton walked and stole second. Peavler apparently had Matthew Heintz struck out, only for the ball to get away and Heintz to make it without a throw as Green City didn’t want to risk Emig coming home. Cooper Cracraft forced Emig out at home, but then Aaron Lundy singled home Hamilton to make it 5-1.
North Harrison elected to start Cole Kampman against Green City, but he walked the first three batters in the second inning, a potential recipe for disaster against a dangerous hitting team like Green City. Grant Claycomb came into pitch, and then Garrett Hall grounded into a double play as Cooper Cracraft went home for the first out and catcher Brett Emig went to first for the second to kill the rally. Landon Doosing grounded out to Claycomb for the third out as North Harrison got out with no damage done.
Eli Tipton came in to pitch for the Gophers to start the third, and it seemed like he would restore order as Kadyn Hukill and Wade Briggs hit it hard but right at people. But then Grant Claycomb and Brett Emig kept the inning alive with walks and then Brandon Hamilton doubled to left. Claycomb scored easily, and Emig came around as well, trying to score from first. A good throw would have gotten him, but the throw was wild and over the catcher’s head as Emig slid in safely head first. Matthew Heintz singled Hamilton home to make it 8-1.
Landon Fields homered to put Green City on the board again and make it 8-2, but North Harrison got two more in the fourth after Cruz Ury singled with one out. Kadyn Hukill struck out, but Wade Briggs singled to left and Grant Claycomb doubled to score Ury and put runners on second and third. Brett Emig then dug a pitch out of the dirt and hit a grounder which bounced over the shortstop’s head to score another run and make it 10-2.
But all of a sudden, the game looked like it would turn in Green City’s favor like two games from 2018 did. In districts that year, Green City trailed Collin Castleberry and the Shamrocks 4-1, only for them to erupt and beat the Shamrocks 6-4. They then trailed Northeast Nodaway 7-1, only for them to erupt and score 12 unanswered runs and hand the Bluejays their only loss of the year, 13-7.
Saturday’s game looked like it would follow that script as Brody Lunsford started the Gopher fourth with a home run. A wild throw, a Texas leaguer that dropped out of everybody’s reach, and an infield hit made it 10-4. North Harrison got Fields on a popup and Peavler’s squib down the third base line that Cooper Cracraft fielded and threw him out at first on a close play.
But North Harrison’s troubles were only beginning as Grant Claycomb began fighting the strike zone, walking Riley Schoonover, hitting Grant O’Haver to force in a run, and walking Tipton to force in another. A single from Brody Lunsford drove in two, an errant pickoff brought in another to make it 10-9. Finally, Claycomb caught Kaden Hatcher looking to get out of the inning with North Harrison clinging to a 10-9 lead.
Matthew Heintz doubled to start off the Shamrock fifth, but it looked like his efforts would be futile as Cooper Cracraft popped out and Tyler Lundy grounded out, putting Heintz on third. But all of a sudden, out of the blue, Gopher pitcher Tristan Herschberger balked home Heintz to make it 11-9. Cruz Ury then shot one that dropped just fair down the right field line despite the wind pushing balls hit to right out of play all day long. Kaydn Hukill was plunked and then Wade Briggs hit a screamer to right center that the center fielder nearly caught, but popped out of his glove for a double that scored two more runs and put North Harrison up 13-9.
That meant that North Harrison was still ahead after what transpired in the fifth. Claycomb plunked Garrett Hall and singles by Landon Doosing and Laydon Fields loaded the bases with nobody out. But then Peavler hit a screamer but right at Cooper Cracraft at third, who doubled off Hall for his second double play of the afternoon. Riley Schoonover doubled home two runs to cut North Harrison’s lead in half at 13-11, but then first baseman Aaron Lundy made a running backhand catch of O’Haver’s line drive that looked headed for trouble to get North Harrison out of the inning.
North Harrison added to their lead in the sixth as Brett Emig hit a monster shot that went around 350 feet, well over the trees in center field. Brandon Hamilton hit it hard, but right at third, but Matthew Heintz singled past third and Cooper Cracraft doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third. Aaron Lundy flied out to center; Heintz didn’t tag up in time and didn’t score on the play. But he atoned for his miscue as he bluffed a move to the plate and drew another balk to score and make it 15-11. It was the second time Heintz had drawn a balk for the Shamrocks to score. Cruz Ury then hit a ground rule double over the left field fence to score Cracraft and make it 16-11, and Claycomb settled down and set down the Gophers in order in the sixth as the game reached the time limit.
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