Northeast Nodaway avenged their loss to East Atchison from 2019, when the Wolves ended Northeast’s 27 game conference winning streak as the Bluejays pulled away late to a 6-2 lead and Lane Dack pitched lockdown relief to shut down the Wolves.
Dylan McIntyre got the starting nod for Northeast, and promptly gave up a home run in the first winning to Cameron Oswald, a sinking line drive that cleared the fence in left field to put the Wolves up 1-0. He gave up a single to Braden Graves; he had both batters down to their last strike, but couldn’t put them away. But he settled down and got Josh Smith to ground out to the mound to get out of the inning with no further damage done.
The Bluejays couldn’t buy a key hit against the Wolves and their pitcher, Aaron Schlueter, who sported a nasty breaking ball that fooled even the good hitters. They got runners on second and third with nobody out after Ben Boswell hit a pop fly that dropped down the right field line untouched for a single, Colton Swalley hit a towering pop fly that Schlueter misplayed and it dropped just fair inside the first base line. They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. But then the next three struck out, one looking. The Bluejay batters were pressing the entire game, swinging for home runs instead of singles; against a good pitcher like Schlueter, that led to a lot of strikeouts.
East Atchison threatened in the second, but couldn’t score. With one out, Corey Stevens was plunked by a pitch, but was promptly picked off by McIntyre, a lefty, who East Atchison’s baserunners couldn’t get a reading on all evening. That turned out to be a big item as #9 walked and Zack Stevens singled, bringing up the top of the lineup again. Had McIntyre not gotten the pickoff, the Wolves might have had a big inning going. As it was, Carter Holecek grounded out to end the threat.
Northeast hit it hard in the second, but right at people, while Brayden Munns caught Oswald’s bid for a second home run right in front of the warning track in the third. Northeast finally tied it up in the third when Grant McIntyre walked and Ben Boswell beat out a slow roller to Oswald at shortstop with nobody out. Colton Swalley and Dylan McIntyre both flied out, each time advancing McIntyre to know it up at 1-1.
In the Wolves fourth, with one out, first baseman Auston Pride successfully navigated a tricky grounder to retire Schlueter, which rendered Corey Stevens’ two out single harmless.
Northeast went ahead in their half of the fourth as Schlueter began to tire. Lane Dack flied out, but then Chase Atkins and Brayden Munns walked. Zach Pride was caught looking, but Grant McIntyre walked again to bring up Ben Boswell with the bases loaded. Boswell came through, dropping it right down the right field line to score two and put the Bluejays up 3-1.
But then East Atchison made a comeback bid in the fifth as Carter Holecek and Jarrett Spinnato both beat out slow rollers down the third base line to put runners on first and second. They went to second and third on a wild pitch, and Oswald grounded out to Ben Boswell at short to make it 3-2. Brayden Graves was plunked to load the bases, finishing McIntyre. There was a heartstopping moment as Lane Dack came on in relief and Josh Smith promptly crushed one to deep left field for an apparent three run home run that would have put the Wolves up 5-3. But at the last possible moment, the ball hooked foul and Lane settled down, threw Smith an offspeed pitch, and he grounded out to Grant McIntyre at second to get Northeast out of the inning still up 3-2.
Northeast couldn’t score in the fifth as the strikeouts continued to mount, but Lane Dack settled down and held the fort in the Wolves sixth, getting the first two batters out. There was a heartstopping moment when #9 hit a pop fly that dropped in before second baseman Zach Pride could get to it. But he stuck with the play and his throw beat the batter by half a step for the third out.
Northeast finally broke open the game in the sixth when Zach Pride walked and Grant McIntyre moved him over with a bunt. Ben Boswell reached on a throwing error, making it all the way to second as Pride scored. Colton Swalley popped out, but Dylan McIntyre singled home Boswell. Auston Pride and Lane Dack also singled to put Northeast up 6-2 after six.
The object now was to keep runners off the basepaths so Cameron Oswald wouldn’t get to the plate again. Chase Atkins caught Zack Stevens’ long fly ball to left, Auston Pride made a shoestring catch of Holecek’s tricky line drive, and Zach Pride caught Spinnato’s line drive at second to end the game.
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