Matthew Heintz played six strong innings and North Harrison pulled away from South Harrison 14-4 in six innings Saturday in the first round of the North Harrison Tournament. Green City won handily over Milan to set up the showdown between Green City and North Harrison.
South Harrison has been a streaky team this year; they started off by downing North Andrew and DeKalb and scoring 35 runs in those two games. They then proceeded to give up 20 runs to Maryville, which put them in a four game tailspin. The feast or famine continued as they hung 24 runs on East Harrison and beat two teams with winning records in Princeton and Osborn/Stewartsville. A lot depended on which team would show up for Saturday’s games.
North Harrison hit it hard in the first inning, but right at people while Heintz got two called third strikes. Just like the Green City game, the Shamrocks got a runner picked off, but it didn’t stop them from getting a big inning as they erupted for six runs in the second. Cooper Cracraft and Aaron Lundy walked, both on 3-2 pitches, and Cruz Ury singled just over second to load the bases. Kadyn Hukill struck out for the second out, but Wade Briggs reached on a bad hop single to score a run and keep the inning going. Grant Claycomb singled to right to score two and Brett Emig caught hold of a 1-2 pitch and hit a screamer to right center. The center fielder made a running try but missed, and it dropped in for a double as two more scored. South Harrison threw the ball around, allowing Emig to take third and he came home to score on a wild pitch to make it 6-0 after two.
South Harrison made a bid to get back in the game as a double and an error got them on the board. Landen Crabtree struck out, but two more fluke plays, one where a soft line drive dropped right before it got to Grant Claycomb at short and another ball that rolled into no man’s land between first and second scored another run and put runners on first and second. Braxton Fortner walked and Hunter Ackley grounded out to bring in a run, but Heintz settled down and brought the high heat to strike out Justice Cook for the third out to keep North Harrison up 6-3.
South Harrison brought on breaking baller Jaxon Slaughter to face the Shamrocks in the third inning, but Cooper Cracraft greeted him with a screamer that sliced away from the center fielder and bounced over the fence for a ground rule double. Aaron Lundy fought back from 0-2 to draw a walk. Slaughter nearly got out of the inning by striking out Cruz Ury and Kadyn Hukill, but Wade Briggs shot one up the middle to score one and keep the Shamrocks going. Grant Claycomb singled to load up the bases and Brett Emig got the benefit of a close call on a 3-2 pitch and walked to force in a run. That proceeded to open the floodgates as Wade Briggs and Grant Claycomb came home on wild pitches and Brandon Hamilton walked and stole second. South Harrison had Brett Emig apparently picked off third, but he escaped the rundown to make it 11-3.
Jace Holcomb greeted Heintz with a solo shot in the fourth to make it 11-4, but Wade Briggs singled to right center and stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Grant Claycomb walked and stole second. Brett Emig and Brandon Hamilton both grounded out to score two runs, and Kadyn Hukill flied out to score Cooper Cracraft to put North Harrison over the ten run threshold in the sixth.
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