Northeast Nodaway’s baseball team dropped a 2-0 heartbreaker to Platte Valley Wednesday to end their season in the District Finals. It was the last game for Chase Atkins and Anne Schieber. The Bluejays will return nearly everyone else along with a promising contingent of freshmen that will battle them for spots in the starting lineup.
The tone was set in the top of the first after Ben Boswell walked to start off the game. Dylan McIntyre forced him at second, but then advanced on a wild pitch and then a groundout by Colton Swalley. But then McIntyre tried for home on a wild pitch, which normally succeeds most of the time. But Platte Valley catcher Wyatt Miller flipped the ball to pitcher Memphis Bliley to tag out McIntyre on a close play to keep the game scoreless.
The game settled down into a pitching duel between Bluejay pitcher Auston Pride and Platte Valley pitcher Memphis Bliley. Not only are the two teams natural rivals, Pride and Bliley are cousins.
The game remained scoreless until the third, when Trevor Weir, related to Northeast Nodaway standout Spencer Weir, singled to left. Carter Luke laid down a perfect bunt single to advance Weir, but he rounded second too far and was out in a rundown. Luke took second on the play. Matt Jermain beat out a scratch hit in no man’s land between the mound and third base as Luke took third on the play. Northeast got Jermain picked off first, but then Luke bluffed a move to home, which occupied the defense as Jermain took second. Trever McQueen hit a shot that caromed off Pride’s glove on the mound to Ben Boswell. Northeast got the out, but Luke scored to make it 1-0.
Northeast had a chance to respond in the fourth after Colton Swalley walked and Lane Dack singled him to third and stole second with one out. But Auston Pride and Chase Atkins struck out to end the threat. First baseman Dylan McIntyre made a running catch in front of the Platte Valley dugout against the fence of Brandon McQueen’s foul ball in the fourth. Brayden Munns and Grant McIntyre both hit it hard in the fifth, but right at the right fielder.
In the Platte Valley fifth, Trevor Weir singled and Carter Luke beat out a bunt hit to move him over. Matt Jermain flied out to left, but then Trever McQueen flied out to right to move Weir to third. Luke took off for second on a steal attempt and Northeast elected to throw down, but Swalley airmailed it into center as Weir scored to make it 2-0.
Northeast had a chance in the sixth after Bliley threw away a pickoff try with one on and Dylan McIntyre took second. Lane Dack walked, but Auston Pride struck out for the third out.
With one out in the seventh, Brayden Munns reached on a dropped throw and Anne Schieber came in to run for him. That finished Bliley, who was out of pitches, and he and Wyatt Miller changed places to try to get the final two outs. Grant McIntyre hit it hard, but right at the second baseman for the second out. There was a heartstopping moment as Bliley, now catching, threw a snap throw to first that nearly got Schieber, but she scrambled back in time. Creed Wilcox hit a towering pop fly to left that four different Platte Valley fielders chased. Nobody called it, there was a collision, and the ball dropped untouched to put Wilcox on first and Schieber on third. But Ben Boswell hit it hard, but right at the third baseman for the final out of the game.
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