Northeast Nodaway had fallen on hard times over the last two years, winning one game during that stretch, while North Harrison had their number during that stretch, winning 36 games over that stretch and run ruling the Bluejays in recent years. But on Friday evening, it was the Bluejays who came on top 10-9 in nine innings as Jill Boswell hit a walkoff triple after her brother, Ben, had played the heavy metal version of the National Anthem preceding the game.
Hadley DeFreece started for Northeast and promptly struck out North Harrison’s big guns, getting Trendi Johnson on the high heat and overpowering Camden Castleberry to start the game. The Bluejays promptly jumped ahead in the second as Baylee Busby singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and came home on a throwing error to go up 1-0.
DeFreece helped herself out in the third inning as her pop fly dropped just in front of second baseman Trendi Johnson for a hit, and Jaden Atkins advanced her to second on a groundout. Baylee Busby reached on an error to score her to make it 2-0.
It looked like it might not matter, though. A few years ago, the Bluejays were in a similar position against the Shamrocks; they completely outplayed them and made a 1-0 lead stand up through three innings only for the 2017 Shamrock squad that took third in state to erupt for 12 runs in the fourth and five in the fifth to come away with a 17-2 win. In that game, Northeast got all-stater Payton Craig out twice in that fateful fourth inning, but couldn’t get anyone else out.
Sure enough, Baily Briggs hit a hard shot off the third baseman and beat it out and Jaci Davis walked with one out in the fourth. Ruby Heintz reached on an error when the first baseman dropped a throw and it rolled away, putting Heintz on second, Davis at third, and scoring Hailey Claycomb (running for Briggs). The line kept moving as Erica Gerken singled to left to tie it up and put Heintz on third and she stole second. But all of a sudden, Katelyn Briggs hit a screamer headed for two or three bases that Bluejay right fielder Kierstyn Morrow snagged for the second out to keep the Shamrocks off the board. Amber Wilson struck out and unlike 2017, the Bluejays bent, but didn’t break and preserved a 2-2 tie.
Meredith Adwell had her best hitting day as a Bluejay that day and started off the NEN fourth with a shot fair past third and past Amber Wilson for a double. Lindsey Jackson reached on a dropped pop fly and they took second and third on a wild pitch. Kierstyn Morrow walked and Ruby Wilmes hit a base hit to right center that scored Adwell. Hadley DeFreece hit a pop fly to left center that dropped in for another base hit to score Jackson to make it 4-2. Jill Boswell hit it hard, but right at second baseman Trendi Johnson, who forced out Morrow at the plate for the first out. Jaden Atkins singled to score Wilmes and DeFreece to make it 6-2. Baylee Busby tripled to the right field wall to score Boswell and Atkins to make it 8-2.
But just like that, North Harrison started roaring back as Trendi Johnson beat out a scratch hit to start the fifth. Jayliegh Robins hit a screamer to left that sliced away from everyone for a triple and cut it to 8-3. Baily Briggs also singled, scoring Robins to cut it in half. Jaci Davis then hit a tricky grounder to Jill Boswell at short that took a bad hop. Briggs, Boswell, and second baseman Lauren McIntyre all got tangled up at second as Boswell flipped McIntyre the ball, but somehow she hung on for the second out. Ruby Heintz singled to center, and she and Jaci Davis moved up on a wild pitch. But then Hadley DeFreece dropped a perfect change to Erica Gerken to strike her out and the Bluejays were still in front.
But after Katelyn Briggs snagged Hadley DeFreece’s screamer to right, the Shamrocks kept coming as Briggs started off the sixth with a single to center. Amber Wilson grounded to third and Briggs beat out the force play at second. Trendi Johnson popped out, but Camden Castleberry hit a bunt single that Northeast threw away as two runs scored to cut it to 8-6 and Camden took third. Jayliegh Robins got another bunt single as Castleberry crossed the plate to make it 8-7, and Baily Briggs made it all the way to third as Northeast threw it around all over the place as Robins score to make it 8-8. Jaci Davis struck out, but Ruby Heintz singled just past second to make it 9-8 and Erica Gerken hit an apparent inning ending grounder to Jill Boswell that took a bad hop and rolled away into no man’s land for a double that placed runners on second and third.
Things looked to be going from bad to worse for Northeast at that point, but then Katelyn Briggs’ screamer headed for extra bases was snagged on the backhand by first baseman Jaden Atkins for the third out.
But somehow, Northeast survived the barrage and with one out, Baylee Busby was plunked and advanced to second on Lauren McIntyre’s slow roller. Meredith Adwell struck again and hit a screamer to the wall in left for a double that tied it up at 9-9 after six.
Both sides had chances to push across the winning run in the seventh. Lindsey Jackson came on in relief of Hadley DeFreece for the Bluejays. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Camden Castleberry reached on a bad hop single past third, and Jayliegh Robins, one of the top hitters in the area, was up. But Jackson, who is right-handed, threw an unorthodox pitch that broke away from Robins, who bats left-handed. Then, when she moved up in the box to hit it, Jackson painted the inside corner for a called third strike.
Northeast got Ruby Wilmes on as her pop fly dropped just in front of right fielder Katelyn Briggs with one out. She took second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Jill Boswell hit a slow roller down the third base line and was safe on a close play. But Jaden Atkins flied out to right to end the threat.
North Harrison had chances with two outs in the eighth when Ruby Heintz singled to center and went to second when the throw missed the cutoff. But Erica Gerken flied out to end the threat.
Baylee Busby led off the eighth when she hit a squib in front of the plate and was called safe on a close play. Lauren McIntyre struck out, but then Busby took second on a wild pitch. Meredith Adwell hit her third double of the game, a hard shot off shortstop Ruby Heintz’s glove that rolled away. Busby, who had to hold up to make sure it wasn’t caught, could only make it to third. Jaden Atkins hit a screamer, but right at pitcher Erica Gerken, who snagged it for the second out. Then, Busby and third baseman Jaci Davis tangled up on Kierstyn Morrow’s foul pop and it was ruled an out.
With two outs in the ninth, North Harrison tried to rally as Trendi Johnson singled to center and went to second on a wild pitch. Camden Castleberry hit a screamer off the third baseman’s glove for a scratch hit, and Jayliegh Robins got another off a bad hop single to short. But Baily Briggs grounded out to end the threat.
In the Northeast ninth, Ruby Wilmes hit a pop fly to short right field. The second baseman, right fielder, and center fielder were all chasing it, but it dropped in for a base hit. Wilmes took second on a wild pitch and was safe on a close play. Hadley DeFreece popped out, but then Jill Boswell hit a screamer all the way to the wall in left that scored Wilmes for the walkoff win.
The win was Northeast Nodaway’s first win over North Harrison since 2008, when they beat them 5-2 following a year long hiatus from softball. The Bluejays came back for seconds as they beat Stewartsville/Osborn 13-2 Monday.
