Northeast Nodaway seemingly had King City beat Wednesday night, but in a script that King City has followed regularly this season, the Wildkats erupted with their bats in the sixth and seventh innings to get the 4-3 win. They were down 4-2 in the sixth against North Harrison, only to score six in the sixth and six in the seventh to get the 14-4 win. They also scored five runs late against Plattsburg in the North Andrew Tournament to get a 12-7 win, and they scored seven runs late against Stanberry to beat them 9-6 for the third place game after dropping a 10-9 thriller to Pattonsburg.
The Wildkats came in having lost to Polo, a 10-3 team in a loaded GRC East, 17-0 the night before. But when their pitcher, Emerlyn Medsker, began striking out Bluejay batters right and left, and Northeast had trouble putting the ball in play during the first three innings, that gave King City hope again. Hadley DeFreece pitched well for the Bluejays, striking out 11. And there were several good plays in the field, which kept the home side in the game. Northeast only committed one error in the field for the game. But the hitting slump in the first three innings was too much to overcome.
King City had the first chance to draw blood in the third inning when Hallie Washburn singled to lead off, and stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. DeFreece brought the low heat and struck out Hollie Washburn, and Taryn Hunter hit a hard shot into the hole at short. It looked like scratch hit and a run for King City, but shortstop Jill Boswell knocked it down and gunned down Hallie Washburn at the plate to preserve the 0-0 tie. DeFreece struck out Zoe Tunks to get out of the innings.
But Northeast didn't wake up, and by the third inning, they had struck out seven times. They couldn't solve Medsker, who got batters to chase her high chase pitch as well as her outside chase pitch and mixed in a change and a fastball when she needed strikes. They got a few good swings in the first three innings, but the wind would blow them foul. Meanwhile, King City manufactured a run in the fourth. Medsker singled to center and Paisley Catlett laid down a bunt single down the first base line to put runners on first and second. Sydney Overman nearly reached on another bunt, but third baseman Lindsey Jackson made a great play and throw to get her out on a close play. Carleen Gilbert beat out a slow roller to Boswell for a hit to score Chloe Eiberger (running for Medsker) to make it 1-0.
The Wildkat run seemed to wake up the Bluejay bats and they hit much better the rest of the game; after they struck out seven times the first three innings, they only struck out once the rest of the way. Baylee Busby sat on a change and crushed it to the right field corner and Meredith Adwell singled her home to tie it at 1-1. Bluejay right fielder Kirsten Morrow made the first of two good defensive plays when she caught Hunter's towering fly ball in right to prevent King City from answering.
With the rain starting to pelt down, Ruby Wilmes walked and Hadley DeFreece beat out a scratch hit, a pop fly that dropped right in front of the shortstop as Wilmes scrambled to second to beat the force. Jaden Atkins hit it hard, but flied out to left, and Jill Boswell forced Wilmes at third. But Busby singled to right to score Hadley as Boswell took third. King City tried to catch Northeast napping as catcher Paisley Catlett tried to snap a throw to short and then catch Boswell trying to steal home. But she threw the slick ball in the dirt, it rolled all the way into left, and Boswell scored to make it 3-1.
But the rain stopped and the sixth inning came around, which meant a totally different King City squad came to the plate. Emberlyn Medsker singled, DeFreece couldn't put Paisley Catlett away and walked her, and Sydney Overmann singled to score Chloe Eiberger (running for Medsker) and put Kamdyn Carlson (running for Catlett) on third. Overmann stole second, but DeFreece dug in and struck out Carleen Gilbert and Hallie Washburn on the high heat to keep Northeast in front 3-2.
But Northeast couldn't add an insurance run in the sixth as center fielder Taryn Hunter ran down Lauren McIntyre's line drive in right center, and Hollie Washburn singled to left. Taryn Hunter walked and Zoe Tunks bunted and reached on an error when first baseman Jaden Atkins dropped a throw and it squirted away, scoring Washburn and putting runners on second and third. Wylie McKinnon's single dropped in and scored Hunter to put King City up 4-3 and put Tunks on third. Medsker hit a high towering fly ball to right field, but once again, Kierstyn Morrow was right there and made the clutch catch, and there was no advance. Paisley Catlett was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Sydney Overmann hit it right to third baseman Lindsey Jackson, who threw home for a force play. Carleen Gilbert popped out to Baylee Busby for the third out.
Jaden Atkins singled to right with two outs to keep Northeast going, and Jill Boswell hit it hard, but right at the shortstop for the final out.
No comments:
Post a Comment