The wind was blowing out to right center, the balls were flying off the bats, and Northeast clung by their fingernails to get the 8-7 win Monday night. The week before, runs were hard to come by as the wind was blowing in from center and knocking everything down. Worth County came into the game with just seven wins and on a losing streak and was shorthanded, but it didn't matter; once again, Northeast had the target on their backs all night. Aivry Griffin was not back from being plunked in the face during warmups before the Princeton game, and Brylee Rush, who was injured in the JV game that night, was not back either. But it didn't matter as the Tigers plugged in Becca Smith, who kept the Tigers in the game with her slap hitting ability and baserunning.
Neither team scored in the first, but Northeast, instead of striking out or getting their balls knocked down by the wind, was hitting it hard, but right at shortstop Kynah Steele. Steele has been lights out with her glove on defense in the last two weeks for the Tigers.
Autumn Cousatte was hit by a pitch to start the second, and sure enough, it turned into a run after she stole second. She was sneaky on the basepaths, taking the extra base any time she saw an opportunity. Hadley DeFreece almost got out of the inning by striking out Kara Staton and Taylor Sanders, but Cousatte stole third during the process. It paid off when Becca Smith got the first of three slap hits when she beat out a slow roller to second as Cousatte scored to make it 1-0. She stole second and then Lanie Cousatte singled to make it 2-0.
But Northeast Nodaway got the runs back in their half when Baylee Busby beat out a scratch hit when she hit a slow roller into no man's land between first and second. Meredith Adwell singled down the left field line, and Lauren McIntyre singled to right to score Busby and put Meredith Adwell on third. McIntyre stole second, and then Kirsten Morrow hit a screamer snagged by Becca Smith in left as Adwell scored to tie it at 2-2.
The Bluejays broke the tie in the third when Hadley DeFreece hit a scratch hit when her slow roller to second took a crazy roll. Jaden Atkins grounded out to second to advance her, and Jill Boswell moved her to third on a bunt. Hadley DeFreece then came home on a wild pitch and made it on a close play to make it 3-2.
Lauren McIntyre hit a hard shot off left fielder Becca Smith's glove that sliced away for a base hit. Kirsten Morrow hit a hard shot to center, but center fielder Hailey Adwell forced McIntyre at second. Lindsey Jackson hit a screamer off Abbi Brown's glove in right that rolled away for a double as Morrow took third. Ruby Wilmes hit a hard shot to right field to score Morrow to make it 4-2.
But Northeast had a nightmare fifth inning that let Worth County right back in the game. Becca Smith started it off for Worth County went she hit a seeing eye single past Jill Boswell at short and stole second. Lanie Cousatte on an error when third baseman Lindsey Jackson's throw was wide of first as Smith took third. Brooklyn Richardson grounded out to DeFreece as Smith scored and Lanie took second. Hailey Adwell hit a hard shot for a base hit to score another as Lanie Cousatte scored. Hailey Adwell took second on a wild pitch. Ali Brown reached on a base hit to left and took second as left fielder Meredith Adwell let it get by her as Hailey Adwell scored. Kynah Steele reached on a scratch hit as she hit a pop fly near the third base line. DeFreece nearly made a diving catch but came up empty. She threw to third, but Ali Brown was safe as Steele took second.
With Northeast trailing 5-4 and runners on second and third and only one out, things looked bad for the Bluejays, but DeFreece buckled down and struck out Cousatte and Kara Staton grounded out.
Northeast bounced right back as Jaden Atkins hit a triple off the wall in right. Jill Boswell doubled to left center to tie it at 5-5. Bailee Busby singled to right and went all the way to third after right fielder Abbi Brown let it get by her to put Northeast back in front 6-5. Meredith Adwell grounded to pitcher Ali Brown and Busby broke for home. It took a perfect throw and tag to get her, but Worth County pulled it off for the first out. Lauren McIntyre hit a shot off the bag at third for a base hit as Meredith Adwell took second. Kirsten Morrow struck out, but Meredith Adwell and Lauren McIntyre took second and third on a wild pitch. Lindsey Jackson got her second hit of the night to score them both and make it 8-5.
But once again, Worth County started fighting back and once again, it was Becca Smith who sparked them in the sixth. With one out, she beat out what looked like a routine grounder to third, and she stole second. Lanie Cousatte hit a hard shot off Jill Boswell's glove that she knocked down, but didn't have a play as Smith took third. Brooklyn Richardson laid down a perfect bunt down the first base line that scored Smith and put Cousatte on second. Hailey Adwell hit a pop fly behind first that second baseman Lauren McIntyre dropped, but the infield fly rule applied as Adwell was out. Cousatte and Richardson advanced on the play. Ali Brown hit a hard chopper right at Jill Boswell, but she threw her out to keep Northeast's lead at 8-6.
Northeast couldn't score in their half of the sixth. With one out, Jaden Atkins singled to center. Jill Boswell hit a screamer, but right at Kynah Steele, who nearly doubled off Atkins. Baylee Busby grounded out to end the inning.
Steele came up first for the Tigers in the seventh and she hit a soft line drive that looked like trouble, but shortstop Jill Boswell made a shoestring catch, which loomed up strongly. Without the catch, the game would have been tied and taken a different course. Autumn Cousatte beat out a bad hop grounder to Boswell and the tying run in the form of Kara Staton came up. Staton had hit one 290 feet against another fast pitcher the week before, but DeFreece got her 11th strikeout. Cousatte stole second and reached third on a wild pitch on a close play, and Taylor Sanders, who had come up clutch against Stanberry, singled to right to make it 8-7.
That was the worst thing that could have happened to Northeast as Becca Smith was up. Sure enough, she hit a slow roller that looked like trouble. DeFreece rushed off the mound to grab it, did a 360, and threw a laser beam to Atkins to get Smith out by half a step for the final out.
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