Bluejays Turn Back North Platte in First Ever Game on New Field

Northeast Nodaway’s baseball team turned back North Platte 3-1 last Tuesday in its first ever game on the new field, making two runs in the first inning stand up. North Platte had come out much better from previous years; earlier, they had fallen behind 12-3 to Platte Valley, only for the Panthers to put together a frantic rally before coming up short at 13-12. 

Lane Dack got the first hit on the new field, a sharp single to right field with one out in the first. Jesse Stark was the first ever customer at the new concession stand. Ed Gumm and Ben Swalley were the first umpires to work the new field. The first home run has yet to be hit in the vast confines of the new park with the wind howling in from the west and holding up several balls that would otherwise have gone for hits. But Auston Pride has established himself as an early candidate after hitting one out of DeKalb’s field the day before, a brand new field with similar dimensions to Northeast Nodaway’s. The Bluejays won that one handily 19-3.

Dack’s hit led to the first runs on the field. After Colton Swalley walked, Auston Pride hit a single to center that got past Wesley Meadows for an error as two runs scored to put the Bluejays up 2-0.

The Bluejays had baserunners for the remainder of the game, but timely strikeouts from Creek Johnson and Landon Bartlett kept the Panthers in the game. Meanwhile, Dylan McIntyre was mowing down Panther batters, retiring the first nine that he faced. Second baseman Lane Dack kept the Panthers off the basepaths in the third with a running catch in foul territory in which he crashed into the fence. 

But North Platte broke through in the fourth after Landon Bartlett singled to lead off the inning. Kaden Mullendore flied out to Landon Wilmes in right, the first of two timely catches that the Bluejay freshman made that day. But Bartlett stole second after nearly being picked off twice, once by McIntyre and once by catcher Colton Swalley. A single brought him home.

Northeast Nodaway got the run back in their half of the fourth. Ben Boswell worked a long at bat and drew a walk on a 3-2 count. He took second following an errant pickoff throw and went to third on a balk. Lane Dack grounded out to get him home to make it 3-1.

Auston Pride came on to pitch in the North Platte fifth and walked the first man he faced, Wesley Meadows. But with two outs, Chance Garber’s towering fly ball was hauled in by Wilmes, the second timely catch he made, to end the inning. Pride did the rest, striking out four in the last two innings and picking off Bartlett in the sixth inning and Riley Hyde in the seventh.