Bluejays All Alone in First Place After North Nodaway Win

Northeast Nodaway found themselves all alone in first place in the Highway 275 race after their 19-0 win over North Nodaway Monday. Previously unbeaten Platte Valley lost 6-5 to previously winless Rock Port, meaning that every other team in the conference has at least one conference loss. The other two teams with one conference loss, East Atchison and Nodaway Valley, have both fallen to Platte Valley. Northeast Nodaway remained unbeaten in the Highway 275 Conference at 4-0, scoring 15 or more runs in each of their wins.

The Bluejays have four more games to play in the conference, with games against South Holt, East Atchison, Nodaway Valley, and Platte Valley coming up. All are home games except for the Platte Valley game.

The Mustangs, with only one senior on the squad, are searching for their first win. They were run ruled for their first five games, with three of them being 15+ runs. They finally played their first full game but lost to DeKalb 7-2. They hung tough for a while against Nodaway Valley and Albany but fell 12-2 and 16-6 last week before facing the Bluejays. 

Lane Dack caught hold of one and tripled to the center field wall with one out in the Bluejay first and Colton Swalley doubled down the left field line to score him. Dylan McIntyre hit a carbon copy of Lane Dack’s shot and tripled to the wall in center to score Swalley to make it 2-0 after one.

Northeast, with Dylan McIntyre and Auston Pride out of pitches after pitching complete games the previous Saturday, put regular catcher Colton Swalley on the mound and Grant McIntyre caught that game. With one out in the Mustang first, Aydan Blackford singled and stole second. Jeremiah Dobbins hit a slow roller down the third base line that died, and everyone was safe. Dobbins broke for second and Grant McIntyre threw to Ben Boswell at short. Blackford broke for home, but Boswell threw home in time to get Blackford, and Swalley struck out Brice Trimble for the third out.

Brayden Munns hit a pop fly that dropped in behind second for a base hit, but he broke for second on a passed ball, only for catcher Aydan Blackford to cut him down for the first out. Boston Adwell got hit by a pitch, and Landon Wilmes grounded out to move him to second. There was two outs, but Ben Boswell singled to center to score Adwell. Lane Dack was hit by a pitch, and two runs scored on Swalley’s fly ball to left, which was dropped as Swalley took second. Pride singled to left to score Swalley to make it 6-0.

Brayden Munns walked to start the Bluejay third and Boston Adwell hit a towering pop fly on the right field side of second base. Mustang shortstop Ethan Fry made a running try at it, but it dropped just beyond his reach and everyone was safe. Landon Wilmes was hit by a pitch, Ben Boswell singled home Munns and Adwell, Lane Dack singled home Landon Wilmes, Colton Swalley doubled down the left field line to score Boswell and Dack, and Auston Pride reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Dylan McIntyre and Grant McIntyre grounded out to score Swalley. Brayden Munns doubled to score Pride, and Boston Adwell reached on an error to score pinch runner Zach Pride.

The floodgates continued in the fourth inning for Northeast as Colton Swalley’s two run double and Zach Pride’s two run single fueled a five run fourth to put the Bluejays over the 15 run rule.