Northeast Nodaway won its fourth straight game, but had to rally to turn back a tough challenge from Albany. The Warriors had started off 0-3 and had not scored a run yet. But this was the team that derailed North Harrison’s season in districts last year, beating them 10-0 after the Shamrocks had beaten the Warriors by the same score in the regular season. Sure enough, Colton Swalley was doubled off first after a hard shot by Auston Pride to second with two on and one out in the first, and that gave Albany hope.
Sure enough, the Warriors started looking like the team that had started off 3-0 and Jerrid Bunten beat out a slow roller to start the second inning for the Warriors. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, to third on Bryce Martin’s groundout, and scored on a tricky grounder to Dylan McIntyre at first when he managed to get the ball to Lane Dack, who did his job coming over from second to cover first. Albany threatened to add to their lead when the bottom of their order erupted as Kole Emerson and Michael Bourland singled, but then Auston Pride got Ian Campbell called out on strikes to get out of the second.
Dylan McIntyre hit a screamer into the wind that dropped behind the center fielder and to the warning track, but he was out trying to stretch a double into a triple as Northeast failed to blunt the Warrior momentum. A single by Kemper Cline, a double to the wall in left center by Kirby Stevens, and Albany was up 2-0 with one out in the Warrior third. Jerrid Bunten singled to shallow left, but it was not deep enough to score Stevens, and he stopped at third with one out. The Warriors seemed all set up for a big inning, but Northeast threw down to second on a first and third situation and got Bunten out and Stevens stayed at third. Bryce Martin walked, but Cody Peery popped out to end the inning.
Warrior pitcher Kirby Stevens, who had kept the Bluejays in check for the first two innings, fought the strike zone with two outs in the third and walked two to load the bases, but Pride popped out to second to end the threat. Dylan McIntyre came on in relief of Pride and walked Jody King with one out in the Warrior fourth. The Warriors had a chance to add to their lead as King advanced to second and third on wild pitches. But McIntyre settled down and struck out Ian Campbell and Chase Cline to end the threat.
Dylan McIntyre got his second hit when he hit a pop fly that the stiff west wind on the new Bluejay field blew away from everybody and it dropped between the mound and first for a scratch hit. Grant McIntyre hit a pop fly that blew away from the center fielder and dropped in for a base hit; the runners took second and third on a throwing error. Brayden Munns hit a single to left that the left field let get by, and he was safe at second on a close play as both runs scored to tie it up. That was huge as Boston Adwell grounded out to advance him and Landon Wilmes grounded out to get him home to put the Bluejays in front 3-2.
Albany threatened to tie the game in the fifth as Stevens doubled to the left field corner with one out. Jerrid Bunten hit a tricky grounder that McIntyre bobbled, but somehow managed to flip it to first just ahead of Bunten as Stevens advanced. McIntyre struck out Martin to end the threat.
Northeast Nodaway seemed all set up for a big inning in their half of the fifth, loading the bases with one out, but then a fluke play derailed them. Brayden Munns swung at a pitch, the ball squirted away for an apparent foul, but the umpires ruled the ball had hit him and not the bat, creating a dead ball strikeout. Boston Adwell grounded out and the Bluejays came up empty.
The Bluejays finally broke through in the sixth after Stevens ran out of pitches for Albany and gave way to Bryce Martin. Landon Wilmes hit a towering fly ball that sliced away from the center fielder and dropped in for a double. It looked like Northeast would waste that chance as well after Ben Boswell popped out. But Wilmes took third on a wild pitch and Lane Dack flied out to give Northeast an insurance run at 4-2. Colton Swalley walked and stole second and Auston Pride walked as Swalley took third on another wild pitch. Dylan McIntyre hit a screamer that nearly left the yard despite the vast dimensions of the new field and the wind howling in from the west; it dropped just short of the wall for a triple to score two. Grant McIntyre hit another screamer that sliced away from the right fielder and landed on the line for a double to score Dylan, and he took third on a stolen base and scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2.
Ian Campbell tried to spark the Warriors in the seventh with a single, but then Dylan McIntyre picked him off to end the threat.
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