North Harrison pitcher Erica Gerken had been winning games for the Shamrocks with her pitching arm for the last two years. In the Albany tournament, she showed she was one of the most improved hitters from last year. In North Harrison’s 13-3 win over King City to claim consolation, Gerken pitched well and held up despite the heat and despite pitching her third game. But it was her legs that sparked the Shamrocks.
Besides a single from Jayliegh Robins in the first, North Harrison had hit nothing but weak grounders to first base or the mound against King City when Gerken came up to bat with one out in the third. They were down 1-0 after Taryn Hunter’s double in the first to put the Wildkats on the board. But then Gerken had a long battle with King City pitcher Emberlyn Medsker and drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. All of a sudden, she realized that King City was not paying attention and made a mad dash for second and the throw got away into the outfield. Gerken was not done and she made another dash to third base and was safe on a close play. Although Halle Morgan (running for Gerken) was subsequently cut down at the plate, the play sparked the Shamrocks, who overcame the heat and a dangerous King City squad.
Kaylee Roberts’ perfect bunt resulted in a scratch hit that scored Kinzie Pettijohn to put King City up 2-0, but first baseman Kayka Wilson knocked down Taryn Hunter’s hard hit line drive to prevent even further damage, and the cracks began to show in the Shamrock fourth.
Ruby Heintz walked in the fourth and Katelyn Briggs singled to center. Briggs was out trying for second on King City’s throw to third, but Jaci Davis’ single cut the lead in half and Kayka Wilson’s screamer was caught, or the game would have been tied.
The floodgates finally opened in the fifth as Amber Wilson spoiled a change, hit a tapper back to the mound, and reached on Medsker’s bobble. Gerken showed her improvement in another area as she laid down a perfect sac bunt, King City hurried a throw to second that was dropped, and everybody was safe. Wilson and Hailey Claycomb (running for Gerken) went to second and third on a wild pitch, and then Trendi Johnson’s pop fly dropped in for a base hit and she took second as the cutoff throw got away, putting runners on second and third.
The next four Shamrocks all hit safely as Jayliegh Robins singled, Ruby Heintz singled, Katelyn Briggs doubled, and Jaci Davis doubled as six Shamrocks crossed the plate. Kayka Wilson singled to left to put Davis on third, stole second, and then Erica Gerken hit a hard shot off the shortstop’s glove for a base hit. By the time the dust had settled, North Harrison was up 8-2.
But Worth County was up the same margin against King City earlier in the day, and they came back to make a game of it, and the Tigers needed a walkoff to get the win. Sure enough, all hell threatened to break loose as Kamryn Miller walked and Kinzie Pettijohn reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Had the lineup turned over to Emberlyn Medsker, anything could have happened, but second baseman Trendi Johnson made a leaping catch of Gabrielle Schnitker’s line drive. The dangerous Taryn Hunter was up, and she hit a hard shot, but right at Ruby Heintz at shortstop. She threw to third for the force play and Jaci Davis bobbled the throw. With the bases loaded and the heart of the lineup, including Medsker, coming up, a grand slam would have brought King City right back in the game, but Davis stuck with the play and managed to tag out Miller, who had overslid third base, and Kaylee Roberts grounded out to Gerken, leaving Medsker in the on deck circle.
After dodging King City’s best shot in the fifth, North Harrison couldn’t afford to relax and got the bats going again in the sixth. Jayliegh Robins got a single, her third hit, and went to second on an error and Ruby Heintz singled her home and went second on the throw home. Katelyn Briggs reached on an error when nobody called a pop fly behind second and Heintz took third. Carmon Fordyce (running for Briggs) stole second and Jaci Davis singled to center to score two. Kira Robertson got a bad hop single that bounced past short and into left. Annabelle Owens advanced them on a groundout and Natalie Parkhurst singled them both home to make it 13-2 before King City scored a single tally in the sixth.
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