Worth County’s softball team beat their nemesis Princeton Saturday to claim third place at the Albany Tournament. After the Tigers had an epic meltdown loss in 2019, in which they lost an 8-0 lead and lost 9-8 to the Blue Tigers, Princeton has had their number, winning five out of their next six games, including ousting the Tigers from districts in both 2020 and 2021. Worth County had an impressive win over them at North Harrison in 2020, only to lose an 11-8 slugfest, a 4-1 duel in the GRC Showcase, and a 2-0 district loss as they lost three times to Princeton in two weeks. In 2021, Aivry Griffin was plunked in the face by an errant throw during warmups and the Tigers lost big despite a monster home run from Kara Staton, and then lost again to Princeton in the district finals.
The Tigers were coming off a forgettable 10-0 loss against highly touted Gallatin; while the Bulldogs were the top seed in the tournament, the Tigers beat themselves with six errors in the game. Worth County finally looked like breaking the Princeton jinx to start the game as they jumped on them with three runs to start the first.
But Princeton comes back this year with plenty of their horses from the last few years, along with sophomore slugger Addie Henke. Faith Siemer, a pesky batter who can foul off pitches and work the count deep, started off the first with a walk and Henke promptly tripled her home and came home on Carsey Brown’s groundout to make it 3-2. Princeton came in solid from the first through fifth slots.
Worth County made their lead stand up for one and a half innings and added to it as Hailey Adwell doubled off the center field wall and Kara Staton doubled her home to make it 4-2. But then all hell threatened to break loose as the top of the order was coming up for Princeton, and their first four hitters all teed off on Brooklyn Richardson with singled to tie it at 4. Megan Spenser grounded out to score another and put Princeton in front 5-4, Emma Walkup walked, and Jolena Gibson was hit by a pitch. Grace Kelly’s pop fly single dropped in for a hit, but Worth County cut down a runner at the plate for the second out.
A bizarre play forced another run in for Princeton as the umpires lost track of the count and gave Macey Lewis ball four instead of ball three. The fourth ball was wild, and Lewis wound up at second and a run scored on the play to make it 7-4.
It seemed like all the breaks were going Princeton’s way as they had been for the last few years. But all of a sudden, Riley Ridge’s grounder took a bad hop past short into left and the Tigers started coming back. Kelsey Goodin replaced Megan Spenser on the mound, but Autumn Cousatte greeted her with a double to put runners at second and third. Brooklyn Richardson singled to score Ridge and stole second. Kynah Steele struck out and Cousatte was cut down at the plate on a grounder to third, but Richardson scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 7-6 as Hailey Adwell went all the way from first to third. Ali Brown singled down the right field line to score one run and Kara Staton hit her second double of the evening to put the Tigers back in front 8-7.
Ali Brown came on to pitch for Worth County, but Addie Henke promptly homered to tie it up at 8-8 in the Princeton fourth. Time was called as Princeton was batting in the fifth, as Emma Walkup walked. Jolena Gibson forced her at second and took second on a wild pitch. Grace Kelly hit a short to ZeeAnna Gladstone, who nearly doubled Klaire Buckler (running for Gibson) off second, but it got away and Buckler took third. But Macey Lewis grounded out to Steele at short to end the fifth.
With extra innings, the international tiebreaker took effect and the last out of the previous inning took second base. Mackenzie Dunkin came in to pitch for Princeton, but Worth County took full advantage of the tiebreaker rule as Kynah Steele’s long fly ball put Brooklyn Richardson on third. Hailey Adwell and Ali Brown both grounded into fielders’ choices at third; Princeton elected to hold Richardson, the fastest runner on the team for the Tigers, at third and not risk her breaking home. But then Kara Staton hit a grounder and Richardson beat a force on a close play as the Tigers took a 9-8 lead. ZeeAnna Gladstone struck out, but Brylee Rush doubled to right center field to score two runs to make it 11-8.
It looked like Princeton might make it interesting, as they had the top of their order coming up, but on the first pitch, Faith Siemer hit a shot to Kynah Steele up the middle. Steele made a shoestring catch and touched the bag with her glove to double Lewis off second for a double play. Addie Henke reached on second baseman ZeeAnna Gladstone’s bobble, but she atoned for her miscue by handling Carsey Brown’s trick grounder and flipped it to Steele for the force at second for the final out.
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