There are some teams you want to play after a loss, because they will quit believing in themselves and drop another game. Or they will treat a loss against a good team as a moral victory, or treat it as a game that didn't mean anything and proceed to drop several more that do mean something. There are others who you don't want to play after a loss. North Harrison is one such team. Previously, on September 19th, they lost to sub .500 Hamilton 8-1 and turned around and beat Albany 12-0 behind Erica Gerken's third career no-hitter. They proceeded to finish a suspended game against East Harrison, winning 8-7, and pounded Gilman City 16-1 behind 17 hits and Gerken's two hitter.
On Saturday, looking for revenge against Worth County, they got pounded by the Tigers 14-5 instead, extending their home field woes, and were in cornered animal territory again. Rankings would not have mattered in the Green City game; the Gophers were ranked as high as third in state media polls and tied for 10th with Platte Valley. Erica Gerken responded by throwing her second no hitter in five days, walking only two, allowing only three baserunners, and retiring the last 12 Gophers she faced, striking out nine in six innings as the Shamrocks won 16-1 and finally got their first win on their home field. As of Saturday, out of their eight wins, seven have been on the road or on a neutral field.
Looking to find a way to spark the lower part of the order, Coach Brandon Craig put Paige Lane in the eighth slot. The Shamrocks have been effective when the lower part of their order has come through. It has been when the lower part of the order has struggled that they have lost some nailbiters along with games they felt they shouldn't have. The move paid immediate dividends as she was three for four with a stolen base, and the one out she had created a run. Hailey Claycomb, who has been given more chances to bat as well, added two more hits. Each of Paige's plate appearances created a run for the Shamrocks, and the result was that they broke open a tight game in the middle innings to win.
Green City was unhappy with their run rule loss to Worth County and had a long heart to heart talk afterwards, and they came out playing much better, showing flashes of the form that propelled them into the rankings earlier in the year, shutting down the Shamrocks in the first inning. But the Shamrocks worked around an error to lead off the game defensively and Gerken got a critical strikeout to end the threat.
With one out in the Shamrock second, Katelyn Briggs singled to center, advanced to second on Hailey Claycomb's grounder, and then Paige Lane came up with the first up her three hits to drive her in.
Gerken had plenty of plays in the field to back her, and in the Gopher second, catcher Jayliegh Robins alertly snagged a grounder in front of the plate and threw to first to take away a hit from Jaryn Hatcher. Gerken walked Claire Gordon, but got Kadence Kin called out on strikes and swept up Milly Ortega's grounder.
In the Gopher third, Karley Herschberger walked to lead off and took second on a wild pitch. Meranda Lewis and Payton Pialet grounded out to score her to tie the game at 1-1. But that was their high water mark.
The first two Shamrock batters got out in the fourth, but then Paige Lane came around in the order and kept the inning alive with a single to left. Amber Wilson, whose hitting has been improving lately, fought back from an 0-2 count to walk, and that was all the break North Harrison needed. Trendi Johnson tripled to left over everyone's head to score two and Jayliegh Robins hit a double into the gap in left to score Johnson to make it 4-1. Trendi provided the big blows from the heart of the order, getting two doubles and a triple for the game.
Jaci Davis singled to right center in the Shamrock fifth and Erica Gerken reached on a hard shot to third. Katelyn Briggs got down a perfect sac bunt to advance them and Hailey Claycomb provided the big blow, a single to left to score both runners to make it 6-1. Claycomb took second on a wild pitch and then Paige Lane came around in the order. She struck out, but it got away and Lane hustled down to first on the play. She was out, but then Claycomb scored on the play all the way from second to make it 7-1.
Trendi Johnson led off the Shamrock sixth with another double into the gap in left center and took third on a wild pitch. Jayliegh Robins walked and continued onto second, since Johnson was on third. Ruby Heintz reached on an error as Johnson scored and Jayliegh took third. Jaci Davis grounded into a force at second; Heintz was out, but Jayliegh scored. Erica Gerken grounded into an apparent force, but the second baseman was not on the bag and everybody was safe. Katelyn Briggs grounded out but advanced both runners; it was the second sac hit from Briggs that game. Hailey Claycomb singled and took second when the cutoff went to the wrong fielder, scoring two. That opened the floodgates for the Shamrocks as Paige Lane got her third hit, Amber Wilson beat out an infield hit, Trendi Johnson got her second double of the inning, Jayliegh Robins and Ruby Heintz both singled, and Jaci Davis hit a perfect double down the left field line, the kind that Payton Craig kept landing just foul her senior year. Even the final out by Erica Gerken was a hard out, snagged by the third baseman.
By the time the dust had settled, North Harrison was up 16-1 and the only tense point was whether Gerken could complete the no hitter with the heart of the Gopher order coming up. She took care of the first two batters, getting Hershberger and Lewis called out on strikes. Paige Pialet hit the final out hard, but right at center fielder Amber Wilson for the final out.
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