Right fielder Sasha Deardorff made some key catches in the field to kill some Platte Valley rallies, and lightning struck twice as the Northeast Nodaway Bluejays won again, 5-1. Platte Valley came in bound and determined to do better than their 8-6 loss to the Bluejays in their first meeting, and sure enough, leadoff hitter Maleeah Bliley crushed one to right field. But it was right at Sasha Deardorff, who made the first of three key grabs in the same. The second key grab came with two outs in the first after Maggie Collins had singled, the first of her three hits. Off with the crack of the bat, Collins would have scored on Brylie Angle's screamer headed for the corner and a potential triple. Deardorff got turned around, but she recovered nicely and grabbed Angle's blast for the third out of the inning.
Platte Valley sent Delaney Wolf, their hardest thrower, against the Bluejays; she got Baylie Busby down in the count 0-2, but then started fighting the strike zone as she walked her. Hadley DeFreece struck out, but Busby took second on a wild pitch and Jill Boswell hit a grounder booted by the second baseman. The ball didn't roll away far, but it was enough to score Busby from second to make it 1-0. Jaden Atkins then doubled to the center field wall and Makenzie Pride and Ruby Wilmes walked to score another to make it 2-0. Merrideth Adwell then hit a seeing eye single that went up the middle to make it 3-0.
From there, Platte Valley made every effort to get back in the game, but came up short. They came with a plan to put everything in play; they are one of the most difficult teams to strike out, and to beat them, you have to have your fielders play strongly behind your pitcher. That was exactly what happened, as everything that happened was right at the Bluejays.
In the second, with one out, Kayley Hauber walked and Tina Turpin singled her to third. Hauber scored on a wild pitch to cut it to 3-1. But then third baseman Lindsey Jackson snagged Emalee Langford's screamer and Baylie Busby put away Delaney Wolf's pop fly to get the Bluejays out of the inning.
Northeast got the run back in their half of the second with two outs when Hadley DeFreece reached on an error and stole second. Jill Boswell struck out, but the ball got away and Hadley scored all the way from second to make it 4-1.
The heart of the Platte Valley order came up again to start the third, and with one out, Sarah Langford beat out a pop fly that dropped in front of second baseman Lauren McIntyre for a scratch hit, and Maggie Collins singled to center. Brylie Angle was up again, and she hit a screamer that looked headed for extra bases. But once again, Deardorff grabbed it and this time fired a rocket to first to double Collins off to end the inning.
Platte Valley continued to keep the pressure on, but once again, Northeast turned them back. In the fourth, Kali Redden hit a hard grounder that shortstop Jill Boswell knocked down, but had no play on. Hauber popped out to DeFreece, but Tina Turpin singled to left. They went to second and third on a passed ball, but then Emalee Langford popped out and Delaney Wolf struck out, Hadley DeFreece's first strikeout of the night.
Northeast tried to add to their lead in the middle innings, but Lindsey Jackson was cut down by the center fielder trying to advance from first to third on a single, Jaden Atkins was cut down at the plate on a grounder to third, and Mackenzie Pride was picked off first. The one area in need of improvement for the Bluejays Thursday night was their baserunning; they saw five people erased on the basepaths.
The Bluejays finally got an insurance run in the sixth when Ruby Wilmes led off with a walk on a 3-2 pitch that was just low. Merrideth Adwell got a single. Lindsey Jackson forced out Adwell at second, but Wilmes took third. Lauren McIntyre grounded out, but Platte Valley looked back Wilmes perfectly and she couldn't score. But Baylie Busby singled her home to make it 5-1.
Hadley DeFreece finished the game strong by retiring the side in the seventh; she retired the last seven Platte Valley batters she faced.
The junior high lost 3-1. Avah Eckley fought the tight strike zone, but got better as the game progressed and struck out seven for the game. The Bluejays may have found a new infielder as a sixth grader, Rylee Scadden, stepped up and fielded everything hit to her; she retired four Platte Valley batters at second.
The junior varsity lost 2-1 in the nightcap. Second baseman Mylee Wilmes made a shoestring catch, while right fielder Arianna Behrens caught Maaleah Bliley's screamer.
After the game, a suicide prevention walk was held around the track, led by both softball teams. Around 2 million people attempt suicide annually, around 20% of teens have contemplated it, and rural counties are at risk due to low access to mental health care and high access to alcohol, drugs, and firearms. Suicide is one of the most common causes of death among teens.
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