Coach Justin Joiner got his first win as a softball coach Thursday as his Shamrocks beat a dangerous hitting Stanberry squad 9-3 and erased the bad taste of their first game, a 16-6 loss to Pattonsburg, out of their systems. Erica Gerken struck out eight in the game, and while Stanberry was able to get some good swings off her, they could not piece together a big inning. The first game could have been a precursor for a long season. But the Shamrocks had a good practice Wednesday and came ready to go for Thursday's game.
Stanberry had several of their horses back from last year who had given NEN a run for their money in districts. They struck first as Katlyn James singled, went to second on a wild pitch, then moved to third on Marli Hilton's bunt, and scored on Amelia Wallace's groundout. That put Stanberry up 1-0.
But North Harrison would take advantage of seven Stanberry errors in the game, including three in the first inning. Two of them were with two outs, keeping the inning going. The big blow for the Shamrocks in the frame was Kayka Wilson's pop fly single that scored two and that put North Harrison up 3-1.
With one out in the Stanberry second, Maci Duley singled to left and Lindsey Hailey singled to center and made it to second as center fielder Hailey Claycomb let it get by her, putting Duley on third. But Paige Campbell grounded to shortstop Ruby Heintz, who gunned down Duley at the plate for the second out. Trista Lager grounded out to Jaci Davis and Stanberry came up empty.
In the Shamrock second, Andi Nail roped one hard, but right at Amelia Wallace at short, who made a leaping catch. Hailey Claycomb struck out, but Lani Briggs kept the inning going with a walk. Ruby Heintz and Erica Gerken reached on errors to load the bases, and Briggs came home on a wild pitch and Heintz came home on a passed ball to make it 5-1.
After not striking out anybody in the first two innings, Erica Gerken caught a break when James hit a pitch in the dirt right at third baseman Jaci Davis for the first out. Gerken then proceeded to strike out the heart of the Stanberry order, getting Marli Hilton and then Amelia Wallace.
Jaxcynn Hansel was hit by a pitch to start the Shamrock third and stole second. Kayka Wilson's pop fly dropped in for a single, but Hansel, who had to hold up to make sure the ball wasn't caught, took off for third and was gunned down as Kayka took second. Wilson took third on a wild pitch and then came home as Carmon Fordyce reached on an error to make it 6-1.
Stanberry settled down and cut down on their errors from the first three innings, while Gerken settled in for North Harrison and struck out four Stanberry batters at one point. But Amelia Wallace crushed a double to start the Stanberry sixth and then Maranda Evans brought her home with a single to cut North Harrison's lead to 6-2. Gerken settled down, striking out the next two batters and getting Lindsey Hailey on a groundout to Jaxcynn Hansel at second.
Ruby Heintz walked to start the Shamrock sixth and then Erica Gerken came up to bat. Although she has carried the Shamrocks with her pitching, her bat has come on strong as well in recent years. She crushed one off the Putnam County scoreboard during hitting warmups, and last year crushed one over the fence at Stanberry during warmups, prompting Stanberry to pitch her carefully and walk her the first two times. She crashed one off the wall in all-star travel ball this summer, and then she roped one as hard as she has ever hit one to center field Thursday night. Katlyn James made a running try for it, missed, and the ball crashed off the wall as Gerken narrowly missed a home run as Heintz scored from first and Gerken reached second with a double.
Gerken then took third on a wild pitch and then Jaci Davis drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Then, Erica Gerken got involved in yet another chaotic play that turned out favorably for the Shamrocks. Jaci Davis broke for second on the first and third situation and Stanberry had the throw to shortstop play on. Gerken broke for home, a good throw would have gotten her, but Erica and Stanberry catcher Lindsey Hailey got in an epic collision at home as the ball got away, Gerken was safe, and Davis took third. Davis scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-2.
With two outs, Stanberry tried to rally as Katlyn James tripled to right and came home on a wild pitch to cut it to 9-3. Marli Hilton kept the Stanberry inning going as she beat out Jaxcynn Hansel's throw to first, and the dangerous Amelia Wallace was up to bat. But she grounded out to Gerken to end the game.
North Harrison JV 3, Stanberry 2
North Harrison's junior varsity overcame a 2-0 deficit and walked it off in the third. Stanberry took advantage of two Shamrock errors to score in the first inning and make it 2-0. But then pitcher Andi Nail started getting stronger as the game progressed and kept them off the board for the next two innings, getting consecutive strikeouts to get out of the first.
The Shamrocks knotted it up in the second as Kayka Wilson walked and went to second on a wild pitch. Lani Briggs doubled off the bag at third as Wilson stopped at third. Andi Nail walked and then Hailey Claycomb's pop fly to right dropped in for a double to tie it at 2-2.
Stanberry had a chance to regain the lead in the third, but Shamrock catcher Carmon Fordyce tagged the go ahead run out after Morgan Showers tried an unsuccessful dash to the plate on a passed ball situation for the third out. North Harrison walked it off with one out in their half as Kira Robertson made it home on a wild pitch.
There was little fanfare for Coach Joiner's first win; there was no water shower from the players. But former Coach Brandon Craig was the first to congratulate him after the varsity game was over. And the players have been quick to buy into what he has been teaching them. And Coach Joiner, after the games were over, was tending to the field in the same way that Aaron Long has for many years, keeping it in good shape for the next game.
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