Northeast Nodaway's girls rallied to beat DeKalb 3-2 Thursday and clinched a winning season, their third in a row. The focus of the game was to bury the Tigers, who have won only one game this year. But DeKalb has played Platte Valley tough, losing one game only 3-2. Like the East Buchanan game and the Platte Valley game, the Bluejays took a while to get going, and it almost cost them until they managed to push across runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
The Bluejays have struggled against fast pitching, taking until the seventh inning to solve Delaney Wolf (Platte Valley), not getting anything going against Addisyn Crawford (Albany), and struggling against DeKalb's Rachel Reagan as well. They fell behind 1-0 in the second when Rylie Burdette walked, Ava Donaldson (running for Burdette) stole second, and then Kenzie Pflugradt singled her in to make it 1-0.
It looked like the Bluejays would get an answer in the third when Mylee Wilmes doubled to lead off the third and Jill Boswell laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line and made it as Wilmes took third. Boswell stole second, and it looked like the Bluejays were all set up. But then Hadley DeFreece laid down a bunt that fooled nobody as Reagan came off the mound to field it and cut down Mylee Wilmes trying to score. Brianna Meyer tried to bunt, but bunted in the air and it was snagged by catcher Rylie Burdette for the second out. Hayley Yost grounded out to first to end the threat.
When Burdette hit a home run to dead center with two strikes on her in the fourth, it looked like a repeat of two years ago, when previously winless South Holt beat the Bluejays in districts, or when DeKalb beat the Bluejays 2-1 last year. It would have been worse had not Grace Downing's screamer not been run down by Sasha Deardorff in left field; that meant that a two out rally by the Tigers came up harmless. And nothing looked to change in the Bluejay fourth when Makenzie Pride hit one hard but right at the shortstop, and Mylee Wilmes hit one hard, but right at the second baseman as the Bluejays came up emptyhanded again.
The Bluejays finally got a run back in the fifth when Jill Boswell walked and stole. Hadley DeFreece laid down a perfect bunt; she was out on a close play, but Boswell took third. Brianna Meyer hit it hard, but right at the center fielder; however, Boswell was able to tag up and score to cut it to 2-1. DeKalb could not answer, as Bluejay right fielder Gracie Kohlleppel raced over to grab Grace Downing's shot down the right field line with two outs as the Bluejays got out of the sixth.
Makenzie Pride walked to start the sixth, but got caught in no-man's land when Lindsey Jackson's line shot was dropped by the second baseman, but DeKalb was able to get the force at second. But Blair Nelson tripled down the right field line as Jackson was able to score and tie the game at 2-2. Sasha Deardorff struck out, but Mylee Wilmes' grounder was under the second baseman's legs to make it 3-2. Pitcher Hadley DeFreece settled down following the fourth inning home run and DeKalb's subsequent two out rally as she was able to retire the side in the seventh; she retired the last 10 Tiger batters.
The junior high Bluejays also won a cliffhanger. They built up a seemingly comfortable 6-0 lead after three, only for them to nearly self-destruct in the fourth. The Tigers put together a frantic rally until Bluejay catcher Paizlee Norman tagged a runner out at the plate following a dropped pop fly to preserve a 6-3 win. Norman and Rylee Scadden had hits. Scadden had two catches in the field and Maddison Faustlin one. Norman threw a runner out stealing. Addie Thummel pitched all four innings, throwing strikes and only walking two batters.
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