Northeast Nodaway and Worth County's softball teams celebrated the birthday of Gordon Wiederholt, a kindergartener at NEN Monday after Worth County's 5-1 win. He is the son of Cassie (Gilland) Wiederholt and Adam Wiederholt. Cassie is a Worth County grad and Adam is a NEN grad. Gordon has had three open heart surgeries due to HLHS. He is currently in Philadelphia for a specialized lymphatic procedure.
For Worth County, the goal was to get a win over NEN and then Platte Valley. A win by the Tigers would help them make a good case for a top seed. This year, MSHSAA has collapsed its softball districts into eight groups of ten teams instead of sixteen groups of five teams. Class 1 District 8, which will be hosted by Stanberry, consists of Albany, Gilman City, Platte Valley, Mercer, North Harrison, NEN, Princeton, East Harrison, Stanberry, and Worth County.
For Northeast Nodaway, they got some good news when Baylie Busby was unexpectedly cleared to play from a broken femur she sustained in summer travel softball. The goal was to gradually work her back in. The Bluejays had plenty to play for; a win over the Tigers would have given them an outside chance at a two seed. A win by the Bluejays and then a Tiger victory over Platte Valley would have given NEN an outside chance at a one seed. The Bluejays were spoiling for revenge after Worth County had jumped all over them at King City, building a 9-0 lead before a frantic Bluejay rally cut it to 9-5 before they ran out of time.
Kristen Tracy hit a shot off first baseman Blair Nelson's glove with two outs in the Tiger first for a double, but Kynah Steele struck out as Hadley DeFreece pitched the game and breathed fire early, striking out three Tigers. With two outs in the Bluejay first, Brianna Meyer singled to right and Hayley Yost reached on an error when second baseman Kambree Briner's throw pulled Kristen Tracy off the bag at first. But Makenzie Pride grounded out to Kynah Steele to end the threat.
The game settled into a pitching duel between Brooklyn Richardson and Hadley DeFreece. Northeast Nodaway got the first break of the game in the third when Jill Boswell's drive to deep left field crashed off the wall. Tiger leftfielder Brylee Rush fell over the fence trying to run it down and Boswell circled the bases for an inside the park home run to make it 1-0. It might have been worse, but Tiger right fielder Rylee Ruckman ran down Brianna Meyer's popup to shallow right field in no man's land for the third out.
In the Tiger fourth, Kynah Steele caught hold of one of DeFreece's pitches and hit a screamer down the right field line. But for the second time in two games, Bluejay right fielder Gracie Kohlleppel ran it down and made it look effortless. Brylee Rush reached on an error, but Autumn Cousatte hit a hard shot right at Brianna Meyer, who gloved it and threw to first for the third out.
Northeast Nodaway could not add to their lead in the fourth. Hayley Yost showed some speed as she hit a tricky grounder between first and second that both Kristen Tracy and Kambree Briner went for. Briner came up with it and raced Yost to the bag, but Yost showed some wheels and reached on the scratch hit. But Makenzie Pride struck out and then Lindsey Jackson hit a grounder up the middle that looked like a base hit. But Tiger shortstop Kynah Steele laid out for the ball, grabbed it, and gloved second base for the second out. Mylee Wilmes hit it hard, but right at second baseman Kambree Briner for the third out.
With one out in the Tiger fifth, Rylee Ruckman was plunked. Becca Smith grounded out to Hadley DeFreece as Ruckman advanced, and Brooklyn Richardson singled her home to knot it up at 1-1. As Richardson was getting stronger and stronger as the game progressed, the Tigers were able to manufacture another run in the sixth. With one out, Kynah Steele hit a shot in the hole at short that Jill Boswell had no play on. She then went from first to third on a wild pitch and made it on a close play. Brylee Rush grounded out to score her and make it 2-1. It would have been worse, but Bluejay third baseman Brianna Meyer made a shoestring catch of Autumn Cousatte's screamer, the second time she robbed her of a hit.
With two outs in the Bluejay sixth, Hayley Yost, who has become more and more of a vocal leader for the squad despite only being a freshman, drew a walk after a long battle with Richardson. She went to second on a pitch in the dirt. Makenzie Pride squibbed one in front of the plate, but Tiger catcher Autumn Cousatte alertly snagged it and threw her out.
The bottom dropped out for Northeast in the seventh after Keira Hardy hit a pop fly into no man's land behind first base. Second baseman Mylee Wilmes came on the dead run, but couldn't come up with it as Hardy took second with a scratch double. Rylee Ruckman hit a line drive to left field for a base hit; Hardy held up to make sure it wasn't caught, and took off late for third. A good throw would have gotten her, but Sasha Deardorff's throw got away as Hardy made it to third and Ruckman took second.
Becca Smith hit a grounder to Brianna Meyer at third, who went home to try to cut down Hardy at the plate, but she made it safely as Ruckman took third and Smith first. Brooklyn Richardson popped out, but Kambree Briner grounded out to make it 4-1, and Kristen Tracy reached on an error to score Smith to make it 5-1.
Northeast's last chance came when Lindsey Jackson hit a tricky pop fly into no man's land in shallow right field. Three Tigers were chasing it, but Rylee Ruckman got there to glove it.
Worth County's junior high built up a 9-0 lead going into the bottom of the third before a frantic Bluejay rally made it 9-6 at the end. For Worth County, Bella Blankenship got a single. Kaydence Downing got a single, and Megan Tracy had a triple. Brooklyn Smith had two catches in the field from her shortstop position.
For the Bluejays, Paizlee Norman and Addie Thummel had singles. Pitcher Addie Thummel caught a screamer to take a base hit away from the Tigers.
Northeast Nodaway's junior varsity won 2-0. Baylie Busby caught in the JV game as coach Payton Adwell was gradually working her back in, getting her used to varsity level pitching again. Busby showed flashes of her old form when she doubled to start the Bluejay first as her pop fly in right field dropped in no man's land, and she took third when the cutoff throw got away. Mylee Wilmes (running for Busby) scored on a wild pitch. Hayley Yost narrowly missed a home run and got a ground rule double. Lindsey Jackson had a single. Busby reasserted her control over enemy baserunners, throwing a ton of pickoffs to first when Worth County had runners on. Blair Nelson made a running catch playing right field, and Gracie Kohlleppel played second base like she had been doing it all her life, fielding a grounder and catching a pop fly.
For Worth County, Becca Smith broke up pitcher Lindsey Jackson's no-hit bid in the third with one of her many scratch hits.
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