Ethan Fry Keeps North Nodaway Close but King City Walks Off 3-2

Ethan Fry did everything he could to keep North Nodaway close, but the Mustangs could not overcome five errors or six called third strikes as King City walked it off 3-2 Tuesday, April 23rd. 

King City had won four games up to that point, but were in the middle of an ugly four game losing streak, including a 24-4 loss to St. Joseph Christian and a 20-3 loss to Albany. North Nodaway, still searching for their first win, followed a 4-3 loss to DeKalb with an ugly 18-0 blowout loss to Platte Valley, a game that ended so quickly that one of the umpires, Rory Bredlow, made it to the NEN game with Nodaway Valley while it was still in progress.

The game was moved to North Nodaway due to heavy rains at King City the night before; King City remained the home team for that game.

Neither side could draw blood for the first three innings. North Nodaway stopped itself for the first three innings with four called third strikes during that stretch while Ethan Fry kept King City off balance with his big breaking ball and was backed up by a couple of good catches by Daryn Berg in right field. 

But after North Nodaway could not score in the fourth, Ryder Sample doubled to left as it sliced away from Ridge Clements and Jacob Jensen singled him to home. But Jensen was out in a rundown trying to steal third as he got a late break for the bag and was a sitting duck.

North Nodaway could not solve Graham Medsker and his breaking ball all night, but in the sixth inning, he ran out of pitches, Alex Jones replaced him on the mound, and North Nodaway struck with two outs. Preston Hansen singled for Medsker’s final at bat and Brice Trimble followed with a double into the gap in left. Daryn Berg got hit by a pitch and Ridge Clements singled home a run to make it 2-1.

But with one out in the Wildkat sixth, Fry lost Jaxzen Johnston’s pop fly in the sun and King City had new life. Johnston took second on a balk and third on a steal. Maddox Farmer stretched a single into a double as Johnston scored to tie it at 2-2.

After North Nodaway went down in order in the seventh. Alex Jones reached on an error as shortstop Brice Trimble’s throw was wide. He stole second and went to third on Cayden Wainscott’s bunt. Trying to make something happen, Fry tried to pick off Jones at third, but third baseman Blaine Clements and the runner got tangled up, the ball got away, and Jones scored for the winning run.