Northeast Nodaway’s girls avenged their only blemish on their record up to that point when they handed Worth County its first loss of the season, beating them 11-3 Thursday. Worth County had been playing excellent softball lately, having beaten Trenton and another big school and losing narrowly to South Harrison, which took third at state last year. They also scratched out a 3-2 win over King City the game before.
The Bluejays had been going well after playing Worth County to an 8-8 tie, beating Albany 8-0 behind Lindsey Jackson’s no-hitter. Fueled by that game, they extended their shutout streak to three games, blanking Stanberry 4-0 and getting Baylie Busby’s first ever over the fence home run before making a long road trip worthwhile and blanking Maysville 20-0 in three innings.
But it looked like Worth County would continue to have the Bluejays’ number, as they have the last few years after Kambree Briner singled to right to start the game and Audrey Runde walked. Kristen Tracy reached on a throwing error by second baseman Bristol Hicks, scoring Briner and putting Runde on third. Riley Ridge struck out, but Addison Gray beat out an infield hit to score Runde to put the Tigers up 2-0.
At that point, it looked like a long night for the Bluejays; many of their players had been to Milan for a basketball shootout there against two tough Class 2 teams, followed by a long 3-4 hour trip home. But the Bluejays won both games, dismantling Schuyler County behind a big day from Baylie Busby. Knox County caught on and swarmed Busby in the second game, but then the Bluejays got contributions from Skyler Florea, back from a shoulder injury, along with Hayley Yost, Blair Nelson knocking down a 3-pointer, and everyone else. It didn’t matter that they were shorthanded without both Brianna Meyer (dental) and Mylee Wilmes (camp); they won that game as well. Despite being without their two best on the ball defenders, they were still able to pressure the ball and force turnovers to fuel their attack.
The Bluejays struck right back against Worth County when Baylie Busby hit a screamer to right field and this time did not get herself thrown out as she got a triple to start the Bluejay first. Blair Nelson doubled to right and Hayley Yost and Lindsey Jackson walked to load the bases. Makenzie Pride singled in Nelson and Yost to put the Bluejays up 3-2 after one. They looked shaky in the first inning, but then got stronger as the game progressed.
In the second inning, Braelyn Fletchall, who hurt the Bluejays in the first game, hit a screamer, but Bristol Hicks, moved from second base to left field, atoned for her error in the first inning and ran it down. That seemed to give Bluejay pitcher Lindsey Jackson the confidence she needed to settle down, and she started throwing strikes.
The Bluejays added to their lead to start the second when Baylie Busby and Hadley DeFreece walked. Blair Nelson got her second double of the night. Hayley Yost, going up against one of her best friends in Kristen Tracy, hit a screamer, but Braelyn Fletchall, playing at second, snagged it to temporarily derail the Bluejays. But Nelson took third on a wild pitch and scored when Lindsey Jackson grounded out to make it 6-2.
Keira Hardy singled to lead off the Tiger third and Kambree Briner grounded out. Audrey Runde hit it hard towards right field, but Hayley Yost, now at second, made a diving stop to rob Runde of a base hit. Kristen Tracy doubled into the left center field gap to score Hardy, but without Yost’s play, it would have been a whole lot more than one run. Riley Ridge reached when Lindsey Jackson dropped her pop fly to put Tracy on third. But on the ensuing first and third situation, Baylie Busby threw down to second to nail Ridge for the third out and the Tigers only managed one run, cutting the deficit to 6-3.
Northeast went quietly in their half of the third and Addison Gray, a bright spot for the Tigers that night, tripled to left to lead off. But when Worth County stranded her and couldn’t bring her in, that opened the floodgates for the Bluejays in the last two innings.
Hadley DeFreece beat out a bunt hit to start off the Bluejay fourth and then Blair Nelson singled to center. Hayley Yost used her newfound speed to beat out a scratch hit between first and second to load the bases and then Lindsey Jackson singled just past second to score two to make it 8-3.
With DeFreece pitching and shutting down the Tiger bats after giving up Gray’s triple, that gave Northeast a chance to end it in the fifth on the eight run rule. Sadie Hall, a freshman, hit a flare up the middle for a base hit and then Baylie Busby crushed a triple, her second of the night, to score her. Blair Nelson was hit by a pitch and stole second and Hayley Yost forced an error with her newfound speed as Busby crossed the plate to make it 10-3. Lindsey Jackson hit a grounder to short and the Tigers had no play at the plate as Nelson came in to score and close out the win.
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