Worth County beat North Harrison for the second time 14-1, but fell to Chillicothe JV 9-4 in the North Harrison Tournament Saturday. After the two games, the Tigers are at 7-6 as of Saturday evening. They have seven games remaining, including games at Maryville, King City, home against NEN and Platte Valley, and road games at Maysville and perennial powerhouse Mid-Buchanan. They have one district game guaranteed. If they finish at least 4-3 during that stretch, they will get their second straight winning season. The last time they had consecutive winning seasons was during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. They went to state in 2005 and were 9-4 during 2006.
The Tigers won the North Harrison Tournament on tiebreaks. They gave up one run to North Harrison and nine to Chillicothe JV for a total of 10. Chillicothe JV gave up four runs to Worth County and 14 to North Harrison for a total of 18. North Harrison gave up 14 runs to Worth County and 10 to Chillicothe JV for a total of 24.
Worth County 14, North Harrison 1
Megan Tracy got her first varsity win as a pitcher and Worth County started off well in the tournament, dropping the Shamrocks for the second time this year. They didn’t let North Harrison get its normal opportunity to jump on an opponent early as Rylee Ruckman walked and Kambree Briner singled. A huge drop ball from Lani Briggs struck out Kristen Tracy, but Audrey Runde walked. North Harrison almost got out of the inning as Megan Tracy popped out, but Keira Hardy reached on a throw in the dirt as two Tiger runs crossed the plate to make it 2-0.
The Shamrocks promptly loaded the bases with nobody out, but in a sign of the kind of season they have been having, Carmon Fordyce, who was on second, tangled up with Tiger shortstop Rylee Ruckman, who was trying to make a play on a ground ball, and was called out for interference since the fielder has the right of way to a batted ball. That was all the Tigers needed to get out of the inning with no damage done as Ruckman ran down Hali Smith’s pop fly well on the second base side of the bag and Kayka Wilson grounded into a force.
In the Tiger second, Riley Ridge, normally a slap hitter, hit a screamer right at Addison Milligan at short, but she snagged it for an out. Later, in another sign of the kind of season the Shamrocks have been having, Braelyn Fletchall was tagged out trying for home on a passed ball situation, but the Shamrocks thought there were three outs and threw the ball away, allowing two Tigers to come home and score to make it 4-0. It would have been worse had not pitcher Lani Briggs not snagged .500+ hitter Kristen Tracy’s head shot hit right at her to end the inning.
In the Tiger third, Audrey Runde singled and Megan Tracy reached on a dropped force play. Addison Gray singled home Runde and put Tracy on third, and Gray stole second. Riley Ridge once again crushed one, singling two more runs to make it 7-0. But Shamrock catcher Ava Rinehart made a great play when she took the throw home and cut down Ridge trying to take second for the third out.
Jaxcynn Hansel got a two out rally going for the Shamrocks in the third when she hit a pop fly that dropped just in front of Braelyn Fletchall in right for a base hit. She took second on a wild pitch. Ava Rinehart reached on an error to score her and make it 7-1.
But the floodgates opened in the Tiger fourth as Rylee Ruckman was hit by a pitch. Once again, the Shamrocks could not catch a break as they had Ruckman picked off first, only for her to take off for second and make it safely. Kambree Briner and Kristen Tracy walked, and Hali Smith replaced Lani Briggs as pitcher for North Harrison.
But Worth County greeted Smith with Audrey Runde’s single and Megan Tracy’s two run double to make it 10-1. Keira Hardy’s groundout advanced Tracy to third, and she scored on a wild pitch to make it 11-1.
North Harrison tried to get something going in its half of the fourth with two outs when Andi Nail walked. But Addison Milligan hit a screamer, only for pitcher Megan Tracy to snag it for the third out.
Once again, a play happened that symbolized the kind of season the Shamrocks have been having. With out out, Rylee Ruckman hit a screamer to right center. Addison Milligan, now in center field, got a perfect jump on it and laid out to catch it for what would have been the second out. But it was ruled a trap and Ruckman made it to second for a double. Kristen Tracy nearly drilled pitcher Hali Smith’s foot with a hard single to center, Audrey Runde reached on a dropped pop fly, and Megan Tracy emptied the bases with a three run double to make it 14-1.
North Harrison could not answer in the fifth, as Carmon Fordyce hit a hard shot off third baseman Keira Hardy’s glove, only for her to recover and throw her out at first.
Chillicothe JV 9, Worth County 4
Worth County could have won the tournament outright with a win, but they ran into one of the fastest pitchers they had seen all year in Hope Donoho, whose balls had movement on them that bore in and jammed batters. Their varsity, as of Sunday evening, was 13-2, and it was easy to see why; they did the same sort of things Albany did in grabbing a share of the GRC title with strong plate discipline, speed on the basepaths, and strong pitching.
Donoho was also the leadoff hitter for the Hornets, and she reached on an error and stole second. Her courtesy runner, Rylee Davis, who was just as fast as she was, stole third, and came home on an error to put the Hornets up 1-0 after one.
Kristen Tracy singled in the early going off Donoho, but everybody else was having trouble catching up to her pitches, either getting under them and fouling them off or missing outright.
And Chillicothe JV had pop in their bats up and down the lineup. Their number eight hitter, Brynley Beemer, doubled for the Hornets in the second and came home on Donoho’s double to raise Chillicothe’s lead to 2-0. It would have been a lot worse than 9-4 had not first baseman Megan Tracy not did the splits on five different throws against the lightning quick Hornet runners during the course of the game to at least give the Tigers a chance.
Worth County finally started finding the range in the third when Riley Ridge got one of her patented slap hits, beating out the shortstop. Rylee Ruckman reached on an error and they pulled off a successful double steal. Kristen Tracy flied out to score Ridge to make it 2-1.
But the floodgates opened in the fifth as Kristen Tracy began fighting the strike zone and walked three batters and threw four wild pitches as three runs came in to make it 5-1.
The Hornets teed off in the sixth, starting with Brynley Beemer getting a single and Dawson Baxter, the number nine hitter, getting a double. That turned the lineup over to Donoho, who singled in both runs to make it 7-1. Rylee Davis (running for Donoho) was finally caught stealing, but the floodgates opened after Abby Marshall walked and Jaiden Rodenberg singled. Molly Kennebeck beat out an infield hit to score one and Bryleigh Gillespie singled to left to bring in another to make it 9-1.
Worth County finally started solving Donoho as Kristen Tracy hit a shot off the shortstop’s glove and beat it out. Tracy took second on a wild pitch. Audrey Runde reached on an error as Donoho threw it away as Tracy scored. Megan Tracy doubled into the right center field gap to score Runde and took third on a wild pitch. Addison Gray grounded out to cut it to 9-4. The game might have become interesting had it been a full seven inning game, but time was called after six innings.
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