On a night in which the ball was flying off the bats, Worth County overcame seven errors, clinched its third straight winning season, and beat Maysville 18-11 Thursday. The Tigers have a good chance to get two more if everyone stays healthy. They return everyone back for next year and gain stalwarts from the junior high squad such as Kennedy Murphy and Bella Blankenship. And out of their ten players from this year’s squad, only two of them are juniors.
Maysville came in having won only two games; they have fallen on hard times since winning state in 2018, returning there in 2019, and winning again in 2021. But they looked anything but a two win team Thursday; everything they hit was hard, they got 11 hits, and kept coming at Worth County even after the Tigers pulled ahead. They have 18 players out this year, and only two of them are seniors, and most of them are freshmen and sophomores. Their pitcher, Sam Gripka, symbolizes their toughness; she has taken six shots off her body this year, including one from Megan Tracy off her ankle. It has gotten to the point where it doesn’t hurt, but is numb.
For Worth County, Kristen Tracy had two doubles and a triple. Riley Ridge had three singles. Kambree Briner had a single and a double. Megan Tracy, Audrey Runde, and Addison Gray all had two singles each. Rylee Ruckman and Braelyn Fletchall had one hit each.
The game was marred by the fact that the umpires did not show up for Thursday’s game. Maysville was able to round up a local person who had his license and one of the fans to work the game.
Megan Tracy pitched the win for the Tigers. Coach Cody Green said he was resting Kristen for districts later this week. The Tigers play Thursday against Gilman City.
It started easily enough for Worth County in the top of the first when Riley Ridge slapped a single past third and short, stole second, and Kambree Briner doubled her to right center. Briner later came home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
But then the balls started flying off the bats for Maysville, and Sophia Redman walked and stole second. A double by Sam Gripka, a single by Madi DeShon, and a single by Skylar Nalle put the Wolverines back up 3-2.
Addison Gray reached on a dropped fly ball and stole second and third in the Tiger second. She was almost stranded there as the next two batters struck out, but then Braelyn Fletchall singled to center to knot it at three and took second on a wild pitch. Riley Ridge hit a slap down the third base line that rolled dead for a scratch hit to put runners at first and third. Ridge stole second and then Kambree Briner singled them both home to put Worth County back in front 5-3.
Worth County nearly got out of the Maysville second, but had trouble getting to strike three or getting the third out. Sophia Redman hit what looked like a routine grounder to short, but she beat it out. Gripka hit a shot off Keira Hardy’s glove and everybody was safe as a run scored. DeShon walked and Nalle got to two strikes, only to crush a double to score two and put Maysville back up 6-5.
At that point, the only way Worth County was going to beat Maysville was to keep scoring. They didn’t score in the third, but as Megan Tracy settled in and pitched three straight shutdown innings, that was all the space they needed to score six in the fourth to take an 11-6 lead and put it away. Riley Ridge shot a single past short after getting two strikes on her and Kambree Briner was hit by a pitch. Kristen Tracy tripled them both in and Audrey Runde beat out an infield hit to score Tracy. Megan Tracy reached as Maysville threw away a force and Rylee Ruckman beat out a slow roller down the third base line to load the bases. Runde scored on a wild pitch and a dropped pop fly scored two more runs.
Worth County scored two in the sixth and five more in the seventh as they were able to put some distance between themselves and the Wolverines.
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