Tristan Wray restored order for North Nodaway's under 16 baseball team Wednesday night in a wild 22-21 win over East Atchison for its first win of the year after the Mustangs erased a 12-run deficit in a game that lasted until 10:30 that night. Neither side could find pitching all night until Wray pitched the last two innings for the Mustangs, striking out five and holding the Wolves to one run, allowing North Nodaway to rally past them.
At first, the game started off like so many games that the varsity played the last two years. The Wolves took advantage of four walks, a dropped third strike, and two hit batters and teed off on Gannon Stricker when he did throw a strike. Hayden Marriott came on in relief but walked the next three batters along with three wild pitches. But Stricker, who moved to third base after being lifted, had a short memory as he alertly ran after a Wolves runner who had gotten hung up between third and home and tagged them out for the third out to finally get the Mustangs out of the inning. It was the first of four outstanding defensive plays by Stricker. By the time the dust had settled, the Wolves were on top 12-0 and looked to end it early.
The Mustangs began their climb back when Hudson Alexander singled, stole second and third, and came home on a wild pitch. With one out, Hayden Marriott walked and Weston Alexander reached third on a throwing error as Marriott scored to make it 12-2. Tristan Wray reached on a bobble as Alexander scored to make it 12-3 and stole second. Brock Strueby singled and went to second as the ball got away from the right fielder as Wray scored to make it 12-4. Sam Jenkins struck out, but Gannon Stricker singled to left to bring home Strueby, and Stricker stole second and third. Trenton Roberts beat out an infield hit as Stricker scored to make it 12-6.
Marriott continued to fight the strike zone in the second as the Wolves built their lead back up to 14-6. Brock Strueby came on in relief, and at first, nothing changed as the Wolves greeted him with back to back doubles. The lead grew to 18-6 before Strueby, aided by a successful rundown with Stricker throwing a strike to catcher Sam Jenkins to nail a runner at the plate, got out of the inning with a couple of strikeouts. Owen Coleman beat out an infield hit and took second on a throwing error to start the Mustang second. They nearly wasted it, but then Tristan Wray singled to center to get Coleman home, and Brock Strueby singled just past the second baseman to get Wray home after Wray stole second and reached third on a wild pitch to make it 18-8.
The Wolves got two runs to bring it back up to 20-8 before Owen Coleman got the Mustangs out of the third with a good play at short. Trenton Roberts led off the Mustang third with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Hudson Alexander grounded out to the mound and Roberts scored all the way from second and that seemed to spark the Mustangs. Owen Coleman struck out, but then all of a sudden, the Wolves pitchers started fighting the strike zone; five straight walks made it 20-11 before Gannon Stricker's seeing eye single between first and second plated two to make it 20-13. Two more walks and a hit batter forced in two more runs to cut it to 20-15 after three.
The time limit was running out, and the Mustangs, with two minutes to spare, did the Chinese fire drill and scrambled to their positions with new pitcher Tristan Wray, who had little time to warm up before the inning started. He let in one run with a wild pitch to make it 21-15, and gave up a single and hit batter, but started getting Wolves batters to chase and miss his big breaking balls. Finally, the Wolves ran their way out of the inning when one of their runners successfully stole third, but then overran the bag and Stricker made his third outstanding defensive play when he alertly tagged them out to end the inning.
Weston Alexander led off the Mustang fourth with a single and two steals. Tristan Wray walked. Brock Strueby struck out, but Sam Jenkins walked and then Gannon Stricker got the benefit of a close 3-2 pitch and walked to force in a run. Trenton Roberts and Hudson Alexander walked to force in runs to make it 21-18 before a new pitcher came in and struck out Owen Coleman for the second out. The Mustangs were down to their final out, but Hayden Marriott came up with a clutch double that scored two to make it 21-20. Hudson Alexander and Tristan Wray walked to force in a run and the game was 21-21, forcing a fifth inning.
But Tristan Wray got the Wolves batters to chase his breaking balls, which were breaking all over the place. There was one close call when one of the Wolves batters hit a slow roller down the third base line, but Gannon Stricker made his fourth outstanding defensive play when he alertly let it roll foul before picking it up and Wray wound up striking out the side, leaving it tied at 21.
With one out, Gannon Stricker hit a slow roller that looked like it would be foul, but all of a sudden, it rolled fair and he scrambled to first base for a scratch hit. Trenton Roberts and Hudson Alexander walked and then Owen Coleman, who was a ball magnet that night, got plunked for the second time to force in the winning run.
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