Megan Tracy pitched Worth County to a 5-3 victory over King City after the Tigers cooled off a red-hot Gilman City squad in their first game with a 13-5 win as Worth County won the King City Tournament despite battling sweltering heat along with two tough opponents. With the win, the Tigers have now won six in a row going into a key game with Albany. Both Worth County and Albany have one conference loss. Worth County needs to win out in GRC West play over Albany, King City, and Pattonsburg and hope that someone knocks off Stanberry and someone else knocks off Princeton to clinch the GRC West outright.
Gilman City came in hoping to build on their winning streak as they got Kayleece Puls back, allowing Alli Burke to move back to her natural position at third and Hailey McClure back to left field. They looked on their way to doing so after Khloey Sperry doubled to start the Hawk first and Tenley Griffith reached on an error to score her. That lead stood up until the third inning when the weather heated up and then everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong for the Hawks, including a mouse running around behind the backstop that later made its way to some shade beside the concession stand.
In that inning, Riley Ridge singled over short and stole second. Kambree Briner singled to left to put runners on first and third and stole second. Kristen Tracy struck out, but the ball got away, allowing her to reach first. Ridge scored on a wild pitch to tie it at 1-1. Audrey Runde singled to left and the cutoff throw got away as Briner scored and Tracy took third to make it 2-1. Addison Gray was plunked and then Rylee Ruckman doubled over the left fielder's head to score two to make it 4-1.
In the Tiger fourth, Rayleigh Smith was plunked in the helmet and reached first. Riley Ridge hit a slow roller down the first base line. Caitlynn Chalfant fielded it and attempted to tag her, but Ridge escaped the tag and everybody was safe. Kambree Briner singled to center field. Center fielder Avery Gregg threw home, but Smith slid home safe on a close play as Briner took second and Ridge third to make it 5-1. After a dropped pop fly in foul territory gave Kristen Tracy new life, she walked to load the bases, and three more Tigers came home. Audrey Runde hit a grounder to Puls at shortstop with the infield in and the bases loaded. Despite that, Ridge beat the throw home to make it 6-1. Megan Tracy grounded out as Kristen came home to make it 7-1. Addison Gray flied out and Runde came home to make it 8-1.
Gilman City tried to answer in its half of the fourth as Alli Burke caught a drop ball from Kristen Tracy and singled it past second. Hailey McClure hit a pop fly behind that plate that Tiger catcher Audrey Runde caught behind the fence. Parker Crabtree was plunked to put runners on first and second, but Kambree Briner caught Kayleece Puls' screamer and doubled Crabtree off first to end the inning.
The avalanche continued for the Tigers as Keira Hardy was plunked, Rayleigh Smith walked, Riley Ridge hit a shot off Tenley Griffith's glove for a scratch hit to load the bases, and Kambree Briner walked to force in a run to make it 9-1. Kristen Tracy hit what looked like a routine single and four runs scored as Gilman City threw the ball around to make it 13-1.
The Hawks got three runs back when Avery Gregg was jammed but hit a shot off Rylee Ruckman's glove at short. The ball got away for a double and two Hawk runs scored to make it 13-3. Worth County threw it around on the play, allowing Gregg to take third. Tenley Griffith grounded out to keep the game going and make it 13-4. Gilman City added another run when Caitlynn Chalfant singled in a run in the fifth, but the Hawks ran out of time to complete the comeback as time was called.
Worth County then faced King City for its second game. They played a forgettable game against them in Albany, losing 11-0 in the first round of the tournament, and needed this win to keep momentum going. But after the Wildkats had teed off on Kristen Tracy the first game, Megan stepped up despite the sweltering heat and shut them down as Worth County got a hard-fought 5-3 win in the second game for the tournament title despite running its way out of a couple of rallies.
Kambree Briner hit a shot off the second baseman's glove and made it all the way to third as the ball got away from the right fielder. But Kristen Tracy hit a shot to third and Briner was cut down at the plate. Worth County scored anyway to make it 1-0 when Audrey Runde and Megan Tracy got consecutive singles to plate Kristen Tracy.
A pair of errors put King City on the board, but Worth County cut down Brylie Armfield at second to kill the rally and keep it tied at 1-1. A pair of King City errors put Worth County back in front as Kambree Briner's two out triple put the Tigers in front 3-1.
It seemed like they would keep the lead when Keira Hardy caught Kenzie Pettijohn's screamer and Rylee Ruckman cut down Grace Whorton at third in the third inning. But then Megan Tracy started tiring and walked Kamryn Miller, gave up a single to Beatrix Bowden, and walked Kinley Potter to load the bases with nobody out. Paisley Young hit a grounder to Megan Tracy, who had a short memory as she went home for a force for the first out. Kambree Briner dropped a pop fly as a run scored; the umpire ruled that the infield fly rule didn't apply as it was not an easily catchable ball. That made it 3-2 and the bases remained loaded. Allie Schneider hit a fly ball to right field. Rayleigh Smith dropped it and a run scored to tie it at 3-3. But Riley Ridge backed the play up and cut down the go-ahead run at the plate to keep it tied. The heart of the King City lineup was up, but Megan Tracy struck out Kenzie Pettijohn to keep it tied.
Audrey Runde singled down the left field line in the Tiger fifth. Megan Tracy struck out and Addison Gray flied out. Rylee Ruckman walked and she and Runde took second and third on a wild pitch. Keira Hardy hit what looked like a routine grounder, but the throw to first was dropped as two runs scored to make it 5-3. Megan Tracy retired King City in order to close out the game.
Gilman City played a forgettable game against King City in their second game, falling 17-3 for their second straight loss. They will look to regroup Monday against North Harrison.
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