Reece Gray, Bluejays Walk Off Albany at Jamboree

Northeast Nodaway’s baseball team got off to a rocky start at the Albany Jamboree with their first game with North Harrison, falling 13-12 in a game with the Shamrocks in which neither team could buy a strike or an out. They were down for the count against Albany and could have folded in their second game. But they rallied to tie it in the third and Reece Gray walked it off for them in the fourth to allow them to salvage a split for the afternoon.

Gray started off pitching for the Bluejays against Albany, but while he threw strikes, he struggled to put batters away. He plunked Landon Hawkins after getting two strikes on him. He stole second and Jay Anthony singled him home to put Albany 1-0. Gray got two strikes on Shae Miller, only to plunk him again, threatening to set up a big inning. But freshman catcher Brady O’Connell picked off Miller for the third out, and the Bluejays were still in the game.

Reece Gray and Lance Runde singled for the Bluejays in their half of the first, but struggled to catch up to Warrior pitcher Landon Hawkins and struck out three times in the inning. Gray continued to struggle to put batters away after getting a second strike; he apparently had Will Fish struck out, only for the ball to get away as Fish took first. He hit two of the next three batters, one of them with two strikes on him. But suddenly, he settled down to get Barrett Worrell down on strikes. Landon Hawkins caught hold of one for a sinking line drive that looked headed for extra bases, but Bluejay center fielder Jordan Dannar made a running catch for the third out, and the Bluejays were somehow still in the game.

Northeast Nodaway couldn’t score in the second as Kaiden Smith kept them off-balance by constantly changing speeds and using a high-head fastball as his out pitch.

Lance Runde came on to pitch the third inning. Daulton Worrell walked, but was cut down stealing to start the frame. The caught stealing turned out to be costly for the Warriors as both Jay Anthony and Shae Miller singled. Runde settled down to strike out Fish and Kaiden Smith hit a hard grounder that was snagged by third baseman Brock Healy for the third out.

With one out, Jordan Dannar singled to left and took second as the ball got away. Lance Runde singled him home as the Bluejays knotted it up at 1-1 in the third.

Jordan Dannar came on to pitch in the Warrior fourth and started off strongly, getting the first two batters out. But the lineup turned over to Barrett Worrell, and his shot off Dannar’s glove rolled into no-man’s land for a base hit. Worrell stole second and Hawkins hit what looked like the go-ahead hit down the left field line. But Brock Healy snagged it and tagged Worrell for the third out.

Bentin Roberts was plunked to start the Bluejay fourth and Jace Burns walked. Wyatt Scadden ran for Burns. Gaige Bodle laid down a perfect bunt down the first base line, and nobody was home to cover it and everybody was safe. Reece Gray shot a single to left field to win it.