Ryker Fortner No-Hits Panthers; Dustin Hamilton Guns Down Two Stealing Against Albany

The North Harrison juggernaut rolled on as they picked up wins over Pattonsburg and Albany last week. The Albany win clinched them their first winning season since 2021, and it was their first win on the field over the Warriors since 2021. The Shamrocks picked up a forfeit win over Albany in 2023 (pitch count violation). The win over Albany knocked them out of contention for the GRC West title and kept the Shamrocks’ hopes alive, as they have one conference loss and King City has none. Everyone else has two or more.

Against Pattonsburg, Ryker Fortner threw a no-hitter through five innings as the Shamrocks got a 10-0 win. Fortner struck out 10 and the Shamrocks stole six bases. It was death by a thousand cuts in both games as the Shamrocks scored 22 runs in their two wins without the benefit of an extra base hit.

Tate Richardson started off the Shamrocks in the first inning by beating out an infield hit and took second on a wild pitch. He stole third and Ryker Fortner grounded out to score him and make it 1-0. Gage Fortner restarted the Shamrocks as he reached on an error. He took second and third on defensive indifference. Andrew Craig reached on an error and Gage Fortner scored to make it 2-0.

Kayson Sims walked to start the Shamrock second and he stole second. Kyler Kimbrough singled to center as Sims took third. Kimbrough advanced to second on defensive indifference. Kayson Sims scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0 and Kimbrough took third on the play. Tate Richardson beat out an infield hit as Kimbrough scored to make it 4-0. Tate Richardson stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Ryker Fortner singled to right to score Richardson to make it 5-0.

Ryker Fortner stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Gage Fortner reached on an error as Ryker held up. Gage Fortner advanced to second on defensive indifference. Ryker Fortner stole home to make it 6-0. Gage Fortner took third on defensive indifference. Dustin Hamilton singled to right to score Gage Fortner to make it 7-0.

Catcher Dustin Hamilton gunned down Zayden Wollam stealing to end a Pattonsburg threat in the third.

Landon Johnson singled to right and took second on a wild pitch. Kyler Kimbrough walked. They took second and third on a wild pitch. Tate Richardson walked. Ryker Fortner singled to left to score Landon Johnson. Pattonsburg tried to gun down Kyler Kimbrough at the plate, but he was safe as Fortner took second and Tate Richardson took third. Gage Fortner grounded out to score Richardson to make it 10-0.

In the Albany game, North Harrison scored in every inning before ending with a flurry in the fifth and going home early with a 12-2 win. The jamboree game was a 4-4 tie between the two teams, but this one was death by 1,000 cuts as the Shamrocks got 12 singled and took advantage of some walks and errors.

The trouble for Albany started in the first inning as Barrett Worrell walked, only for Dustin Hamilton to cut him down stealing.

Tate Richardson walked to start the first and Ryker Fortner singled him to second. Gage Fortner walked to load the bases. Andrew Craig grounded into a force at third as Tate Richardson scored to make it 1-0. Dustin Hamilton reached on an error to load the bases again. Kellan Craig singled to right to score Gage Fortner. Andrew Craig came around to score as well and was safe to make it 3-0.

Tate Richardson reached on an error and Ryker Fortner singled him to second. Tate Richardson advanced to third on an error. Tate Richardson held up on Gage Fortner’s grounder that forced Ryker at second, but North Harrison pulled off a successful double steal of second and home to make it 4-0.

Dustin Hamilton singled on a line drive to center to start the fourth. Landon Johnson singled him to third. Kyler Kimbrough singled to left to make it 5-0.

Meanwhile, Albany was getting traffic, but could do nothing with it. Jay Anthony singled to left and Carter Dannar singled to put runners on first and second to start the fourth. Landon Hawkins struck out looking, John Rigney forced Anthony at third, and Kaiden Smith grounded out to end the threat.

Ryker Fortner reached on an error and Gage Fortner singled him to second. Andrew Craig singled to right and Ryker Fortner scored to make it 6-0 in the fourth.

With one out in the Warrior fifth, Daulton Worrell reached on an error, only for Dustin Hamilton to gun him down stealing. That turned what would have been a big inning into a two-run rally that kept the Shamrocks in control.

Barrett Worrell walked to keep the Warriors chances alive and Shae Miller singled him to third. Jay Anthony singled him home as Miller took second to make it 6-1. Carter Dannar singled to load the bases, getting his third hit Landon Hawkins reached on an error as Shae Miller scored to make it 6-2. The bases were loaded and the tying run was at the plate, and North Harrison’s ballpark has yielded a lot of home runs over the years. But John Rigney grounded into a force at third and the Shamrock lead was intact.

North Harrison made sure Albany would not get another chance. Wyatt Maize worked a 3-2 count and then beat out an infield hit. Kyler Kimbrough reached on an error as Maize took second. Tate Richardson walked to load the bases and Maize scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2. Ryker Fortner walked and Gage Fortner singled to left to score Kyler Kimbrough and make it 8-2. Andrew Craig grounded out to first as Tate Richardson scored to make it 9-2. Dustin Hamilton beat out an infield hit as Ryker Fortner scored to make it 10-2. Gage Fortner scored on an error to make it 11-2 and Kellan Craig flied out to score Dustin Hamilton to end the game early.