Worth County looked in over their heads Tuesday night, October 6th when they scheduled a double header with Pattonsburg and Platte Valley. They rallied to win the Pattonsburg game, but then had a big ask for Kristen Tracy, who had recently returned from an injury – pitch two games in one night after having already pitched a game the night before. She came through, getting stronger as the game progressed as the Tigers came back for a 4-3 win. Megan Tracy broke out of a slump with a key triple to turn the Tigers’ fortunes around.
For anyone who has followed Tiger softball for long enough, there were shades of 2013 looming. On September 30th, they lost a hard-fought game to South Nodaway. They then made a long road trip to Princeton and won another hard-fought game, winning 4-3 the very next night. On the night of October 2nd, they beat Northeast Nodaway in an extra-inning thriller to finish their third game in three nights. Then, they had to make up a conference game against Braymer. Neither team’s pitchers could find the strike zone, and it became a contest to see who could stand and walk the most times. The game lasted over four hours, finally ending at midnight with Worth County coming out on top 26-21. Braymer insisted on playing a JV game afterwards.
It looked like a long night when Chloe Peery singled, beating out an infield hit to start the game. She stole second. Jocelyn Bottorff singled to center, and Peery scored to put Platte Valley up 1-0. Bottorff took second on the throw home. Finley Moutray singled Bottorff to third. Bottorff later scored on a passed ball to put Platte Valley up 2-0. Perry added on in the second when she launched a home run over the center field fence to make it 3-0. Worth County stopped the bleeding in the third when catcher Audrey Runde gunned down Tara Evans stealing.
Worth County finally got on the board in the third when Braelyn Fletchall walked to force in a run to make it 3-1.
Brooklyn Smith singled to start the Tiger fourth. The ball got away, and she took second. Keira Hardy singled to right to score Smith; the ball got away again to allow Hardy to take second. Megan Tracy, who had been fighting a slump, caught hold of one and tripled to right to score Hardy and tied it up 3-3. Kambree Briner grounded out, but Tracy scored on the play to put the Tigers up 4-3.
That was all the runs they would score, and Worth County would have to cling by their fingernails the rest of the way. In the fifth, Jocelyn Bottorff reached first on an error. With one out, Maggie Swinford walked. But Kristen Tracy struck Whitney Nielson out, and Peighton Evans grounded out to end the threat. In the sixth, Whitney Redden beat out an infield hit. Lexi Strum lined out to first baseman Megan Tracy, who doubled off Addy King (running for Redden) for a double play. The last player the Tigers wanted to see in Chloe Peery came up next, but she grounded out to end the inning.
There was a heart-stopping moment in the seventh when Hannah Klamm crushed a double to center to start the frame. Platte Valley would have had three chances to get the tying run home. But center fielder Addison Gray picked her off second, and the next two batters grounded out to end the game.
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