Junior High Shamrocks Cap Off Banner Year With 1-0 Thriller Over Princeton

North Harrison’s junior high squad overcame a pair of early drubbings by Worth County and South Harrison to post a banner year despite all the rainouts, running the table the rest of the way and only losing two games.

Their first game was a 14-1 win over King City. They had ten hits, seven for extra bases, and got stellar pitching from Hadley Williams in the win. Alivia Parkhurst, Draylee Davis, Taryn Johnson, and Tayley Johnson had doubles, while Hadley Williams, McKenna Hill, and Quincy Norris had triples. Amelia Long established herself early as a threat on the basepaths, with three steals. McKenna Hill and Quincy Norris had two, while Alivia Parkhurst, Draylee Davis, and Tayley Johnson had 1.

Williams pitched four innings with two hits, no walks, and six strikeouts. She threw 46 pitches, 38 of which were strikes. 

The “B” squad lost 6-4. Hattie Hogan had one hit. Draylee Davis and Hayli Young had steals.

Their first adversity came against Worth County, who rolled to an unbeaten season this year and capped it off with a 20-0 win over Cameron to close out the season. The Shamrocks knotted it up 3-3 after one, but then Daden Findley came on in relief and shut down the Shamrocks, pitching four innings, gave up no hits, and striking out eight. She added a home run. The rest of the team followed Findley’s lead, with Jolee Hauber getting three hits and Gwyn Healy, Renae Gladstone, and Gabbey Maudlin all getting two hits in the 16-3 win. For North Harrison, Hadley Williams got the lone hit and added a steal.

The “B” team salvaged the second game with a 3-2 win. Jamesyn Pottorff had three steals, while Anniston Dale and Karsyn Smith had one each. 

In the North Harrison Tournament, the Shamrocks fell behind 3-0 in the third inning against Princeton. It would have been easy for them to say, “Here we go again,” but they responded with a big inning, getting seven in the bottom half of the third. They added two more to get the 9-3 win.

Hadley Williams settled down after that rough third inning and finished the game, getting the win. She had 67 pitches and 47 strikes. 

Hadley Williams and Quincy Norris had two hits each. McKenna Hill, Tayley Johnson, Taryn Johnson, Hattie Hogan, and Draylee Davis had one each. Both of Quincy Norris’ hits were doubles, and Hadley Williams added another. Tayley Johnson had two steals, while Amelia Long, Draylee Davis, McKenna Hill, and Taryn Johnson each had one. The Shamrocks played errorless ball in the field.

But the fielding imploded for the Shamrocks in the South Harrison game, which they lost 10-2. Hadley Williams and Quincy Norris had two hits each. McKenna Hill had one. Quincy Norris had a double, while Hadley Williams had a triple. 

After a game like that, it was once again either a chance to lock in and play up to their potential, or mail it in for the season. Once again, they bounced back with a 17-4 win over Gilman City, kicking off a winning streak that would carry them until the end of the season. They started off with eight in the first. A young Gilman City squad fought back, getting some hits and getting three runs back, but the Shamrocks answered with nine in the second to put it away.

Hadley Williams carried the team on her shoulders again, getting two hits. McKenna Hill, Amelia Long, and Quincy Norris had one. Hadley Williams and McKenna Hill had home runs. The Shamrocks ran wild on the basepaths, with 13 steals on the day. Quincy Norris and Taryn Johnson had 3, Amelia Long and Hadley Williams had 2, and Anniston Dale, Jamesyn Pottorff, and Karsyn Smith had 1. 

The success carried into their next game as the Shamrocks played giant-killer, downing a bigger Hamilton school 13-1. McKenna Hill carried the team offensively, getting three hits. Tayley Johnson and Quincy Norris had one. McKenna Hill, Quincy Norris, and Tayley Johnson had triples. Taryn Johnson had two steals, while Alivia Parkhurst, Draylee Davis, Hattie Hogan, McKenna Hill, and Quincy Norris had one. 

Amelia Long carried the Shamrocks on the defensive site, pitching all four innings with two hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts. The Shamrocks played errorless ball behind her. Long had 58 pitches and threw 40 strikes.

The “B” team won as well, getting a 6-2 win. Emma Crowder and Jamesyn Pottorff had two steals. Hayli Young and Karsyn Smith had one. 

The success continued the next game, with North Harrison turning back Albany 8-2. Hattie Hogan is following her sister Raegan into the softball ranks, and she led the team with two hits. McKenna Hill and Taryn Johnson had one. Hattie Hogan had a double. Taryn Johnson and Tayley Johnson had 2 steals each. Amelia Long, Hattie Hogan, and McKenna Hill had one. The Shamrocks only made one error in the field.

Hadley Williams pitched the win, giving up two hits, walking one, and striking out nine in four innings of work. She threw 66 pitches, 39 for strikes. 

The “B” team won 6-3. McKenna Hill had two steals and Hayli Young had one.

The Shamrocks rolled on as Amelia Long tossed a no-hitter and the Shamrocks beat North Andrew 11-0. Long pitched five innings and nearly pitched a perfect game, only walking one batter while striking out six. The Shamrocks played errorless ball behind her.

Meanwhile, Long got plenty of run support. Hadley Williams and Quincy Norris had two hits, while Tayley Johnson, Amelia Long, Hattie Hogan, and Draylee Davis all had one. Five of their eight hits went for extra bases. Hadley Williams had two doubles, while Amelia Long and Hattie Hogan had one. Quincy Norris had a triple. The Shamrocks had 12 steals as Quincy Norris had four, McKenna Hill 2, and Draylee Davis, Hadley Williams, Karsyn Smith, Taryn Johnson, and Tayley Johnson all with one.

The “B” team dropped their game 6-0. Jamesyn Pottorff was a bright spot with two steals.

The Shamrocks played their first full seven-inning game of the year, and they overcame the fatigue, beating Mercer 11-3. The game was close until the Shamrocks broke it open late. The Shamrocks scored three in the first and two in the second to jump out to a 5-1 lead. Mercer battled back, scoring two in the fourth. But Hadley Williams, pitching all seven innings, bore down and didn’t allow another run. Meanwhile, North Harrison scored two in the sixth and four in the seventh to get the win.

McKenna Hill and Hadley Williams had three hits. Amelia Long and Draylee Davis had two. Six of their ten hits were for extra bases. Amelia Long and Hadley Williams had doubles. Hadley Williams had two triples, while Amelia Long and McKenna Hill had one. McKenna Hill had three steals. Draylee Davis and Tayley Johnson had 2, while Amelia Long, Quincy Norris, and Taryn Johnson had one each. 

Hadley Williams pitched all seven innings, giving up four hits, and striking out 13. She threw 121 pitches, 81 for strikes.

The “B” team also won 7-3. Alivia Parkhurst, Tayley Johnson, and McKenna Hill got hits. Tayley Johnson hit a home run, while McKenna Hill had a double. Anniston Dale had two steals, and McKenna Hill had one.

The final game was a thriller between North Harrison and Princeton. It turned into a pitching duel between Amelia Long for the Shamrocks and Harper Power for Princeton, with Power fanning ten Shamrocks and Long striking out nine Princeton batters. Long tossed the best game of her life, only giving up one Princeton hit. McKenna Hill had two hits, while Amelia Long and Hadley Williams had one. Hadley Williams had a triple. McKenna Hill had two steals. 

The game was scoreless until the sixth and final inning. McKenna Hill led off the bottom of the inning by beating out an infield single after having two strikes on her. Tayley Johnson grounded out to short as Hill took second. Amelia Long hit a pop fly to center that dropped in for a base hit; Hill had a perfect read on the ball and came home for the 1-0 win. 

The “B” team followed the lead of the “A” team, rallying in the third and final inning to get a 7-6 walkoff win. Draylee Davis stopped the bleeding for North Harrison and kept them in the game on the mound. Hayli Young had a hit. Jamesyn Pottorff had two steals, while Annison Dale and Hayli Young had one. In the final inning, Hayli Young got the lone Shamrock hit to drive in Jamesyn Pottorff to tie it at 6-6 to save the Shamrocks from losing. She later came around to score on a wild pitch to walk it off. 

Ava Rinehart Bright Spot in Shootout Loss

Ava Rinehart was a bright spot in Thursday's 14-12 loss to Stewartsville/Osborn. She had a home run, a double, and a single in the game, scoring four runs and driving in five. She came one triple short of the cycle. Lani Briggs got two hits, including a triple. Kathryn Parkhurst had one of her best games as a Shamrock, getting two hits, driving in two, and scoring one. Hali Smith, Addison Milligan, Shayla Vandiver, and Becca Welling also got hits. 

North Harrison jumped out to a 9-1 lead, but OSHS scored two in the third, seven in the fourth, and three in the fifth to take a 13-10 lead. The Wildcards added one more before a late rally fell short. 

Addison Milligan Carries Shamrocks to 9-5 Win

Addison Miligan carried North Harrison to its second win, a 9-5 win over Hamilton Monday, September 21st. Milligan had two doubles and four RBI's in the win and scored one run herself.

The game took on all of the intensity of previous battles between the Shamrocks and the Hornets in 2017 and 2020, when they were two of the top softball teams in the area. North Harrison played errorless ball in the win, while Hamilton only committed one.

Besides Milligan, Ava Rinehart had three hits, Lani Briggs two, Hali Smith two, and Raegan Hogan two. Ava Rinehart and Raegan Hogan also had doubles. Hali Smith had a triple. Addison Milligan, Ava Rinehart, and Lani Briggs had steals. Ava Rinehart threw a runner out stealing.

North Harrison scored two in the first, one in the third, three in the fifth, and three in the seventh for the win. 

Ava Rinehart Drives In Four as Shamrocks Win Third

Ava Rinehart drove in four runs as North Harrison beat Mercer 15-4 Monday to post its third win of the season. She had a double and a triple in the outburst, scored three runs, and stole a base. 

Lani Briggs had three hits for the Shamrocks. Hali Smith, Raegan Hogan, Kathryn Parkhurst, and Becca Welling all had two. Addison Milligan had two steals and Lani Briggs one. 

Hali Smith pitched all seven innings, giving up three walks, six hits, and striking out 11. Her team played solidly behind her, only committing one error.

North Harrison scored one in the first, one in the second, and five in the third to build up a 7-0 lead. Mercer got on the board in the fourth to make it 7-1. North Harrison plated one in the fifth, but Mercer answered with three in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-4. North Harrison added on in the late innings, getting two in the sixth and five in the seventh to seal the win. All five runs in the seventh came with two out. 

Tenley Griffith Fans 200th Batter, but Hali Smith Carries Shamrocks to First Win

Tenley Griffith struck out her 200^th batter Monday against North Harrison, but the previously winless Shamrocks snapped the Hawks’ five game winning streak and got their first win of the season as Hali Smith carried the team on her shoulders, delivering one of the best pitching performances of her career by striking out 10 Hawk batters and keeping a potent Gilman City lineup in check. Gilman City could not climb out of a 4-0 hole as the Shamrocks, who had trouble protecting the lead all year and who had trouble with adding runs when ahead, finally did so in Monday’s game in their 10-6 win. Addison Milligan said that Shamrock coach Justin Joiner did nothing special for Monday night’s game. “We were just locked in,” she said.

Lani Briggs started the game with a bad-hop single to second. Jaxcynn Hansel tapped a bunt in front of the plate, and catcher Avery Chadwick threw away the force try to second to put runners on second and third. Ava Rinehart tripled to the right field wall to put the Shamrocks up 2-0. Addison Milligan was plunked and stole second. Raegan Hogan tapped a ball in front of the plate and beat it out. Rinehart timed the throw to first perfectly and took off on the throw, making it in safely to make it 3-0. Katherine Parkhurst, who had started hitting the ball well in the Worth County game, kept up her improvement as she grounded out to the shortstop to bring in Addison Milligan to make it 4-0.

Tenley Griffith walked to start the Hawk first, but Hali Smith was on and was overpowering even the good hitters in the Hawk lineup. Finally, Nova Smith singled from right and Griffith, trying to give her team a spark, scored all the way from first to get Gilman City on the board, down 4-1.

A four-run lead was not safe for the Shamrocks, as they had led Worth County 7-3, only for them to come back. But when Gilman City failed to cash in a runner on third with nobody out in the second, Ava Rinehart doubled to the wall in center to start North Harrison’s third. Addison Milligan singled her home to make it 5-1. Milligan later came home on a passed ball to make it 6-1.

Alli Burke finally got Gilman City going when she crashed a ball fair just inside the first baseline. It sliced away from Katherine Parkhurst and Burke was standing up with a triple. An errant pickoff throw allowed her to come home. Nova Smith was plunked to start the Hawks again. Avery Chadwick grounded out to advance her, and Kayleece Puls, who kept the hot bat going with three hits Monday after getting three in the Grundy County game, singled her home to make it 6-3.

The Shamrocks had played errorless ball through the first three, but they looked like they would finally start to unravel in the fourth as a pair of errors brought home Tenley Griffith to cut the Hawk deficit to 6-4. But a dropped pop fly put Ava Rinehart on base, and Addison Milligan tripled her home in the Shamrock fifth to make it 7-4. Milligan came home on a wild pitch to make it 8-4.

With two outs in the sixth, Tenley Griffith tripled to the left center field wall; everyone wanted coach Danny Lisle to send her home, but Lani Briggs had the ball at the edge of the grass and was ready to throw home for what would have been a close play. Emily Chalfant walked. Alli Burke singled to right center to score Tenley Griffith to make it 8-5. But Chalfant was out trying to go first to third as Lani Briggs threw a perfect strike to Addison Milligan for the tag.

Once again, just as it looked like Gilman City would catch up, North Harrison added on. Hali Smith reached first on an error. Raegan Hogan hit a hard shot to Kayleece Puls at short; she made a great diving stop but had no play against the speedy Hogan. They took second and third on a wild pitch. Katherine Parkhurst hit a grounder to second. Hali Smith made the kind of daredevil play that Anna Gladstone used to do all the time for Worth County and Avery Gregg did for the Hawks last year. She dared Gilman City to throw her out, drew the throw to third, and took off for home, making it safely to make it 9-5 as Hogan took third. Hogan came home on a wild pitch to make it 10-5.

Later in the inning, Tenley Griffith struck out Shayla Vandiver for her 200^th career strikeout for the Hawks.

With two outs in the seventh, Kayleece Puls walked to keep the game going and took second on a passed ball. Emmery Smith got a single off her cousin Hali and kept the Hawks chances alive, making it 10-6 as Puls scored. But Hali Smith got her 10^th strikeout to end the game.

Megan Tracy Pitches Tigers Back to Win Column

Worth County’s softball team used a frantic rally in the fifth to force extra innings and rode the arm of Megan Tracy to a 10-7 win over North Harrison in eight innings, snapping a two-game losing streak. After their forgettable 14-2 loss to Princeton, they had to turn around and play Stanberry, another contender in the GRC West. Kristen Tracy’s ankle healed faster than expected, and she got to bat, but Stanberry completely outplayed Worth County, building up an 8-3 lead. But then Worth County put together a frantic rally in the seventh, scoring four runs before coming up short 8-7 in a game that all but knocked them out of the GRC West title race. 

Princeton is unbeaten for the season. They have three conference games left, with North Harrison, North Andrew, and Albany, and unless they drop at least two of them and Worth County wins out, Worth County will be out of the running this year.

The good news for Worth County for Thursday’s game was that Kristen Tracy healed up enough to the point where she played part of the game. If she comes back healthy this week, the Tigers will have plenty to play for even if the GRC West title is out of reach for this year.

North Harrison has been searching for their first win, but they got out of the first inning with no damage done when Kaydence Downing walked, only for shortstop Lani Briggs to pull off a 6-3 double play.

Worth County has been trying three different pitchers in Kristen Tracy’s absence. Kaydence Downing started but fought the strike zone in walking Lani Briggs and Jaxcynn Hansel. Ava Rinehart beat out an infield hit, but Worth County threw to third to force out Briggs. Hali Smith doubled to right center to score one. Ava Rinehart scored on a wild pitch. Addison Milligan flied out to score Hali Smith to put the Shamrocks up 3-0.

Worth County got one back in the second. Braelyn Fletchall and Addison Gray singled and Keira Hardy walked to load the bases. Brooklyn Smith grounded out to put Worth County on the board.

They tried Brooklyn Smith on the mound, and she held the line in the second. Jaxcynn Hansel singled and Ava Rinehart walked, but Hali Smith forced Hansel at third for the final out.

The Tigers knotted it up in the third. With one out, Kambree Briner singled to left and took second on a wild pitch. Audrey Runde reached first on a dropped throw as the ball got away, scoring Briner to make it 3-2. Megan Tracy grounded out to advance Runde. Braelyn Fletchall hit a pop fly to right center; three different Shamrocks chased it, but it dropped for her second hit as Runde scored to tie it at 3-3.

Raegan Hogan walked and Addison Milligan singled. Katherine Parkhurst singled to load the bases. Becca Welling walked to force in a run to make it 4-3 and turn over the lineup. The Shamrocks started teeing off on Smith, with Lani Briggs and Jaxcynn Hansel getting singles to make it 6-3. Ava Rinehart grounded into a force, but another run scored to make it 7-3. 

But Worth County has been playing from behind all year. They were down 3-0 against Stanberry in the tournament and came back. They were down 2-0 against King City and came back. They were down 8-3 against Stanberry and nearly came back. After Megan Tracy stopped the bleeding on the mound, Kaydence Downing singled just past Jaxcynn Hansel at third. The ball got away, and she took second. Kambree Briner singled to center. Audrey Runde walked. They took second and third on a passed ball. Braelyn Fletchall singled to right to score two to make it 7-6. Addison Gray grounded out to advance her to second. Fletchall took third on a wild pitch. Keira Hardy hit a golf swing and hit a soft sinking line drive that second baseman Shayla Vandiver dove for but couldn’t come up with as Fletchall scored on the scratch hit to tie it at 7-7. It would have been worse had not shortstop Lani Briggs snagged Kristen Tracy’s screamer backhanded for the tine out.

Megan Tracy set the Shamrocks down in order in the fifth, while Lani Briggs relieved Hali Smith on the mound and stopped the bleeding. Smith, now at short, snagged Megan Tracy’s sinking line drive on the backhand to keep Worth County off the basepaths in the top of the sixth.

Ava Rinehart walked to start the Shamrock sixth. Hali Smith flied out to Kaydence Downing in right, and Raegan Hogan hit a screamer to left, but Brooklyn Smith snagged it with a backhand to rob her of extra bases. Addison Milligan reached on an error, but pitcher Megan Tracy struck out Shayla Vandiver to end the inning.

Katherine Parkhurst hit the ball as hard as she has all her life and hit a sinking line drive to center, but Tiger centerfielder Addison Gray dove to her knees and caught it for the first out. Becca Welling was called out on strikes. Lani Briggs singled and Jaxcynn Hansel hit a seeing-eye single between third and short. Ava Rinehart was intentionally walked. Megan Tracy threw Hali Smith some high, hard heat and struck her out to preserve the tie.

Brooklyn Smith and Kristen Tracy walked to start the Tiger eighth. Jane Hawk ran for Tracy. Smith and Hawk took second and third on a wild pitch. Kambree Briner singled to center, and the ball got away as she took second as the Tigers broke the tie and took a 9-7 lead. Audrey Runde hit a towering fly ball to left, but Becca Welling snagged it for the second out. Megan Tracy hit a pop fly over Hali Smith at short and stretched a single into a double as Briner scored to make it 10-7.

Raegan Hogan hit a slap but Kambree Briner, who was stationed right next to Megan Tracy on the mound to guard against the slap, scooped it up for the first out. Addison Milligan walked, but Shayla Vandiver struck out. Katherine Parkhurst crushed another solid knock down the left field line. It was well into foul territory, but Brooklyn Smith nearly crashed into the wall as she snagged it for the final out.

***

Will and Linda Brown were there to cheer on Megan and Kristen Tracy, who were fixtures in Linda’s office when they were kids, Linda was the country treasurer, and Julie Tracy was the collector at the Courthouse. But they were also there to cheer on their great-granddaughter, Katherine Parkhurst.

Jayden Goble Carries Pattonsburg to Consolation Title

     Jayden Goble carried the Pattonsburg team on her shoulders throughout the sweltering afternoon and fittingly enough, scored the game-winning run in the consolation game to secure hardware for the Panthers Saturday at the Albany Tournament. Addie Iddings, normally one of the favorite targets of Coach Bill Pottorff’s wrath, got some praise from him for a change. “Addie, I’m proud of you,” he said after the game. Iddings kept the team in all three of their games with her pitching, rarely walking batters and always throwing strikes regardless of how badly her fielders were struggling behind her. She pitched all three games in sweltering 90+ degree heat and held up until the end.

Goble got seven hits for the afternoon and swiped five bases. Kaitlyn Estes was right behind her, getting a home run on the small field and nearly getting one on the big field in the consolation game and taking out a car parked behind the fence in the process. Isabella Burger added a home run, and Rosalynn Cameron, related to Royals pitcher Noah Cameron, was a steady hitting presence.

Stanberry was forecast to be a contender in the GRC West this year, but Pattonsburg jumped on them early with Isabella Burger’s home run as the wind carried it out of reach and over the fence to make it 1-0. With one out in the second, Emsleigh McCrary was plunked. Carlie Pittsenbarger got a sacrifice bunt to move McCrary to second. Cheyanne Miller singled her home to make it 2-0.

But as the day got hotter, the errors began to mount, with Pattonsburg making nine on the day and somehow still had a chance to win at the end. Brooke Robinson reached second on an error and Jaicee McGinley advanced her to third. Ellie Dias grounded out to put Stanberry on the board.

Pattonsburg responded in the third with Estes hitting a carbon copy of Burger’s drive to make it 3-1.

But then the errors began to mount and Stanberry started coming back, using two Panther errors to cut their deficit to 3-2. Brooke Robinson singled in Harper Heyde to tie it up, an error let in a run to put Stanberry up 4-3, and McGinley hit a pop fly single over second baseman Emsleigh McCrary’s head to make it 5-3.

Jayden Goble, who had been out on her first two at-bats, got better as the day got hotter, starting with a double to left to tie the game at 5, with Carlie Pittsenbarger and Cheyenne Miller scoring. But Stanberry struck again with two outs as Harper Heyde tripled to left as Kynzee Adcock and Tasha Stoll scored to make it 7-5. Heyde came home on a passed ball to make it 8-5. At that point, all eight of Stanberry’s runs had come with two outs.

The eighth run came on a controversial call as Jayden Goble clearly tagged Heyde making an ill-advised dash to the plate on a play that everybody saw but the umpire.

The lower part of Pattonsburg’s order came through to give them a chance. Rosalynn Cameron caught hold of a pitch well outside of the strike zone and singled to left and Vanessa Weigand doubled her over to third. Emsleigh McCrary hit a seeing-eye single to right to score Cameron to make it 8-6 as Weigand went first to third. McCrary stole second and as the shortstop cut off the throw, Weigand took off for home and was safe as McCrary took third on the play. That made it 8-7. Cheyenne Miller’s pop fly short-hopped the center fielder as McCrary scored to make it 8-8. Addie Iddings grounded out to score Miller to put Pattonsburg up 9-8.

But Pattonsburg made two more errors in the final inning, and that proved to be too much. Left fielder Carly Pittsenbarger made a great play to cut down a runner at third, but Josi Moffat grounded out to score Jaicee McGinley to tie it and Olivia McQuinn singled home Ellie Dias to walk it off for Stanberry 10-9.

Against North Harrison, Jayden Goble singled to start the game and swiped second. The ball got away, and Goble circled the bases to put Pattonsburg up 1-0. Addie Iddings narrowly missed a home run and doubled to right. Shamrock catcher Ava Rinehart picked her off and got her in a rundown. There was a massive collision between Iddings and Shamrock second baseman Shayla Vandiver, who held on to the tag for the out. Kaitlyn Estes doubled into the left field corner and Rosalynn Cameron got a bad-hop single to score her and make it 2-0.

Lani Briggs reached on an error and Addison Milligan doubled to right, putting Briggs on third. Jaxcynn Hansel singled to center to score them and tie it at 2-2 after one.

The score was stuck there until the fourth inning, when a pair of Shamrock errors scored Carly Pittsenbarger to make it 3-2. Jayden Goble flied out to score Cheyenne Miller to make it 4-2. Addie Iddings walked and Gracelyn Youtsey (running for Iddings) took second on a wild pitch. Isabella Burger singled her over to third and advanced to second on defensive indifference. Kaitlyn Estes walked. Rosalynn Cameron beat out an infield hit to score Youtsey to make it 5-2. Vanessa Weigand reached on an error to score Burger to make it 6-2.

In the Shamrock fourth, Kathryn Parkhurst walked. Shayla Vandiver struck out and Becca Welling forced Parkhurst at second. Singles by Lani Briggs and Addison Milligan plated Welling to cut it to 6-3.

Carlie Pittsenbarger singled to right to start the Panther fifth, and the ball got away to put her on second. Cheyanne Miller put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move her to third. Jayden Goble beat out an infield hit as Pittsenbarger scored to make it 7-3. Goble stole second, and the ball got away to put her on third. Addie Iddings grounded out to score her and make it 8-3. Isabella Burger beat out an infield hit. Singles by Kaitlyn Estes and Roslynn Cameron scored her to make it 9-3.

North Harrison fought back after Hali Smith beat out an infield single. Jaxcynn Hansel grounded to second; Pattonsburg tried to go for the force, but Smith beat it out. Raegan Hogan singled to load the bases. Kathryn Parkhurst grounded out to score Smith. Shayla Vandiver flied out to score Hansel to make it 9-5. But Becca Welling flied out, and time was called to advance Pattonsburg to the consolation finals.

Against North Andrew, Pattonsburg struck first as Jayden Goble singled to left. She stole second and third, carrying the team on her shoulders even more as it got hotter and hotter. Kaitlyn Estes doubled her home to make it 1-0.

North Andrew answered in the third when Olivia Diggs singled. Presleigh Ford singled to center; they tried to cut down Diggs going first to third, but she was safe as Ford took second. Diggs scored on a passed ball as Ford took third. Delaney Sybert grounded out as Presleigh Ford scored to put North Andrew in front 2-1.

In the Panther third, Isabella Burger walked with one out. Emsleigh McCrary (running for Burger) took second on a passed ball. Kaitlyn Estes doubled her home to tie it at 2-2. Rosalynn Cameron bunted and reached on an error as Estes scored to put Pattonsburg up 3-2.

In the Cardinal fourth, Panther left fielder Carlie Pittsenbarger made her second outstanding defensive play when she forced out a runner at second base to kill a rally.

Delaney Sybert, Hadley Anderson, and Hayden Manley all singled to tie it at 3-3. Zoey Redmond singled to left and the ball got away as Hayden Manley and Hadley Anderson scored to put North Andrew up 5-3.

Kaitlyn Estes got her third double of the day with one out in the Pattonsburg fifth. She took third on a passed ball. Rosalynn Cameron walked and took second on defensive indifference. Vanessa Weigand doubled to tie the game up at 5-5.

Time had expired, so the International Tiebreaker rule was in effect, meaning that each team starts the inning with a runner on second. In North Andrew’s half of the sixth, Olivia Diggs got a sacrifice bunt to move the ghost runner, Aurora Miller, to third. Bradyn Wilson grounded out to score Miller and put North Andrew in front 6-5.

Emsleigh McCrary advanced to third on a passed ball in Pattonsburg’s half. Cheyanne Miller grounded out, but McCrary held up and no run scored. Jayden Goble singled to left; there was a heartstopping moment as she slipped and fell rounding first, but she got back safely as Emsleigh McCrary scored to make it 6-6. Goble stole second and the ball got away, putting her on third. Addie Iddings was hit by a pitch. Isabella Burger flied out to score Goble to win the game 7-6. 

Kameron Mars, Hawks Show Resilience, Salvage Final Game at Albany

Against North Harrison, the Hawks dug themselves into an 11-3 hole. But this time, they fought their way back to get a 15-11 win to salvage the final game of the tournament.

The first inning belonged to the Shamrocks as Burke suddenly started fighting the strike zone and walked four batters in the inning. Jaxcynn Hansel scored on a wild pitch to put North Harrison up 1-0. Raegan Hogan doubled to score Addison Milligan and Ava Rinehart to make it 3-0. Hali Smith and Hogan scored on wild pitches to make it 5-0. Becca Welling beat out an infield hit to score Shayla Vandiver to make it 6-0. It would have been worse had not Hawk center fielder Hailey McClure came flying out of nowhere to snatch Lani Briggs’ pop fly behind the shortstop position and second base for the final out.

Tenley Griffith walked to start the Hawk first and took second and third on wild pitches. Kameron Mars showed her value to her new team by putting pressure on the defense as she flew down the line after a ground ball and forced an error, scoring Griffith. She later came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 6-2.

In the Shamrock second, Ava Rinehart nearly had a home run, but got a ground-rule double after the ball short-hopped the fence. She later scored on a dropped fly ball to put North Harrison up 7-2.

Emmery Smith walked and took second on a wild pitch. Nova Smith singled her home to cut the Hawk deficit to 7-3.

North Harrison built up a seemingly insurmountable lead in the third, scoring four runs with two outs. Shayla Vandiver walked. Becca Welling and Lani Briggs advanced her to third with groundouts. Jaxcynn Hansel walked. At that point, Tenley Griffith replaced Alli Burke on the mound. Throughout the first three games, Coach Lisle was moving a lot of people around, trying to find something that worked. At first, it looked like more of the same as Hansel stole second and Addison Milligan singled down the right field line to score two to make it 9-3. Ava Rinehart shot a double over Griffith’s outstretched glove to score Milligan and came home on Hali Smith’s single to make it 11-3.

But then Griffith suddenly settled down and showed off the form that made her successful last year, shutting down the potent Shamrock lineup the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Hawks began their comeback bid after Alli Burke shot a line drive off shortstop Ava Rinehart’s glove into left field for a base hit. Avery Chadwick shot a single just past third to put runners on first and second. They took second and third on a wild pitch. Parker Crabtree grounded to pitcher Hali Smith, who cut down Burke trying to score for the first out as Chadwick took third and Crabtree first. Kayleece Puls walked to load the bases. Emmery Smith walked to force in a run. Hailey McClure singled to center to score Parker Crabtree and Kayleece Puls to make it 11-6. Tenley Griffith singled to score Emmery Smith and Hailey McClure to make it 11-8. Tenley went from first to third on a wild pitch and scored on Kameron Mars’ shot off the second baseman’s glove to make it 11-9.

Aided by a diving grab by Chadwick behind the plate, Gilman kept the Shamrocks off the board in the fourth.

Chadwick reached third on an error and Parker Crabtree walked. Kayleece Puls hit a pop fly that looked like trouble, but Hali Smith, playing in center field, made a running grab behind short. Chadwick tagged up and scored on the play to make it 11-10. An error and a walk loaded the bases, and Tenley Griffith walked to force in Parker Crabtree to tie it up at 11. Kameron Mars singled to break the tie and score Puls to make it 12-11. Alli Burke nearly had a home run, but singled off the wall to score Emmery Smith and Nova Smith. Tenley Griffith scored on a wild pitch to make it 15-11. 

Millie Long, Worthy Rebels Overcome Bad Start to Win Tournament

North Harrison softball standout Millie Long and the Worthy Rebels overcame a bad start and 95 degree heat to win a softball tournament last weekend. 

The Rebels dropped a walk-off 5-4 win to Nebraska Kingery. They built up a 4-1 lead, only for Kingery to push four runs across in the final frame to get the 5-4 win.

Long went 2 for 2, pitched five innings, gave up three hits, only one walk, and struck out five, but the Rebels could not overcome five errors and fell to the Bombers 5-2 in their second game.

But the Rebels treated the two losses as wake-up calls and they delivered in the third game, playing errorless ball in a 3-1 win over South Dakota Players 12U. 

From there, the Rebels got better each time out. Against the Western Iowa Heat, they once again played errorless ball. They fell into a 1-0 hole, but scored two in the fourth and three in the fifth to get a 5-1 win as their bats came alive to allow them to even their record. Millie drove in a run and pitched three innings, battling traffic but only allowing one run while striking out four. 

As the weather heated up Sunday, so did the Rebels as they broke up a slugfest in the second and third innings, scoring four in the second and two in the third to put West Des Moines Buchholz away 10-3. Millie was 1 for 1 with a walk and a run scored.

The final game featured a rematch between the Worthy Rebels and the South Dakota squad. The first game was a close win, but this time, the Rebels scored five in the third and eight in the fourth to secure the 14-1 win. Millie Long was 1 for 2 with a walk, an RBI, and a steal. Despite the heat, the Rebels only made two errors on the second day.

For the tournament, Millie batted 4 for 12 with two RBI's and a run scored with two walks. On the mound, she pitched 8 2/3 innings with 10 hits, two earned runs, only one walk, and 9 strikeouts. 

Millie Long Co-MVP for Worthy Rebels in Des Moines

North Harrison student Amelia Long and her travel softball team, the 12 & Under Worthy Rebels, held their own last weekend  playing up at the CIS Bring the Heat Tournament in Des Moines.

In their first game, playing against Xtreme White 12U, they jumped out to a 4-0 lead and had to hold on by their fingernails to get a 4-3 lead. Millie was 0 for 2, but drove in two runs in the game. She pitched for four innings,, giving up three hits and striking out four. She only walked one batter. She threw 57 pitches and 39 strikes.

In their second game, they played Delta and won 10-1. Millie scored two runs, walked, and stole a base.

Pitted against an older team in Iowa Elite Force, they built up a 4-1 lead before Iowa Elite Force rallied to force a 4-4 tie in the third game.

Their final game that weekend was a rematch with Xtreme White. They fell behind 4-0, only to put together a frantic rally before coming up short 4-3. Millie pitched that game, striking out seven and only walking two in three innings of work.

For her efforts, Amelia was named co-MVP by her team.

 

 

Megan Tracy Drives In Six as Tigers Breeze Past Shamrocks in First Round of Districts

Megan Tracy drove in six runs and Worth County breezed past North Harrison 14-4 Thursday in the first round of districts at Princeton. For North Harrison, they came a long way from last year; they won nine games, up from five the year before, and they return nine out of their 11 players for next year.

Against Worth County, it was a matter of struggling to get the third out; Worth County’s first eight runs were scored with two outs. It started in the first inning; after Worth County’s first two batters got retired, Kristen Tracy kept the inning going with a walk. Audrey Runde grounded to Hali Smith, who threw it down the first base line; it is a long run to chase down errant balls on the Princeton field, and by the time North Harrison got it back in, Runde reached third and Tracy scored to make it 1-0. Megan Tracy walked and stole second and Addison Gray singled to right center to bring in two and make it 3-0.

Shamrock catcher Ava Rinehart picked Gray off first, but that didn’t derail Worth County’s momentum. After the first two Tigers struck out to start the second, Rayleigh Smith walked to keep the inning going and turn the lineup over. Riley Ridge beat out an infield singled and Kambree Briner walked to load the bases. Walks lead to runs and sure enough, Kristen Tracy singled to left. Audrey Runde singled to right center field as Briner scored and Tracy took third. Runde stole second and Megan Tracy singled two more home to make it 8-0.

Addison Milligan finally got the Shamrocks going as she singled. Raegan Hogan walked and Lani Briggs reached on a bad-hop single that tied up Keira Hardy at third to load the bases. Ava Rinehart hit a sinking line drive that Riley Ridge made a sliding catch on in center, and nobody could advance. Hali Smith was tied up by a change and grounded into a force at second as Milligan scored to make it 8-1.

The Shamrock momentum carried over as second baseman Becca Welling, who filled a big hole at that position this year, snagged Rylee Ruckman’s screamer to keep Worth County off the board in the third. Jaxcynn Hansel turned on the first pitch she saw in the top of the fourth and singled to center. Kathryn Parkhurst and Kaydence Lambert struck out, but Addison Milligan tripled into the right field corner to score her to make it 8-2. Raegan Hogan turned on the first pitch she saw and singled to left to make it 8-3.

But Worth County got the runs back in their half when Audrey Runde got a pop fly that dropped in for a base hit with one out. Megan Tracy followed with a home run over Kathryn Parkhurst’s head and into the right field corner to make it 10-3.

North Harrison fought back again as Ava Rinehart and Hali Smith walked and Jaxcynn Hansel reached on an error to load the bases. Kathryn Parkhurst hit a grounder to pitcher Kristen Tracy. She went home for the force play, but Rinehart was safe to make it 10-4. But Audrey Runde threw to first to get Parkhurst to get the second out. Kaydence Lambert lined out to Rylee Ruckman at shortstop to end the inning.

Rayleigh Smith walked on a 3-2 pitch to start the Tiger fifth and Riley Ridge reached on an error to put runners on first and second. Kambree Briner popped out to Lani Briggs at shortstop, but Kristen Tracy hit a ball that took a bad hop on Becca Welling and rolled into right field for a double as both runners scored to make it 12-4. Audrey Runde got her third hit as she hit a soft line drive that Becca Welling stopped, but she didn’t have a play on as everybody was safe; Kristen Tracy took third on the play. Megan Tracy hit what would have been her second home run of the game, crushing a home run into the right field corner. Since the game ended when Runde crossed the plate to make it 14-4, her hit counted as a double.

 

Addison Milligan, Lani Briggs Shine on Shamrock Senior Night

Addison Milligan and Lani Briggs had big nights Tuesday, October 14th for North Harrison as the Shamrocks went home early on senior night, beating Mercer 15-0. Addison Milligan drove in four runs and scored two, while Lani Briggs drove in four runs and scored one. Andi Nail and Jaxcynn Hansel scored three runs each. Hali Smith tossed a three-hit shutout, striking out six Mercer batters. Honored at Senior Night were Ciera Hilburn and Andi Nail.

Addison Milligan and Lani Briggs each had two hits. Raegan Hogan, Ava Rinehart, Hali Smith, Andi Nail, and Jaxcynn Hansel had one hit each. The Shamrocks played errorless ball in the field. Andi Nail and Lani Briggs had double. Addison Milligan had three steals. Ava Rinehart had two, while Andi Nail, Jaxcynn Hansel, Kathryn Parkhurst, Lani Briggs, and Raegan Hogan had one.

Paisley Wells walked to start the Cardinal first following an eight-pitch battle, but Hali Smith set down the rest of the Cards in order, with catcher Ava Rinehart snagging Zoe Fisher's pop fly for the final out.

Addison Milligan walked and stole second and third to start the Shamrock first. Walks lead to runs and sure enough, Milligan stole second and third. Raegan Hogan walked and stole second. Lani Briggs doubled them both in to make it 2-0. Briggs stole third and came around on an error to make it 3-0. Ava Rinehart walked, stole second, and took third on a passed ball. Hali Smith grounded out to score her to make it 4-0. Andi Nail restarted the Shamrocks with a double to left. The ball got away and she took third. Nail scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0. Jaxcynn Hansel walked. Ciera Hilburn grounded out to advance Hansel to second. Kathryn Parkhurst walked. Addison Milligan walked. Raegan Hogan singled to score Hansel to make it 6-0.

Mercer tried to answer as they got three straight singles to start the second. But Hali Smith struck out the next three Cardinal batters to get out of the inning.

Ava Rinehart walked to start the Shamrock second. She stole second and took third on a passed ball. Hali Smith reached on a dropped fly ball and circled the bases; Rinehart scored as well to make it 8-0. Andi Nail walked and Jaxcynn Hansel singled her to second. Kathryn Parkhurst walked to load the bases. Addison Milligan singled to center to score Hansel and Nail to make it 10-0. Raegan Hogan walked. Lani Briggs flied out to score Parkhurst to make it 11-0.

Hali Smith ran her consecutive strikeout total to five before Zoe Fisher finally grounded out to Hansel at third. Smith was plunked to start the Shamrock third. She advanced all the way to third on an error and then scored on a passed ball to make it 12-0. Andi Nail walked to keep the inning going. Hansel was plunked and Becca Welling walked to load the bases. Addison Milligan singled in Jaxcynn Hansel and Andi Nail to make it 14-0. Hogan forced Welling at third, leaving runners on first and second with two outs. Lani Briggs singled in Milligan to end the game early for the Shamrocks. 

Raegan Hogan Breaks Up No-Hit Bid

Raegan Hogan broke up Putnam County pitcher Rory Gilworth’s no-hit bid to start the seventh Thursday, getting a triple to center field to start the inning. Ava Rinehart beat out an infield single to get her home to break up the shutout bid.

The rest of the game belonged to Gilworth and the Midgets; she struck out 16 Shamrocks that night. The Midgets took advantage of five Shamrock errors and scored one in the first, one in the second, five in the third, and two in the fifth to get the 9-1 win.

 

Hali Smith, Addison Milligan Carry Shamrocks to Runner-Up Finish at NHC Tournament

Hali Smith carried North Harrison in the first two games in the Norborne/Hardin Central Tournament Saturday and Addison Milligan did all she could in the third game, getting a home run as the Shamrocks were runner-up in the tournament for the second year in a row. They beat Meadville 8-3 in the first game as Hali Smith fanned 10 batters. They beat Tina-Avalon in the second game 13-2. In that game, Hali Smith carried the Shamrocks with her legs, stealing four bases. In the third, the Shamrocks had a bad inning and fell to Norborne/Hardin Central 9-7 in the championship round.

The Shamrocks had some things to build on despite not being able to play spoiler against the Albany juggernaut. They hit Makena Moffat as well as anyone this year despite the 17-4 loss. They played well in five innings, but had two bad innings in the loss.

The Shamrocks got 11 hits in the loss. Jaxcynn Hansel did all she could, getting three hits. Ava Rinehart, Lani Briggs, and Raegan Hogan had two. Addison Milligan and Andi Nail had 1. Jaxcynn Hansel nearly completed a cycle as she had a single, a double, and a triple that game.

In the Meadville game, they cut down on their walks from eight to three, cut down on their errors from four to one, and got hits from eight different people in the win. Jaxcynn Hansel continued her hot streak, getting two hits and five in her last two games. Lani Briggs and Addison Milligan had two and Raegan Hogan, Hali Smith, Ava Rinehart, Andi Nail, and Kadence Lambert had one each. Ava Rinehart had a double. Hali Smith and Lani Briggs had steals.

The Shamrocks scored all three of their runs in the first inning with two outs. Lani Briggs singled and went to second on an errant throw and Hali Smith singled her home. Smith stole second and Ava Rinehart reached second after the third baseman dropped a line drive as Smith scored to make it 2-0. Andi Nail singled to center to score Rinehart.

Ashton Burnett walked to start the Eagle first and took second and third on passed balls. Alexis Shiflett reached on a pop fly that dropped in before shortstop Lani Briggs could get to it, but she threw out Burnett trying to score for the first out. McKinlee Fletcher walked, but Hali Smith struck out the next two batters to get out of the inning with no damage done.

Addison Milligan and Raegan Hogan started off the Shamrock second with singles. Lani Briggs fouled off seven pitches before finally walking to load the bases. Hali Smith grounded out to score Milligan and advance everyone else. Ava Rinehart doubled to score Hogan and Briggs to make it 6-0 after two.

McKinlee Fletcher singled in the Meadville third to plate Alexis Shiflett to give them their first run and make it 6-1.

Zoey Dunn walked to start off the Eagle fourth. Walks lead to runs and sure enough, Dunn stole second and Krista Cokerham singled her home to make it 6-2.

Lani Briggs caught Aubrey Young’s smash in the fifth to prevent another rally from taking shape.

Addison Milligan and Lani Briggs scored on passed balls in the Shamrock sixth to make it 8-2 and give them some insurance.

Dunn scored on a passed ball to make it 8-3 in the sixth, but catcher Ava Rinehart gunned down Ruby Moore stealing to kill the rally. Time was called after the sixth.

In the second game, Lani Briggs and Raegan Hogan had two hits. Hali Smith, Ava Rinehart, and Andi Nail all had one and the Shamrocks took advantage of six walks and five errors. Hali Smith had four stolen bases. Lani Briggs had two and Andi Nail, Ava Rinehart, and Raegan Hogan had one each. North Harrison stole nine bases. Ava Rinehart had a double.

Lani Briggs pitched and limited Tina-Avalon to three hits while striking out eight.  The Shamrocks only committed two errors.

Addison Milligan walked to start the game. Walks lead to runs and sure enough, Hali Smith beat out a bunt single and Milligan went first to third. Lani Briggs singled in Milligan to make it 1-0 as Smith took third.

On the next play, the Shamrocks pulled off a successful double steal as Lani Briggs stole second and Hali Smith stole home. Ava Rinehart doubled to left to score Briggs to make it 3-0.

In the Dragon first, Brianne Sykes walked. Walks lead to runs and sure enough, she stole second and Kaydence Kelley doubled her home to make it 3-1. Lani Briggs got out of the inning by getting a strikeout and a groundout.

Kathryn Parkhurst walked to start the Shamrock second and Becca Welling was plunked. Tina-Avalon nearly got out of the inning as Addison Milligan popped out and Hali Smith forced Welling at second as Parkhurst took third. But Hali Smith stole second and Lani Briggs singled in both runners to make it 5-1 as the walk and hit batter came back to bite the Dragons.

Emery Bowling walked to start the Tina-Avalon second and Cadence Judy bunted out to Jaxcynn Hansel at third to advance her. Bowling stole third. Ava Rinehart threw an errant pickoff, but Raegan Hogan backed up the play perfectly and gunned her down at the plate for the second out. Lani Briggs struck out the last batter.

Raegan Hogan singled to start the Shamrock third and Andi Nail reached on an error. The Dragons nearly got out of the inning as Jaxcynn Hansel and Kathryn Parkhurst popped out. But Becca Welling and Addison Milligan walked to force in a run, making it 6-1.

In the Shamrock fourth, Lani Briggs was plunked and Ava Rinehart reached second on an error as Briggs took third. Raegan Hogan singled them both in to make it 8-1. Hogan took second on a passed ball. Andi Nail struck out after a seven-pitch at bat, but Jaxcynn Hansel grounded out to advance Hogan to third. Hogan scored on a passed ball to make it 9-1.

Kaydence Kelley singled to start the Dragon fourth. Emery Bowling struck out and Timberlynn Palmer popped out to Andi Nail at first. Miley Bowling singled Kelley all the way home from first to make it 9-2.

Addison Milligan walked to start the Shamrock fifth. Walks lead to errors and runs and sure enough, Hali Smith reached on an error as Milligan took third. Smith stole second. Milligan scored on a passed ball to make it 10-2 as Smith took third. Lani Briggs singled to right to score Smith and took second on the throw home as the Shamrocks led 11-2. Briggs took third on a passed ball. Ava Rinehart walked and stole second. Raegan Hogan reached on an error as Briggs scored and Rinehart took third. Hogan stole second. Jaxcynn Hansel grounded out to score Rinehart to make it 13-2.

Alison O’Neal reached on an error with one out in the Dragon fifth, but  Brianne Sykes hit a grounder to Addison Milligan. She stepped on the bag at second and threw to Andi Nail at first to end the game on the ten-run rule.

Addison Milligan did all she could in the third game, getting three hits. Hali Smith had two and Lani Briggs, Andi Nail, and Jaxcynn Hansel had one each. Milligan hit a home run. Andi Nail stole a base. Hali Smith pitched again and only walked one batter. But the errors came back to cost the Shamrocks as they committed four in the game.

Hali Smith singled home Raegan Hogan in the first inning to put the Shamrocks up 1-0. Norborne/Hardin Central tied it right back up with an over-the-fence home run to make it 1-1. Andi Nail scored on a passed ball to make it 2-1 in the second. NHC scored on a passed ball in its half to knot it at 2-2.

North Harrison threatened to take control in the third as a pair of errors and a single by Jaxcynn Hansel made it 4-2. But then all hell broke loose in the bottom of the third as the Aggies teed off on Smith and a pair of errors fueled the fire. By the time the dust had settled, the Shamrocks were down 7-4 and left playing catch-up the rest of the way.

North Harrison closed to within 7-6 in the fourth inning, only for Norborne/Hardin Central to get two more in its half of the fourth to get insurance. Addison Milligan hit one over the fence in the fifth before time was called.