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.

Tiger Softball Down to Last Nine Players

Worth County’s softball team is down to its last nine players following a 14-2 loss to Princeton Thursday.

On Tuesday, September 1^st, the Tigers used a home run from Audrey Runde and two spectacular defensive plays from freshman Kaydence Downing to preserve a 2-0 win over North Andrew. Downing, playing right field, threw a runner trying to go from first to third and later made a shoestring catch for the final out of the game.

Against Princeton, pitcher Kristen Tracy sprained an ankle early in the game, and things went from bad to worse as Princeton, who went to state last year and who has everyone back this year, pounded the ball all night long. The demoralized Tigers made ten errors in the loss.

It is not known when Tracy will be back. By rule, if a team can’t start with nine players, they can’t play. Some teams have players that can bat, but can’t field, or vice versa; when a team doesn’t have nine players they can send to the plate, they take an automatic out.

Under MSHSAA rules, it is past the deadline to form an emergency cooperative. There was talk about a softball cooperative between Northeast Nodaway and Worth County last year, but the Bluejays have a lot more players out this year. After the MSHSAA assigns districts for the year which it has, then it is too late to form a cooperative.

A new player could join the squad mid-season, but they must complete MSHSAA-required 14 days of conditioning and have a physical and health insurance on file with the school. Exceptions are if the athlete in question is a member of the golf team or the cheer squad; then, they are not subject to the 14-day requirement.

Kambree Briner's Golf Swing Propels Tigers to Albany Tournament Title

Worth County’s softball girls overcame 90-degree heat and three tough foes to win the Albany Tournament. The Tigers were 4-0 going into their game with North Andrew on Tuesday. In the third game, against King City’s Cinderella run, it was Kambree Briner’s golf swing that turned into a base hit that started a rally that erased an early Wildkat lead and put the Tigers over the top.

Tigers 12, North Harrison 2

North Harrison put on a terrific rally against Worth County in the Jamboree two days earlier but had no such luck in the opener Saturday. Kambree Briner was safe when the second baseman bobbled her grounder with one out in the first. Kristen Tracy hit a shot off pitcher Hali Smith’s glove into center field, and Audrey Runde grounded into a force at third. But Jaxcynn Hansel threw away a double play try to score Tracy, and Megan Tracy singled to score Runde to make it 2-0.

Worth County added on in the second. Braelyn Fletchall walked and Keira Hardy singled. Brooklyn Smith got her first varsity hit, beating out a bunt like her sister Becca did many times during her career for the Tigers. Kaydence Downing grounded out to score Fletchall. Kambree Briner grounded into a force at home, but Kristen Tracy singled in a run to make it 4-0 after two.

In the fourth, Kaydence Downing got her first varsity hit, beating out an infield hit and reaching third when the Shamrocks threw it around. Kambree Briner singled to center to score her. Kristen Tracy and Audrey Runde walked to load the bases. Megan Tracy singled home two to make it 7-0 and stole second. Runde and Tracy both scored on wild pitches to make it 9-0. Braelyn Fletchall grounded out to score Addison Gray to make it 10-0. Kristen Tracy hit a shot off Jaxcynn Hansel’s glove that rolled into left for a base hit to make it 11-0. It might have gotten to 15 runs had not Hansel snagged Audrey Runde’s screamer to end the inning.

Kristen Tracy pitched four perfect innings to get the win. Megan Tracy pitched the fifth, and North Harrison finally got on the board as Hali Smith and Jaxcynn Hansel ended Worth County’s perfect game bid. Shayla Vandiver forced Smith, but Katherine Parkhurst reached after an error and Raegan Hogan’s slap hit was thrown away to score two to make it 11-2.

Megan Tracy nearly hit a home run, but got a triple off the right field wall, and an errant pickoff throw caromed off Braelyn Fletchall’s bat to bring home the decisive 12^th run.

Tigers 8, Stanberry 5

Worth County went down for the count in its second game but fought back to get an 8-5 win over Stanberry. The Bulldogs had just gotten a wild walkoff win over Pattonsburg to get into the semifinals, which turned out well for them as they were ready for a battle.

In the Stanberry first, Kynzee Adcock and Tasha Stoll singled and Emma Mattson grounded out to put runners on second and third with one out. Allie Schieber was safe on an error, scoring Adcock to make it 1-0. Kristen Tracy threw out Brooke Robinson on a bunt attempt, but Stoll crossed the plate to make it 2-0. Schieber scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.

Worth County got a run back in the second. Addison Gray walked and reached second on an errant pickoff throw. Keira Hardy singled her over to third. Hardy stole second. Gray stole home when Stanberry threw down to second on Hardy’s steal and tried to set up the cutoff at short to make it 3-1.

Addison Gray continued to be Worth County’s good-luck charm against Stanberry as she led off the Tiger fourth with a single. She stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Braelyn Fletchall walked. Keira Hardy grounded into a force at second, but Gray scored on the play to cut Stanberry’s lead to 3-2. Brooklyn Smith beat out her second bunt hit of the day, and the ball got away to put Hardy on third. Smith stole second. Kaydence Downing, a slap hitter, rifled a shot past the mound and into center for a base hit as two runs scored to put Worth County up 4-3.

But Stanberry doesn’t give up easily. With one out in the fifth, Allie Schieber walked. Brooke Robinson singled to put runners on first and third and stole second. Jaicee McGinley singled to score both runs to put Stanberry back up 5-4. But McGinley tried to take second on the throw home and was thrown out to swing the momentum back to the Tigers. Worth County threw out three different baserunners on the basepaths that day in the Stanberry and King City games.

Worth County was down to its last three outs with time expiring in the sixth, but Braelyn Fletchall singled and made it all the way to third when the ball got away. Keira Hardy grounded out to score her. Brooklyn Smith narrowly missed a home run, doubling off the wall in center. Kaydence Downing beat out a bunt to put Smith on third. Downing stole second. Kambree Briner grounded out to short to score Brooklyn to put Worth County back in front 6-5. After that play, Downing took off for third and was safe on a close play. Kristen Tracy hit a towering drive to center field. The center fielder seemingly had it measured for a catch when she got tangled up in the plastic fence and the ball caromed off her glove and over the fence for a home run to put Worth County up 8-5. Worth County worked around an error during Stanberry’s half of the inning to clinch the win.

Tiger 4, King City 3

Worth County overcame an early deficit against a team that had given them a lot of trouble last year to win the tournament. King City beat Gilman City 11-6 to start the day and beat Albany in extra innings to get to the final.

King City threatened early, getting runners at first and third with two outs in the first. But Audrey Runde threw a pickoff to Kristen Tracy at first base. The runner was safe, but the runner on third wandered too far off, and Tracy picked her off to end the inning. Worth County picked its second runner off in the second when a passed ball rolled away, but not enough to score, and catcher Audrey Runde threw a perfect pickoff throw to third for the out.

But things looked bad for the Tigers in the inning after Megan Tracy walked three to force in a run to make it 1-0. Kristen Tracy, who had pitched most of the first two games, came on in relief and walked another to put King City up 2-0, but then got Kinley Potter to ground out to end the threat.

Meanwhile, Worth County was over its head trying to catch up with freshman pitcher Tenley Parker, who was throwing heat all day.

The Tiger fourth looked more of the same after Kambree Briner got in the hole 0-2. But she took a golf swing at a pitch just out of the dirt and connected with a single to mount Worth County’s first real threat of the afternoon. Kristen Tracy doubled off the wall in left to score Briner. Audrey Runde singled and Tracy, who held up to make sure the ball wasn’t caught, took third. Megan Tracy singled to center to tie it at two. Audrey Runde bunted and was safe when the second baseman dropped the ball. Braelyn Fletchall singled in two to put Worth County up 4-2.

Brylin Armfield scored on a wild pitch to cut King City’s deficit to 4-3 in the fifth.

King City was down to its final out with a runner on first, but Allison Stone beat out a force play at second to keep the game going. There was a scary moment when Tiger pitcher Kristen Tracy tripped and fell over an auxiliary mound and the return throw got away, putting runners on second and third. But Brylin Armfield grounded out to Tracy to end the game.

For their efforts, the team was nominated as one of five teams for the Cliff's Notes Podcast Team of the Week.

 

 

 

Bo Collins, Caleb New Featured on National YouTube Channel About Tiger Football

Last year, Worth County marked its 100th anniversary in football by winning a state title. They were recently featured on Roca Sports, a YouTube channel out of New York, which travels all over the country to do human interest stories. They interviewed players Bo Collins and Caleb New, coach Jon Adwell, assistants Dan Collins and Les New, and members of the community in Craig McNeese, Jeff Blaine, Dennis Downing, and Mason Hawk. They talked about their playing days, the community support for the team, and how the school manages to defy a population decline to field healthy numbers every year. Les New noted that out of 32 players out this year, 13 had a dad or a brother go to state. The broadcast had 35,000 views and 83 comments as of Sunday evening. 

But the crown lies uneasy on Worth County’s head, like it does for any other defending champion. Last year, they defied history by being the first Tiger squad to suffer a regular season loss and then turn around and win a state title. One thing Roca Sports omitted in its broadcast was the role that Northeast Nodaway plays in the program. The Bluejays always supplied 4-8 kids a year to Worth County, many of whom fill key roles. Out of 32 players, there will be six from Northeast Nodaway, all of whom are expected to play key roles in this year’s squad.

Graduating from last year’s squad are stalwarts like Lucas Frisch, Brayden Stevens, Brayden Combs, Sawyer Thurman, and Brayden Murphy. But many others will return.

Bo Collins will return to his tight end position, but he is versatile enough to play anywhere Coach Jon Adwell needs him to. He will move to linebacker this year, Ryder Smyser will move to defensive end. Collins was instrumental in last year’s state title game with three sacks and is now healthy after barely making it through last season and the season before. Hayden Sanders will return at quarterback, where he can muscle his way for three yards at will or air it out deep to receivers like Collins and Caleb New. Cole Ruby is now healthy after dealing with hip injuries during last year’s playoff run; he rushed for 1,500 yards last year. When Cole Ruby went down, Jude Archer turned into a force at the runningback position, getting 150 yards in the State Championship game. Ethan Lininger will return as the center, and Ryder Smyser will return to the line. 

Archer, Bentin Roberts, Liam Cordell, Wyatt Scadden, Jace Burns, and Lance Runde will come over from Northeast Nodaway, and all will be expected to compete for key roles for the team. The Tigers will know right away whether they will be able to contend again. They will face Rock Port in Rock Port on week one on August 28th. The main change to their schedule this year will be the fact they are no longer hosting a jamboree. They will travel to East Atchison, where they will play EA and Nodaway Valley in Tarkio this Friday, August 21st at 7:00 pm. That will be a test for them as well, as the Thunder have one of the fastest receiving corps in eight man, and East Atchison also has some speed on their squad. 

Among teams in the conference, King City still has Landon Carlson at quarterback. Albany always finishes in the upper half of the conference. The Cinderella team of the area will be Princeton, which joined forces with North Harrison; the Shamrocks will bring over leading quarterback Gage Fortner and 1,000+ yard runningback Wyatt Maize along with big linemen Henry Frank and Meric Hansel to compliment Mitchell Walker and a dangerous group of skill players like Bowe Ussery and Kash Holt. 

The softball team will be playing the numbers game once again this year, with only 11 players out for the varsity. They have a solid group of upperclassmen in Megan Tracy, Kristen Tracy, Addison Gray, Keira Hardy, Audrey Runde, and Kambree Briner. The key will be to see if they can develop the lower part of their order. Two freshmen could help; Brooklyn Smith is one of the fastest players on the team, while Kaydence Downing has been a steady hand at softball as well. Teams to watch for this year include Princeton, Albany, Stanberry, King City, and Gilman City, which joined forces with Tri-County this year. 

Dusty Cowgirl Anniversary Party to Expand

Gwyanda Harker asked for and was granted permission by the Grant City Council Wednesday to close the west and south side of the Grant City Square for the Dusty Cowgirl’s fifth anniversary celebration that will be held on Saturday, September 19th starting at 12 noon.

This year, Ms. Harker is partnering with Psalm 100 Ministries to provide more activities. The event will be expanded this year with a beer garden, food service, Bingo, Cornhole games, booths from community organizations, and vendor booths. The event will be insured.

This is the 44th year that Harker has been working at the tavern, the last five as owner/operator. She started working there in 1982.

Ryan Fletchall was not present, but submitted a report. The water tower was repaired after it was drained and a leak was found. The city replaced meters at the swimming pool and Sunny Slope.

The city has been in the process of cleaning out sewer lines. One line in Farrah Richey’s yard collapsed, resulting in sewer water in her basement. There are two others that will need attention soon. He is looking to buy a smoke tester to detect leaks so he won’t have to keep hiring it done. The city council directed him to get more prices. The pump house at the pool park is complete.

Tyson Troutwine reported that he has been putting in driveway tubes, cleaning out ditches, and mowing yards that the city says are in violation of city ordinances, and fixing potholes. The council approved another load of cold mix.

Mr. Troutwine reported that Superintendent Chris Healy approached him about wanting to fill in the ditch west of the softball diamond and putting in a tube so they can put in more parking. There has been an increasing number of complaints about overcrowded parking at the ball diamond during games; with over 20 girls projected to play junior high softball this fall, that could continue.

If the ditch on the west end was filled, it could provide more parking at the field since cars could park diagonally instead of parallel like they do now. The council was receptive to the city putting in the tube as long as the school pays for the material.

The city got a thank you note from Psalm 100 Ministries for the city allowing them to be part of the Fourth of July festivities. The council voted to donate $100 to the Aivry Griffin Foundation.

 

 

Under 14 Tiger Softball Gashes Platte Valley

One of the two Under 14 Worth County softball teams dropped Platte Valley 22-4 Thursday, putting on a flurry of runs in the fourth to put the game away.

Gwyn Healy doubled to start the game, hitting a pop fly down the left field line that dropped in just fair. She took third on a wild pitch and scored when Jolee Hauber reached on an error. Hauber took second on a wild pitch and scored off Gabbey Maudlin’s single. Maudlin took second and third on wild pitches and scored when Keylee Smith reached on a dropped third strike. Keylee Smith later came around to score on a wild pitch. That made it 4-0.

Worth County added on in the second when Jolee Hauber walked and stole second. Gabbey Maudlin singled her home. Keylee Smith, Lexi Snead, and Ilene Combs walked to force in a run to make it 6-0. Addison Cadle grounded out to score a run to make it 7-0.

Myah Moffat came home on a wild pitch to cut the Platte Valley deficit down to 7-1.

Kyah Joslin walked on a 3-2 pitch, took second on a wild pitch, and stole third. Gwyn Healy reached on an error as Joslin scored to make it 8-1. Healy took second, third, and home on wild pitches to make it 9-1. Jolee Hauber walked and took second and third on wild pitches. Gabbey Maudlin grounded out to score her to make it 10-1.

Worth County unloaded on Platte Valley in the third. Addison Cadle walked, stole second, and took third on a passed ball. Teagan Saville was plunked. Cadle scored on a wild pitch as Saville took second. Saville took third on a wild pitch. Kyah Joslin walked and took second on a wild pitch. Gwyn Healy popped out to second as Saville tagged up and scored. Kyah Joslin scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-0. Jolee Hauber was plunked, stole second, and took third and home on wild pitches to make it 14-0.

Gabbey Maudlin was hit by a pitch and Keylee Smith and Alexis Snead walked. Addison Cadle grounded out to score Maudlin. The floodgates opened after Teagan Saville doubled in two, Kyah Joslin reached on a dropped third strike, Gwyn Healy and Jolee Hauber doubled, and Gabbey Maudlin singled to cap off the 12-run inning.

 

 

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.

 

Riley Ridge Leads Tigers Past Rapidly Improving Wolverines

Riley Ridge led Worth County past a rapidly improving Maysville squad, getting two hits, a double, a stolen base, and two RBIs. The Tigers overcame a week-long layoff due to the rain along with two cancelations and hung by their fingernails to win 5-4. Maysville is continuing to fight for a winning season despite the loss with a record of 12-11.

Ridge, Kristen Tracy, Audrey Runde, and Rayleigh Smith all got two hits for the Tigers and Rylee Ruckman added one. Runde and Ridge doubled while Runde, Keira Hardy, and Riley Ridge stole bases. 

Gentry Sweiger and Sophia Redman singled to lead off the Maysville first. Savannah Moyer singled home Sweiger to put Maysville in front 1-0 before left fielder Addison Gray snagged Skylar Nalle's fly ball to get the Tigers out of the inning.

Riley Ridge led off the Tiger first with a hard ground ball to center. She stole second and took third on Kambree Briner's groundout. Audrey Runde doubled her home to make it 1-1. Worth County would have done more damage, but Gray's line drive was snagged by pitcher Ellyette Sobotka (a niece of Bryan Sobotka and a granddaughter of Ron Sobotka of Ravenwood) to end the inning.

Both teams went scoreless in the second and third. Second baseman Kambree Briner pulled off a double play when she caught Gentry Sweiger's pop fly and doubled Aurora Sweiger off second to end the Wolverine fourth.

Worth County started getting good swings in the fourth inning and Rylee Ruckman singled with one out. She took second on a passed ball and Keira Hardy reached first on an error as Ruckman took third. Hardy stole second, and Riley Ridge doubled them both home to put the Tigers in front 3-1.

Sophia Redman turned on the first pitch she saw and tripled to center to start the Maysville fifth. Ellyette Sobotka grounded out to score her to cut the Wolverine deficit to 3-2.

Kristen Tracy singled to left and the ball got away, allowing her to take second. Audrey Runde beat out an infield hit to third as Tracy held up. Megan Tracy flied out to right; Kristen tagged up and took third. Runde stole second. Addison Gray grounded out to score Tracy and put Runde on third to make it 4-2. After a long battle at the plate, in which she fouled off three straight pitches, Rylee Ruckman reached second on an error to score Runde to make it 5-2.

But an error by the Tigers let Maysville creep closer as Ashlyn Clark reached. Aurora Sweiger forced her at second. Jasmine Marcott walked. Gentry Sweiger singled to score Clark to make it 5-3 and the ball got away, allowing Paisley McClamroch (running for Aurora Sweiger) to reach third and Gentry Sweiger to reach second with one out. But Sophia Redman could not get them home as she popped out to Megan Tracy and Ellyette Sobotka grounded out to pitcher Kristen Tracy to end the threat.

Madi DeShon walked to start the Maysville seventh. Third baseman Keira Hardy made a catch in the field while Skylar Nalle grounded out to pitcher Kristen Tracy to move DeShon to second. Ashlyn Clark crushed a double to right to score DeShon to make it 5-4, and the tying run was in scoring position. But pitcher Kristen Tracy struck out Aurora Sweiger on three straight pitches to preserve the win. 

At the game, three Tiger seniors, Rylee Ruckman, Riley Ridge, and Rayleigh Smith were honored for their contributions and hard work.

Megan Tracy Tosses One Hitter as Tigers Down Spoofhounds 15-0

Worth County threw Megan Tracy into the fire again two days after she had struggled to contain North Harrison, and she responded by tossing a one-hitter as the Tigers pulled away to a 15-0 victory over Maryville Monday. The red-hot Tigers have won 10 out of their last 11 games with the win going into Thursday's game with King City. A win over King City and a loss by Albany to North Harrison would hand Worth County, and possibly Princeton and Stanberry as well, a tie for the GRC West title with the Warriors. 

The Tigers unloaded on Maryville with 13 hits. Riley Ridge had 3, Kristen Tracy, Audrey Runde, and Rylee Ruckman had two, and Kambree Briner, Megan Tracy, Addison Gray, and Keira Hardy had 1. Eight different Tigers had hits and they walked seven times and didn't strike out at all. Kambree Briner, Kristen Tracy, and Megan Tracy had doubles. The Tigers stole eight bases; Riley Ridge had 4 and Addison Gray, Keira Hardy, Audrey Runde, and Megan Tracy had 1. Megan Tracy walked three and stuck out five in four innings of work and the Tigers only made one error behind her.

Riley Ridge got the Tigers started in the first when she beat out a bunt single and stole second. Kambree Briner popped out, but Riley Ridge stole third. Kristen Tracy got two strikes on her but singled to left to score Ridge to make it 1-0. Audrey Runde singled to center and she took second and Tracy third as the ball got away. Worth County had a baserunning blunder when Runde tried to go to third on a grounder to short and was tagged out as Megan Tracy reached first, but Tracy stole second and Addison Gray singled two runs home to make it 3-0. 

Sadie Briner hit a line shot to start the Spoofhound second, but right at pitcher Megan Tracy. Mercedes Hall reached on a dropped fly ball by Addison Gray in left, but Gray stuck with the play and threw out Hall trying to advance to third to kill a potential rally.

With one out in the Tiger second, Rayleigh Smith walked and Riley Ridge beat out a bunt single. Kambree Briner popped out, but Kristen Tracy turned on the first pitch and crushed a double to center as both Smith and Ridge scored. Tracy took third on the throw home. Audrey Runde singled in Tracy, catching hold of the first pitch again. Megan Tracy and Addison Gray walked to load the bases. Walks lead to errors and sure enough, Rylee Ruckman hit a hard ground ball that turned into an error as Megan Tracy and Audrey Runde scored to make it 8-0.

Jesslyn Grayson got the lone hit for Maryville with one out in the third, but Ella Eckley popped out to Audrey Runde and Avah Eckley struck out. 

With one out in the Tiger third, Riley Ridge swung away and singled to center and stole second and third. Kambree Briner walked. Riley Ridge scored on a passed ball to make it 9-0 Briner took second on a wild pitch. Kristen Tracy walked. Walks lead to errors and sure enough, Audrey Runde reached on a dropped pop fly to load the bases. Megan Tracy was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple, but she cleared the bases with the hit to make it 12-0.

Audrey Runde threw out Addisyn Jenson-Pleasance trying to steal third in the fourth inning after she had walked to lead off. 

Rylee Ruckman singled with two strikes on her and Keira Hardy beat out a bunt. Rayleigh Smith walked. Rylee Ruckman scored on a wild pitch to make it 13-0. Braelyn Fletchall walked. Kambree Briner doubled to score Hardy and Smith and the Tigers got to go home early.

Riley Ridge Fuels Attack as Tigers Win North Harrison Tournament

Two days after getting a key hit in Worth County's 10-3 win over Pattonsburg, Riley Ridge struck again, this time going 4 for 7 Saturday at the North Harrison Tournament with four steals. Moved back to the top of the lineup for Saturday's games, Ridge delivered, putting pressure on opposing defenses and stealing bases at will as the Tigers won the North Harrison Tournament. Four other Tiger batters had three hits that day and the top nine players had at least one. 

In run production (runs + RBI), the numbers were just as spread out. Addison Gray and Rylee Ruckman produced five runs and four other Tigers produced four. Kristen Tracy carried the team on her shoulders defensively as she pitched 10 innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 runs (0 earned), 2 walks, and 4 strikeouts, generating a lot of soft contact. 

Tigers 8, South Harrison JV 2

It took Worth County a while to break through against a stingy Bulldog squad, but they finally pulled away late to get the win. Kambree Briner reached on a dropped fly ball, took third on a passed ball, and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to make it 1-0. That was the only run scored for either side for the next few innings. Worth County was hitting the ball but hitting it right at people as South Harrison pitcher Molly Bottcher was generating a lot of soft contact.

In the second, Bottcher doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning. Emily Taggart grounded out and Kaylor Robinson popped out to Megan Tracy. Slap hitter Keeleigh Gilpatrick hit a pop fly that died between the mound and shortstop before anyone could catch it and took a knuckle ball bounce for a scratch hit. But Kristen Tracy struck out Cally Weller to end the threat.

A pair of long at bats by Keira Hardy and Rayleigh Smith turned the tide. Hardy saw 13 pitches and fouled seven of them off before striking out. Autumn Cousatte fouled off 13 pitches one time during her playing days. Smith fouled off some more pitches before finally striking out. But that seemed to wake the team out of its slumber as they finally started timing up Bottcher. Riley Ridge apparently struck out, but the ball got away for a dropped third strike and the inning was still alive. Ridge stole second. Kambree Briner apparently grounded out for the third out, but the first baseman dropped it and Ridge scored from second to make it 2-0. Kristen Tracy followed with a triple into the right center field gap to make it 3-0.

With one out in the sixth, Addison Gray hit a pop fly single that dropped in for a base hit and stole second, beating the throw with a head-first slide. Rylee Ruckman had another long at-bat before singling to left. South Harrison threw home to keep Gray from scoring and Ruckman took second. Keira Hardy singled to right to score Gray and Ruckman to make it 4-0.

Worth County should have been out of the South Harrison sixth, but a dropped fly ball with two outs in the inning kept it alive and Lilly Wiley scored. Molly Bottcher doubled to score Jaycee Glenn to make it 5-2.

But Riley Ridge got the Tigers back on track when she beat out a slow roller, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Kambree Briner grounded out to score her. Kristen Tracy hit one into the hole at shortstop and beat it out. Audrey Runde singled to left to put runners on first and second. Megan Tracy forced Runde at second. Addison Gray doubled to left center to score Kristen Tracy. Megan Tracy scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2.

Emily Taggart singled to start the South Harrison seventh. Kaylor Robinson hit what looked like a base hit, but Rylee Ruckman made a diving stole and threw to Briner at second to force Taggart. Audrey Runde then picked off Robinson for the second out. Keeleigh Gilpatrick hit a screamer, but right at Keira Hardy for the final out. 

Tigers 10, North Harrison 7

Worth County got off to a rocky start against North Harrison, falling behind 5-0, but they came back to get the win to secure the trophy. North Harrison played much better than the last time they played Worth County, cutting down on their errors, and only committing two. But Worth County committed none and climbed right back into the game before pulling ahead.

Addison Milligan walked to start the game and Hali Smith singled to right. Rayliegh Smith tried to cut down Milligan going first to third, but she was safe as Smith took second. Milligan scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0 and Lani Briggs doubled to right center to make it 2-0. Briggs took third on a wild pitch. Ava Rinehart hit a pop fly that shortstop Rylee Ruckman raced over to the first base side to take. Raegan Hogan's pop fly dropped into right field to score Hali Smith. Jaxcynn Hansel hit a pop fly in front of the plate and Audrey Runde raced in front of it to snag it for the second out. Kathryn Parkhurst walked and took second on a wild pitch as Megan Tracy started fighting the strike zone. Andi Nail singled to score Hogan. Becca Welling walked and Addison Milligan singled to right to make it 5-0. Hali Smith hit a drive to deep right field. Rayleigh Smith lost it in the sun at first and nearly lost her footing, but she snagged it for the third out.

Once again, Riley Ridge carried the Tigers on her shoulders as she tapped one in front of the plate and beat Hali Smith's throw for a base hit. She stole second. North Harrison nearly got out of the inning as Kambree Briner hit a screamer snagged by Jaxcynn Hansel at third and Kristen Tracy hit another screamer that Becca Welling backhanded for the second out. 

But Audrey Runde hit a hard shot that shortstop Addison Milligan knocked down but had no play on. Megan Tracy walked, and Addison Gray was plunked to force in a run to make it 5-1. Rylee Ruckman walked to force in another run to make it 5-2. Keira Hardy singled in two more and another run scored when the throw home got away to tie it at 5-5.

North Harrison got two more runs in the second but ran its way out of more. Lani Briggs singled, and Ava Rinehart and Raegan Hogan walked, chasing Megan Tracy. Jaxcynn Hansel hit a shot right at Kambree Briner at second, who doubled Ava Rinehart off second. Kathryn Parkhurst singled off Keira Hardy's glove at third to score Hogan and Briggs to make it 7-5. But Parkhurst tried to take second on the throw home and Audrey Runde gunned her down for the third out.

Riley Ridge got a carbon copy of her first hit, beating out a tap in front of the plate to start the second. Kambree Briner advanced her to second with a groundout and Kristen Tracy singled to left center field to score her to make it 7-6. Center fielder Hali Smith made a running catch of Megan Tracy's drive in left field to preserve the Shamrock lead.

Hali Smith came in to try to protect the lead, but Addison Gray walked, stole second, and took third on a wild pitch. Rylee Ruckman walked and stole second. Rayleigh Smith hit a shot behind first that landed fair and both runners scored to give Worth County the lead for the first time at 8-7. Kristen Tracy singled to score Smith and make it 9-7. 

Worth County made a couple of tricky plays to preserve the lead in the Shamrock fourth. Third baseman Keira Hardy lost Ava Rinehart's pop fly in the sun but located it in time to get the out. There was another heartstopping moment when shortstop Rylee Ruckman's throw was in the dirt, but first baseman Megan Tracy dug it out for the final out. 

Megan Tracy caught hold of a high pitch and crushed a double to left field. She took third on a wild pitch and came home when Rylee Ruckman hit a shot off Hali Smith. The ball rolled to Jaxcynn Hansel at third, and she made a great play on the ball to get Ruckman at first, but Tracy scored to make it 10-7. As the Tigers were batting, the game was called due to the 75-minute time limit. 

Riley Ridge's Double Sparks Tigers; Keeps Faint Title Hopes Alive

With Pattonsburg rallying following the restart of a suspended game to cut their deficit to 5-3, Riley Ridge crushed a double to quash the rally and spark Worth County to a 10-3 win Thursday to keep their faint title hopes alive. Albany, which beat Princeton, now has one more game left against North Harrison on October 2nd. Worth County has one conference game left against King City on October 2nd. Worth County must beat King City and North Harrison must beat Albany in order to hand Worth County a share of the GRC West title. Stanberry can join them with a win over Pattonsburg on October 9th. Princeton has completed the conference portion of its schedule, meaning a Worth County win over King City and an Albany loss to North Harrison could create a four-way tie for the conference title.

The game started at Pattonsburg September 18th, was suspended after three innings due to rain, and then was moved to Winston, with which Pattonsburg coops, due to a game with East Harrison being scheduled by the Panthers on the same night. 

Worth County shifted its lineup, moving Addison Gray up to third and dropping Kristen Tracy to fourth and Megan Tracy to fifth. Riley Ridge moved to ninth and Audrey Runde led off. They jumped all over Pattonsburg in the first inning with their new lineup as Audrey Runde doubled to left and Kambree Briner beat out an infield hit and Runde scored all the way from second to make it 1-0. Addison Gray flied out, but Briner stole second and Kristen Tracy beat out an infield hit as Briner took third. 

Kristen Tracy stole second. Megan Tracy struck out, but Worth County proceeded to score three runs with two outs in the first. Rylee Ruckman singled to left and Kristen Tracy and Kambree Briner scored to make it 3-0. Rylee Ruckman stole second and the ball got away, allowing Ruckman to take third. Keira Hardy singled her home to make it 4-0. 

Audrey Runde tripled to left field with one out in the second inning and Kambree Briner flied out to score her to make it 5-0.

That was all the scoring before the rain came and washed out the rest of the game. When the game resumed in Winston Thursday, it settled into a pitching duel between Kristen Tracy and Addie Iddings, with neither team able to break through until the Pattonsburg sixth. The team was joined by Braelyn Fletchall, who could not enter the lineup Thursday, since the game had started beforehand; however, she will be eligible Saturday for the North Harrison Tournament since she was on the cheer squad for Worth County. 

Finally, with one out, Jayden Goble reached second when Rylee Ruckman's throw got away. Addie Iddings crushed a line drive fair past Rayleigh Smith in right and into the corner for a triple to make it 5-1. Isabelle Burger hit a carbon copy of that hit to plate Iddings and make it 5-2. Kaitlyn Estes reached on a bad hop single to put Burger on third. Estes tried to take off stealing, which most teams normally giving away the bag in that situation. But Audrey Runde gunned her down for the second out. Emsleigh McCrary singled home Burger to make it 5-3.

But then Riley Ridge crushed a double over Rosalea Cameron's head in center with the Pattonsburg fielders drawn in to guard against the slap. Audrey Runde reached on a dropped pop fly as Ridge took third. Runde stole second. Kambree Briner singled them both home to make it 7-3. Briner stole second. Addison Gray flied out to right as Briner took third. Kristen Tracy singled home Briner to make it 8-3. Rylee Ruckman doubled to score Tracy and took third on a wild pitch. The ball got away again and Ruckman took off for home, rolling into the plate for the run to make it 10-3. 

Audrey Runde got three hits, including two doubles and a triple. Rylee Ruckman got two hits, including a double. Kambree Briner and Kristen Tracy got two hits. Megan Tracy, Keira Hardy, and Riley Ridge had one; Ridge had a double. Kambree Briner, Keira Hardy, and Kristen Tracy stole two bases each. Audrey Runde, Megan Tracy, and Rylee Ruckman had 1 each. Worth County stole nine bases in the game.

For Pattonsburg, Isabelle Burger had two hits. Addie Iddings, Kaitlyn Estes, Emsleigh McCrary, and Vanessa Weigand had one hit. Addie Iddings had a triple.

Tigers Fall to Third in GRC West Softball Power Rankings

Worth County’s 3-0 loss to Albany dropped it to third in the new GRC West power rankings released Sunday by Jeremy Benson. All records are as of Sunday evening and do not include games played Monday or Tuesday.

Albany was ranked first with a record of 9-1. Besides their game with Worth County, they beat East Harrison 10-0.

Princeton moved up from fourth to second. They beat Mercer 21-2 and North Harrison 15-0 and are now at 9-3. But they have a brutal schedule coming up with games on four straight nights starting Monday, along with a tournament on Saturday.

Rainouts wreaked havoc on many teams this week and Worth County only got one game in, their loss to Albany. They fell to third in the rankings. They were leading Pattonsburg 5-0 before that game was suspended by rain. They are now 8-3.

Two losses by Stanberry dropped them to fourth. They lost 5-4 to powerhouse North Platte, beat North Andrew 14-1, but lost to King City 13-5 to diminish their chances of winning a GRC West title. They are now 6-5.

Pattonsburg split their games with Maysville and King City, losing to Maysville 11-8 and beating King City 13-9. They are now 5-8.

King City rose from seventh to sixth after winning two out of their three games. They beat East Buchanan 15-0, lost to Pattonsburg 13-9, but then beat Stanberry 13-5 to improve to 5-8. They have now scored 54 runs in their last four games and have won three out of four since losing to Worth County in their home tournament.

A 12-1 loss to Gilman City and a 15-0 loss to Princeton dropped North Harrison to seventh. That dropped them to 3-5.

North Andrew finally got on the winning track with an 11-1 win over Northeast Nodaway, but promptly fell 14-1 to Stanberry. Their record is now 3-11.

 

Albany Loss Dims Tigers Chances of GRC West Title

Worth County's chances for a GRC West title are now slim following a 3-0 loss to Albany Tuesday, September 16th. They now have to win out against King City and Pattonsburg and hope for outside help if they are to win a share of the GRC West. They can no longer mathematically win the title outright.

Worth County had only three hits against Makena Moffat and the Warriors in the loss. Audrey Runde had two of those hits and Kambree Briner got the other hit. The difference in the game was errors; Worth County committed four and Albany committed none. Moffat, who pitched a six inning perfect game against East Harrison the night before and struck out 13, only struck out five Tigers, but Worth County was hitting the ball right at people again. Moffat only needed 76 pitches, 55 of which were strikes.

The path for a shared title remained open narrowly Thursday. On a night with a bunch of rainouts, Stanberry and King City got their game in, with King City unloading on Stanberry 13-5 behind two home runs by Kinley Potter. The Wildkats have scored nine or more runs in their last four games. That handed Stanberry its second conference loss, and only Albany and Princeton now have one loss.

Albany and Princeton's game was postponed to September 24th. Albany plays North Harrison September 23rd. If Albany loses to North Harrison, then turns around and beats Princeton, then Worth County shares the title assuming they win out. Princeton has a home game with North Andrew on September 23rd. Another scenario could be Princeton losing to North Andrew and then turning around and beating Albany to hand Worth County a shared title. It is not mathematically possible for Worth County to win an outright title anymore since both Princeton and Albany have one conference loss, both still have to play each other, and both have two conference games left.

Stanberry can join the mix as well if they beat Pattonsburg on September 23rd and one of the above scenarios play out.

Worth County was leading Pattonsburg 5-0 after three Thursday when play was suspended due to rain. 

Tiger Softball Named GRC West Team of the Week

Worth County made a jump from #5 to #2 in the GRC West power rankings and was named GRC West Team of the Week Sunday following wins over Stanberry and North Harrison and securing the King City Tournament title in 97-degree heat. However, Albany did nothing to hurt its standing at #1 thanks to wins over NEN, North Andrew, and King City.

Losses to Worth County and Maysville dropped Stanberry to third. However, they beat Princeton 7-5 to throw the conference race wide open; as of Sunday evening, four teams were tied atop the standings.

Princeton checked in at #4. Losses to Stanberry and Trenton dropped it one notch. Pattonsburg, which won two out of three, moved up to #5. North Harrison, which beat King City, moved up to #6.

King City had the biggest drop due to losses to North Harrison, Albany, and Worth County, from fourth to seventh. However, its 17-3 win over Gilman City shows that they still have the capability to beat anyone on a given night. If they beat Stanberry Thursday, it would help Worth County clear a path to an outright conference title should the Tigers win out.

Losses to Albany, LeBlond, and Pattonsburg kept North Andrew at eighth. But they played some bigger schools over the weekend in Falls City (NE) and beat one of them, South Sioux City, 12-1.