The bubble burst for Northeast Nodaway on the very same field where they gelled and beat Union Star behind the pitching of Taylor Dougan. Four days later, they returned to that field for the start of the Union Star Tournament and were dismissed to the loser's brackets with a 10-3 loss to King City. The Bluejays showed the capability of playing with the Wildkats, who lost a lot of players from the strong team they had last year but who were still a solid team. But they ran their way out of two potential big innings and made several errors as they could not cope with King City's scratch and claw tactics. Throughout the year, they have struggled defensively against teams who showed the ability to get the bunt down against them.
Northeast, which lost the coin flip, had to jump on King City early, but they ran their way out of one big inning when Taylor Dougan reached on a two-base error when the right fielder lost a routine fly ball in the lights at right field. But Dougan hesitated when rounding second and then took off for third and was an easy out at third. That loomed up strongly as Northeast proceeded to load the bases with two outs as Rachel Runde singled through the hole in short to left, Blair Schmitz singled past short to center for another hit, and Hallie Oelze walked. But Sarah Fox struck out to end the Northeast first.
King City wasted no time in making sure that Northeast didn't have another chance to jump on them. They showed some of the best plate discipline of any of the teams in the area, forcing Taylor Dougan to throw two strikes and then fouling off 10 pitches until they found a good one to hit. Northeast was hesitating when fielding bunts, making all the difference in the world between an out and a hit, keeping many innings going. The Wildkats scored four runs in the bottom of the first as Emma Hill beat out a bunt, Cheyanne Stoll walked after a long battle with Dougan in which she fouled off a bunch of pitches, and Whitney Walters tripled over Sarah Fox's head all the way to the wall in left. Walters scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. Webber Walters walked and Bridgette Bryson reached on another bunt single. Addisyn Derks lined out to Blair Schmitz, who doubled off Bryson at first, but Mattie Crisler reached on a throwing error from Rachel Runde at third, scoring Webber Walters to make it 4-0.
Northeast made some noise in the second, but they could not score. Kristan Judd opened the inning with a pop fly that dropped in between left and center for a hit. Allison Carter grounded out to move her to second. Mallorie Peters struck out, but Taylor Dougan hit a line shot into center field to move Judd to third. But Emily Bryant grounded out to third to end the inning.
King City failed to score in the bottom of the second; Emma Hill tried to bunt her way on, but Taylor Dougan fielded the bunt cleanly and threw to first for the out with no hesitation this time. The Wildkats wasted Cheyanne Stoll's two-out single when Dougan retired Whitney Walters on strikes.
Rachel Runde tripled to left to the wall to lead off the third inning for Northeast. Blair Schmitz reached on a three base error as Runde kept her distracted at third and she threw the ball away. Hallie Oelze's grounder couldn't score Schmitz, but Sarah Fox's grounder did as Schmitz took off with the throw from third and made it safely when the throw home rolled away to cut Northeast's deficit in half to 4-2.
King City used three Northeast errors in the third to reestablish their lead. Webber Walters reached on a single to left and went to second when Katrina Freemyer misplayed it. Bridgette Bryson reached on an error when Rachel Runde simply swiped her glove at a grounder instead of playing it, moving Walters to third. Dougan struck out Derks, but Bryson stole second and Crisler reached on an error when Hallie Oelze, covering first from second on a bunt situation, dropped a throw and it rolled away from her, allowing two runs to score to make it 6-2.
Wildkat pitcher Cheyanne Stoll struck out the side in the top of the fourth and then King City provided the dagger in the bottom of the fourth. Emma Hill hit a fly ball to right field. Allison Carter chased it on the dead run, but it sliced away from her for a triple. Stoll's single scored Hill, Whitney Walters walked, and then Bryson's three-run home run to left field all but ended it, making it 10-2.
Northeast threatened to make a run of it in the fifth, but ran their way out of a big inning for the second time that night. Emily Bryant walked and Rachel Runde moved her to second on a grounder. Blair Schmitz singled to score Runde, but then tried to go to second on the throw home. King City cut off the throw and threw Schmitz out at second to end the rally.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Lone Stewartsville Hit Sinks Tigers at Union Star
Worth County got several hits against Stewartsville and had their share of baserunners. Stewartsville did not get a single hit until the very end. However, Stewartsville's lone hit and Worth County's lone error led to a walk-off 5-4 Stewartsville win in the opening round of the Union Star Tournament Wednesday. The loss was tough to swallow considering the fact that the Tigers played better than they had in their last two losses. They had come off an ugly 13-1 blowout loss against South Harrison in which the Bulldogs got their first win of the year. They then proceeded to lose 10-4 to Polo in a loss that was just as bad; according to Coach Todd Simmons, what made the Polo loss even worse was the fact that they had a two hour bus ride home afterwards.
Following the Polo loss, Coach Simmons followed Northeast Nodaway's lead and made wholesale changes to the lineup in an effort to get better production out of his players. Brooke Gilland moved from shortstop to catcher, Brooke Adams moved from centerfield to shortstop, Sidney Davenport came off the bench to play third base, Paige McPike moved from right to left field, Casey Smyser came off the bench to play right field, Amanda Downing moved from first base to center field, and Ashley Reynolds moved from third base to first base. Northeast's lineup changes sparked a four-game winning streak that ended Wednesday night against King City; although Worth County's lineup changes didn't produce a win, they did improve the fielding.
Three of the changes produced immediate results. Brooke Gilland played behind the plate like she had done so all her life; she saved a ton of wild pitches by scooping them up and showed that she had a rocket arm behind the plate as she threw a fast runner out stealing. Brooke Adams provided a lot of encouragement to the other players; she was showing Davenport the ropes at third and was keeping pitcher Delaney Davidson's spirits up when she was fighting the strike zone. Sidney Davenport provided some pop in the lineup as she got a hit and reached on an error and put the ball in play every time up.
But that was not enough to add up to a win. The Tigers were pressing, trying in vain to find the big play that would reverse their recent slide. Worth County tried to jump on Stewartsville early, but couldn't score in the first inning. Brooke Gilland reached on a dropped third strike, and Ashley Reynolds hit a roller up the middle that got through for a hit. Delaney Davidson popped out for the infield fly rule for an automatic out but the second baseman dropped the ball and it rolled all the way behind first, allowing Reynolds and Gilland to advance. But Tonya Troutwine popped out to short to end the first.
Delaney Davidson walked the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the first, but she pitched her way out of that jam as Keshia Martin popped out to Davidson and then Katie Roach struck out on three pitches.
Worth County finally got on board in the second. With one out, Amanda Downing walked. Casey Smyser forced her at second, but back to back errors by the second baseman loaded the bases. Brooke Gilland singled to left to score Smyser and Paige McPike to make it 2-0.
But that lead did not hold up as Davidson continued to fight the strike zone. Emily Klepees walked and then beat out a force play at second as Nicole Ramey reached safely. Chelsea Candler hit a grounder to Ashley Reynolds at first, who tried to go home for the force, but Klepees was safe. Ramey scored on a wild pitch. Mary Roach hit a grounder to Tonya Troutwine at second; Troutwine tried unsuccessfully to throw home to retire Candler; Stewartsville led 3-2 after two innings.
With two outs, Sidney Davenport singled and stole second, but Amanda Downing hit a line shot that was snared by the third baseman for the third out of the third inning. Stewartsville went down in order in their half of the third. With one out in the fourth, Paige McPike walked, but Brooke Adams hit a towering fly ball that was caught in center and Brooke Gilland popped out. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Courtney Nichols walked for Stewartsville and attempted to steal second, but Brooke Gilland threw her out and Delaney Davidson struck out Meghan Langley to end the fourth.
With time running out on the 1 1/2 hour time limit, Delaney Davidson singled between third and short and Rebecca Moore came in as courtesy runner for her. Tonya Troutwine forced her at second, but Sidney Davenport reached on an error and Amanda Downing walked. There were two outs and the bottom of the order was coming up, but unlike the poem, Casey did not strike out as Smyser's grounder rolled through the shortstop's legs to score two runs to put Worth County up 4-3.
The Tigers had the heart of the order coming up for the last inning and Brooke Gilland singled with one out in the sixth, but Ashley Reynolds hit a towering fly ball that was caught in left field and Delaney Davidson grounded out. Delaney Davidson struck out Katie Roach in the bottom of the sixth for the first out, but then walked Klepees and Ramey to put the winning run on base. Davidson continued to fight the strike zone but Jenny Hutton helped her out by chasing a high pitch for strike three. Davidson got Nichols down to her final strike, but then Nichols hit a slow roller into no-man's land between third and short for Stewartsville's only hit of the game. Brooke Adams tried to throw to first to retire her at first and end the game, but her throw was wild and both runs scored to give Stewartsville the walkoff win.
Following the Polo loss, Coach Simmons followed Northeast Nodaway's lead and made wholesale changes to the lineup in an effort to get better production out of his players. Brooke Gilland moved from shortstop to catcher, Brooke Adams moved from centerfield to shortstop, Sidney Davenport came off the bench to play third base, Paige McPike moved from right to left field, Casey Smyser came off the bench to play right field, Amanda Downing moved from first base to center field, and Ashley Reynolds moved from third base to first base. Northeast's lineup changes sparked a four-game winning streak that ended Wednesday night against King City; although Worth County's lineup changes didn't produce a win, they did improve the fielding.
Three of the changes produced immediate results. Brooke Gilland played behind the plate like she had done so all her life; she saved a ton of wild pitches by scooping them up and showed that she had a rocket arm behind the plate as she threw a fast runner out stealing. Brooke Adams provided a lot of encouragement to the other players; she was showing Davenport the ropes at third and was keeping pitcher Delaney Davidson's spirits up when she was fighting the strike zone. Sidney Davenport provided some pop in the lineup as she got a hit and reached on an error and put the ball in play every time up.
But that was not enough to add up to a win. The Tigers were pressing, trying in vain to find the big play that would reverse their recent slide. Worth County tried to jump on Stewartsville early, but couldn't score in the first inning. Brooke Gilland reached on a dropped third strike, and Ashley Reynolds hit a roller up the middle that got through for a hit. Delaney Davidson popped out for the infield fly rule for an automatic out but the second baseman dropped the ball and it rolled all the way behind first, allowing Reynolds and Gilland to advance. But Tonya Troutwine popped out to short to end the first.
Delaney Davidson walked the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the first, but she pitched her way out of that jam as Keshia Martin popped out to Davidson and then Katie Roach struck out on three pitches.
Worth County finally got on board in the second. With one out, Amanda Downing walked. Casey Smyser forced her at second, but back to back errors by the second baseman loaded the bases. Brooke Gilland singled to left to score Smyser and Paige McPike to make it 2-0.
But that lead did not hold up as Davidson continued to fight the strike zone. Emily Klepees walked and then beat out a force play at second as Nicole Ramey reached safely. Chelsea Candler hit a grounder to Ashley Reynolds at first, who tried to go home for the force, but Klepees was safe. Ramey scored on a wild pitch. Mary Roach hit a grounder to Tonya Troutwine at second; Troutwine tried unsuccessfully to throw home to retire Candler; Stewartsville led 3-2 after two innings.
With two outs, Sidney Davenport singled and stole second, but Amanda Downing hit a line shot that was snared by the third baseman for the third out of the third inning. Stewartsville went down in order in their half of the third. With one out in the fourth, Paige McPike walked, but Brooke Adams hit a towering fly ball that was caught in center and Brooke Gilland popped out. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Courtney Nichols walked for Stewartsville and attempted to steal second, but Brooke Gilland threw her out and Delaney Davidson struck out Meghan Langley to end the fourth.
With time running out on the 1 1/2 hour time limit, Delaney Davidson singled between third and short and Rebecca Moore came in as courtesy runner for her. Tonya Troutwine forced her at second, but Sidney Davenport reached on an error and Amanda Downing walked. There were two outs and the bottom of the order was coming up, but unlike the poem, Casey did not strike out as Smyser's grounder rolled through the shortstop's legs to score two runs to put Worth County up 4-3.
The Tigers had the heart of the order coming up for the last inning and Brooke Gilland singled with one out in the sixth, but Ashley Reynolds hit a towering fly ball that was caught in left field and Delaney Davidson grounded out. Delaney Davidson struck out Katie Roach in the bottom of the sixth for the first out, but then walked Klepees and Ramey to put the winning run on base. Davidson continued to fight the strike zone but Jenny Hutton helped her out by chasing a high pitch for strike three. Davidson got Nichols down to her final strike, but then Nichols hit a slow roller into no-man's land between third and short for Stewartsville's only hit of the game. Brooke Adams tried to throw to first to retire her at first and end the game, but her throw was wild and both runs scored to give Stewartsville the walkoff win.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Ten Errors Cost Tigers in 13-1 Loss
Worth County played its worst game of the year in a 13-1 blowout loss that was just as ugly as the score. Not only did they commit ten errors in the game, they had to finish with eight players because Paige McPike was injured and they had already used up their substitutions for the game. Under the rules, had McPike's turn come up in the lineup, it would have been an automatic out.
Coach Todd Simmons said that there were no easy answers to such games except to "keep playing" and "keep our heads in there." He said that what was most disappointing was that it was upperclassmen who were making the errors. Worth County had every right to expect to win as South Harrison came into the game winless so far this year. The Tigers had played well against a strong Eagleville contingent and could reasonably expect to build on that game. But that did not happen.
Worth County got into a jam in the top of the first as South Harrison loaded the bases with two outs. But pitcher Delaney Davidson struck out Tiara Pettijohn to keep the game scoreless. Ashley Reynolds then hit a 250-foot triple to right field with two outs, but she was stranded at third when Davidson grounded out to end the inning.
The Tigers would then make five errors in the second inning as South Harrison took a 3-0 lead. With one out, Ashton Vandivert walked after a 12-pitch at-bat for the Bulldogs. Leah Mamminga hit a routine grounder to Brooke Gilland that she threw away for an error. Whitney Bennett then beat out a bunt down the third base line and then Mamminga went first to third on the play as secondbaseman Tonya Troutwine threw the ball away for an error. The Tigers made yet another error on the play as nobody covered second after the errant throw, allowing Bennett to take second. Then, Shea Lathrum hit what should have been a routine grounder to Ashley Reynolds at third; however, the ball rolled under her legs for one error and then Bailey McPike misplayed it in left field for another error. Worth County threw home on the play in an unsuccessful attempt to retire Bennett on the play and Rebecca Moore made an errant throw to third trying to get Lathrum at third. But Brooke Gilland backed up the errant throw and nailed Lathrum at the plate trying to score. That play stopped any further damage from being done and Worth County was fortunate to be down 3-0 at that point.
Amanda Downing doubled over the left fielder's head to lead off the bottom of the second and Tonya Troutwine moved her over to third on a bunt, but back to back strikeouts stranded her at third.
South Harrison went in order in the third but then scored seven in the fourth, most of the runs coming with two out. Mamminga walked and then stole second and reached third on a passed ball. Bennett then bunted out to Davidson to score Mamminga. Shea Lathrum reached on an error by Brooke Gilland at short, but Rebecca Moore threw her out stealing for the second out of the inning. But then Worth County's troubles started. Delaney Davidson hit Augusta Ratliff with a pitch and then Katelyn Addison singled to center. Brooke Adams in center then misplayed Ashley Nail's high hopper into center for a three-base error, scoring two; Nail scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-0. Delaney Davidson then walked two straight batters and the Vandivert hit a home run to the wall in right to make it 10-0. South Harrison threatened to pile on even more runs in the top of the fifth, but Augusta Ratliff was out trying to score on a wild pitch to end that frame.
Worth County scored its lone run in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Sidney Davenport hit a slow roller up the middle that nobody had a play on for a scratch hit. She took second on a wild pickoff throw and scored when Brooke Adams' fly ball was dropped in left to make it 10-1. But any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Paige McPike was hurt and unable to come onto the field for the top of the sixth. Ashley Reynolds threw away a grounder with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to account for the rest of South Harrison's runs.
Coach Todd Simmons said that there were no easy answers to such games except to "keep playing" and "keep our heads in there." He said that what was most disappointing was that it was upperclassmen who were making the errors. Worth County had every right to expect to win as South Harrison came into the game winless so far this year. The Tigers had played well against a strong Eagleville contingent and could reasonably expect to build on that game. But that did not happen.
Worth County got into a jam in the top of the first as South Harrison loaded the bases with two outs. But pitcher Delaney Davidson struck out Tiara Pettijohn to keep the game scoreless. Ashley Reynolds then hit a 250-foot triple to right field with two outs, but she was stranded at third when Davidson grounded out to end the inning.
The Tigers would then make five errors in the second inning as South Harrison took a 3-0 lead. With one out, Ashton Vandivert walked after a 12-pitch at-bat for the Bulldogs. Leah Mamminga hit a routine grounder to Brooke Gilland that she threw away for an error. Whitney Bennett then beat out a bunt down the third base line and then Mamminga went first to third on the play as secondbaseman Tonya Troutwine threw the ball away for an error. The Tigers made yet another error on the play as nobody covered second after the errant throw, allowing Bennett to take second. Then, Shea Lathrum hit what should have been a routine grounder to Ashley Reynolds at third; however, the ball rolled under her legs for one error and then Bailey McPike misplayed it in left field for another error. Worth County threw home on the play in an unsuccessful attempt to retire Bennett on the play and Rebecca Moore made an errant throw to third trying to get Lathrum at third. But Brooke Gilland backed up the errant throw and nailed Lathrum at the plate trying to score. That play stopped any further damage from being done and Worth County was fortunate to be down 3-0 at that point.
Amanda Downing doubled over the left fielder's head to lead off the bottom of the second and Tonya Troutwine moved her over to third on a bunt, but back to back strikeouts stranded her at third.
South Harrison went in order in the third but then scored seven in the fourth, most of the runs coming with two out. Mamminga walked and then stole second and reached third on a passed ball. Bennett then bunted out to Davidson to score Mamminga. Shea Lathrum reached on an error by Brooke Gilland at short, but Rebecca Moore threw her out stealing for the second out of the inning. But then Worth County's troubles started. Delaney Davidson hit Augusta Ratliff with a pitch and then Katelyn Addison singled to center. Brooke Adams in center then misplayed Ashley Nail's high hopper into center for a three-base error, scoring two; Nail scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-0. Delaney Davidson then walked two straight batters and the Vandivert hit a home run to the wall in right to make it 10-0. South Harrison threatened to pile on even more runs in the top of the fifth, but Augusta Ratliff was out trying to score on a wild pitch to end that frame.
Worth County scored its lone run in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Sidney Davenport hit a slow roller up the middle that nobody had a play on for a scratch hit. She took second on a wild pickoff throw and scored when Brooke Adams' fly ball was dropped in left to make it 10-1. But any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Paige McPike was hurt and unable to come onto the field for the top of the sixth. Ashley Reynolds threw away a grounder with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to account for the rest of South Harrison's runs.
Dougan's No Hitter Gives NEN Fourth Straight
Taylor Dougan threw a no-hitter and Northeast Nodaway, after a slow start, gave her plenty of run support as the Bluejays beat Union Star 14-2 Thursday for their fourth straight win. Dougan walked several batters but proved difficult to hit off of; not one single ball left the infield and Bluejay fielders did not make one single error behind her.
At the plate, Northeast had trouble laying off the high pitches in the early innings; they went down in order to start the first. Union Star tested new Bluejay first baseman Blair Schmitz in the bottom of the first, but she fielded everything cleanly; she caught a pop fly, dropped a liner but picked it up and hustled to the bag for the out, and ranged to her right for a grounder and threw to Hallie Oelze covering from second as Oelze showed that she was learning her new position at second in a hurry.
Northeast continued to swing at the high pitches in the second; Sarah Fox got hit by a pitch with two outs and Kristan Judd beat out a slow roller to second to put runners on first and second. But Allison Carter grounded out. Union Star used a two-out rally in the second to go up 1-0 as Jerika Wilkerson walked, Audrey Silvey was hit by a pitch, and Lauren Humphrey walked. Wilkerson scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0 before Dougan struck out Shelby Ray to end the inning with no further damage done.
Northeast continued to struggle at the plate but all of a sudden, Emily Bryant got a two-out home run to the left field wall all the way to the 235 foot sign and circled the bases standing up to tie it at 1-1. That seemed to break the Bluejays out of their offensive funk as they would go on to score in every inning.
Dougan whiffed two in the bottom of the third as she retired the Trojans in order and then Northeast finally got going in the top of the fourth. Blair Schmitz led off the inning with a triple over the left fielder's head to the wall; she would go on to bat 2 for 5; with a 4 for 4 showing in Northeast's second matchup against North Andrew, Schmitz has been on a 6 for 9 tear with two triples and a home run since her walkoff hit against Pattonsburg. Hallie Oelze then reached on an error as Union Star shortstop Hannah Todd let a grounder get under her legs; Oelze then reached second when Todd dropped a cutoff throw and third when the second baseman let the ball roll a few feet away. Sarah Fox popped out, but Kristan Judd grounded out to plate Oelze to make it 3-1.
Dougan hit Jerika Wilkerson, who stole second with two outs in the fourth but struck out Silvey to end the threat. Northeast would then break the game wide open in the fifth. With one out, Taylor Dougan helped herself out with a bunt down the first base line that pitcher Hillary Todd bobbled for an error. Dougan went to second on a wild pitch and Bryant stretched a single into a double as Dougan scored on the play. Bryant went to third and then Rachel Runde was hit by a pitch. Blair Schmitz then crashed another line drive off the left field wall, this time for a 3-run home run that made it 7-1.
Union Star came the closest to getting a hit in the fifth inning, but strong fielding by the Bluejays preserved Dougan's no-hitter. Kaylee Barnett hit a slow roller up the middle that looked like it would be in for a hit, but Hallie Oelze showed her range when she cut it off and threw to first for the out. Hannah Todd then hit a slow roller down the third base line, but Rachel Runde picked it up and Blair Schmitz stretched for the throw to get the third out of the inning.
Mallorie Peters hit a pop fly single down the left field line in the sixth and then Emily Bryant was hit by a pitch. They engineered a double steal and then Rachel Runde grounded to the third baseman, who thought there was a force at third and didn't tag anyone, letting Peters score to make it 8-1.
Wilkerson scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2, but then Northeast scored six in the top of the seventh. Hallie Oelze stretched a single into a double and then Sarah Fox hit a line drive over the third baseman's head to score her and make it 9-2. Allison Carter then beat out a grounder to third and then Fox broke to third and was safe on the throw back. Fox then scored on a wild pitch and another wild pitch moved Carter to third. Mallorie Peters got her second straight hit, a slow roller down the first base line that scored Carter. Taylor Dougan singled to left and took second as the left fielder let it roll by her. Emily Bryant hit a line shot past third to score Peters and then Runde doubled off the wal in left to score Bryant and Dougan to round out the scoring.
Lauren Humphrey walked to lead off the seventh for Union Star, but Kristan Judd threw her out stealing.
At the plate, Northeast had trouble laying off the high pitches in the early innings; they went down in order to start the first. Union Star tested new Bluejay first baseman Blair Schmitz in the bottom of the first, but she fielded everything cleanly; she caught a pop fly, dropped a liner but picked it up and hustled to the bag for the out, and ranged to her right for a grounder and threw to Hallie Oelze covering from second as Oelze showed that she was learning her new position at second in a hurry.
Northeast continued to swing at the high pitches in the second; Sarah Fox got hit by a pitch with two outs and Kristan Judd beat out a slow roller to second to put runners on first and second. But Allison Carter grounded out. Union Star used a two-out rally in the second to go up 1-0 as Jerika Wilkerson walked, Audrey Silvey was hit by a pitch, and Lauren Humphrey walked. Wilkerson scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0 before Dougan struck out Shelby Ray to end the inning with no further damage done.
Northeast continued to struggle at the plate but all of a sudden, Emily Bryant got a two-out home run to the left field wall all the way to the 235 foot sign and circled the bases standing up to tie it at 1-1. That seemed to break the Bluejays out of their offensive funk as they would go on to score in every inning.
Dougan whiffed two in the bottom of the third as she retired the Trojans in order and then Northeast finally got going in the top of the fourth. Blair Schmitz led off the inning with a triple over the left fielder's head to the wall; she would go on to bat 2 for 5; with a 4 for 4 showing in Northeast's second matchup against North Andrew, Schmitz has been on a 6 for 9 tear with two triples and a home run since her walkoff hit against Pattonsburg. Hallie Oelze then reached on an error as Union Star shortstop Hannah Todd let a grounder get under her legs; Oelze then reached second when Todd dropped a cutoff throw and third when the second baseman let the ball roll a few feet away. Sarah Fox popped out, but Kristan Judd grounded out to plate Oelze to make it 3-1.
Dougan hit Jerika Wilkerson, who stole second with two outs in the fourth but struck out Silvey to end the threat. Northeast would then break the game wide open in the fifth. With one out, Taylor Dougan helped herself out with a bunt down the first base line that pitcher Hillary Todd bobbled for an error. Dougan went to second on a wild pitch and Bryant stretched a single into a double as Dougan scored on the play. Bryant went to third and then Rachel Runde was hit by a pitch. Blair Schmitz then crashed another line drive off the left field wall, this time for a 3-run home run that made it 7-1.
Union Star came the closest to getting a hit in the fifth inning, but strong fielding by the Bluejays preserved Dougan's no-hitter. Kaylee Barnett hit a slow roller up the middle that looked like it would be in for a hit, but Hallie Oelze showed her range when she cut it off and threw to first for the out. Hannah Todd then hit a slow roller down the third base line, but Rachel Runde picked it up and Blair Schmitz stretched for the throw to get the third out of the inning.
Mallorie Peters hit a pop fly single down the left field line in the sixth and then Emily Bryant was hit by a pitch. They engineered a double steal and then Rachel Runde grounded to the third baseman, who thought there was a force at third and didn't tag anyone, letting Peters score to make it 8-1.
Wilkerson scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-2, but then Northeast scored six in the top of the seventh. Hallie Oelze stretched a single into a double and then Sarah Fox hit a line drive over the third baseman's head to score her and make it 9-2. Allison Carter then beat out a grounder to third and then Fox broke to third and was safe on the throw back. Fox then scored on a wild pitch and another wild pitch moved Carter to third. Mallorie Peters got her second straight hit, a slow roller down the first base line that scored Carter. Taylor Dougan singled to left and took second as the left fielder let it roll by her. Emily Bryant hit a line shot past third to score Peters and then Runde doubled off the wal in left to score Bryant and Dougan to round out the scoring.
Lauren Humphrey walked to lead off the seventh for Union Star, but Kristan Judd threw her out stealing.
Barrett Baker's 230 Yards Lift Tigers Out of Hole
Worth County dug themselves into a 20-6 hole right off the bat, then used the running of Barrett Baker (27 carries, 230 yards) and the passing of Zach Harmening (6 completions, 155 yards) to get themselves out of it to win 73-42 against Nodaway-Holt. The Trojans, who returned everyone from last year's roster, gave Worth County all they could handle before Worth County's superior conditioning paid off as the game wore on and they were able to take over the line of scrimmage. But it looked to be a long night to start off with as Michael Brown returned a kickoff straight up the middle with 11:49 left in the first quarter to put Nodaway-Holt up 6-0.
Alex Harmening gave the Tigers a good runback to give them good field position at their own 39, but they failed to take advantage as Zach Harmening misfired on two passes and Baker could only muster six yards on two other carries. Nodaway-Holt followed up their initial score by running at will on the Tigers, who were not containing the outside. The Trojans used a seven play 45 yard drive, including a 10 yard option from quarterback Blake Shambarger and a 20 yard sweep from Michael Brown to score again with 7:48 left to score again. Carson Long ran in the extra points to make it 14-0.
Worth County finally got on the board as Eli Mullock broke three tackles on the kickof return to give them good field position at their own 36. Barrett Baker ran up the middle for 23 and took a sweep down the left side for eight more down to the Trojan 15. An offsides penalty on the right end moved it to the 10 and then Josh Wagner faked up the middle perfectly as Barrett Baker ran into the endzone down the left side untouched to make it 14-6 with 7:12 left.
The Tigers stopped Nodaway-Holt on their own 18 on the ensuing kickoff, but the Trojans only needed three plays to score again. Nobody covered Shambarger on the option, which gave him a gain of 19 on the play to the 37. A holding penalty moved the Trojans back to their own 25 and they tried an option again. The Tigers had Shambarger contained this time, but then a few missed tackles led to him breaking away again, this time for a 55 yard score to make it 20-6 with 6:43 left in the first quarter.
Worth County once again started off in good field position and converted a critical third down in order to score. From the 30, Barrett Baker picked up 11 as Brian Hall led him through a hole up the middle. Josh Wagner then took a counter for 8 yards and Baker got four more for another first down to the Trojan 27. Two carries by Eli Mullock only netted five yards, but then Zach Harmening aired it out to Alex Harmening for a 22-yard scoring strike with 4:29 left to make it 20-12.
Something must have clicked at that point for, in Coach Chuck Borey's words, "we started coming at them." Eli Mullock, J.J. Mullock, and Barrett Baker ganged up on Michael Brown for a loss of five back to the Trojan 22. Then, Adam Summers and Cody Green combined on a sack of Shambarger for a loss of five. An offsides penalty moved it back up to the 22, but a flat pass to Carson Long lost two as J.J. Mullock got pressure on Shambarger and Brian Hall was there for the hit. That forced Nodaway-Holt to punt and the Tigers wound up with good field position again at midfield.
The blocking was nonexistent for two plays as Eli Mullock could only net three yards in two plays, but Barrett Baker picked up six yards and then an offsides penalty on fourth and one gave the Tigers a first down on the Trojan 26. Josh Wagner slipped and fell and only got two yards, but a strong push by the line netted Baker six yards and Zach Harmening kept it around the left end for a gain of 8 down to the 10. Worth County fumbled a snap, but J.J. Mullock alertly pounced on it at the 9. Two plays later, Barrett Baker scored up the middle from 4 yards out to make it 20-18 with 10:20 left in the half. The Tigers could not tie it as Zach Harmening's pass was behind Alex Harmening.
Nodaway-Holt could not answer as on second and 11 from their own 23, the Trojans fumbled it as J.J. Mullock got the hit and Brian Hall recovered it on the Trojan 22. A shot into the end zone was unsuccessful, but Baker picked up five to the 17, Eli Mullock caught a screen pass to the 8, and two cracks by Baker got the Tigers into the end zone with 8:23 left. Zach Harmening tried a keeper but was stopped short of the end zone and the Tigers lead remained 24-20.
The Tigers scored yet again thanks to a short field. Carson Long caught a 9-yard screen pass to the Trojan 30, but back to back sacks by Cody Green and a false start penalty moved the ball back to the 20. A fouled up punt thanks to pressure from Cody Green gave the Tigers the ball on the Nodaway-Holt 25. They only needed two plays to score as Barrett Baker took a lead sweep left for 25 yards and it was so wide open that lead blocker Josh Wagner had nobody to block until he was about 10 yards downfield. Baker's score made it a two-possession game and his second effort gave the Tigers their first extra points of the game to make it 32-20 with 5:58 left.
But Nodaway-Holt came right back to score; on their third play from scrimmage, Blake Shambarger was all alone for a 40-yard run thanks to a mixup on defense with 4:57 left to make it 32-26. Eli Mullock stopped Michael Brown short of paydirt on the extra point try.
The Tigers were faced with third and 8 at their own 35 thanks to an incomplete pass, but Barrett Baker moved a pile seven yards to the Trojan 38 and then Zach Harmening converted fourth and one with a three yard sneak. A 15 yard facemask tacked onto the end of the run moved it down to the 20. Barrett Baker got a 16 yard run behind a Wagner block and then scored with 3:14 left. Eli Mullock added the two-point conversion on a sweep to the right side as Wagner delivered yet another big hit to make it 40-26.
Worth County nearly got another score before the half, but a blown call by the officials cost them the score. Brian Hall stripped Zach Lemar of the ball and returned it to the Trojan 17, and Barrett Baker got four yards to the 13. The Tigers gave it to Eli Mullock on a sweep and he broke tackle after tackle as he got to the goal line. One official signaled touchdown, and everyone, including the scoreboard operator, assumed that the Tigers had scored. But another official, unbeknownst to everyone else present, overruled the call and put the ball on the one. Worth County fumbled the ball on the next play and Nodaway-Holt ran out the clock.
The Trojans were kicking off to start the second half, and they gambled with an onsides kick and failed as the ball did not travel the necessary ten yards. That gave the Tigers the short field to work with once again, this time at the Trojan 33. A pass over the middle from Zach to Alex Harmening was good for 24 yards to the 9, and Barrett Baker's dive took it the rest of the way to score with 11:35 left. Zach Harmening's extra point pass shorthopped Eli Mullock and the Tigers led 46-26.
Nodaway-Holt lost yardage on the next series after starting at their own 25 as Josh Wagner shot through a gap and dumped Lemar for a two-yard loss. J.J. Mullock and Josh Wagner hurried Shambarger, whose screen pass was batted down; Hall came through and spun Shambarger down for a sack to make it fourth and 24 at the 11 yard line. Nodaway-Holt, which shanked a couple of punts earlier, tried a fake punt this time and tried to spring Shamberger loose, but he could only net 8 yards and the Tigers got the ball on the Nodaway-Holt 20. An incomplete pass and two short running plays made it fourth and 7 at the 17 as there was no blocking and people were not blocking who they were supposed to. But Zach Harmening rescued the Tigers with a 17-yard strike to Alex Harmening to make it 52-26 with 8:47 left. Harmening was sacked on the extra point play.
Nodaway-Holt started off on their own 26 and got the benefit of another blown call by the officials, this time a phantom horsecollar penalty that moved it to the Tiger 39. This was the same crew which threw 15 penalties against the Tigers in one half several years ago. Shambarger then took the ball on an 11-yard keeper down to the 29 as linemen were getting blown out, to Coach Borey's ire. Eli Mullock got a sack to make it second and 16, but Zach Lemar caught a screen pass for an apparent 30-yard gain. But he was hit at the 3 and fumbled it and Dylan Kinsella recovered it in the end zone for the Tigers. Kinsella had been pressuring the quarterback and sprinted over 40 yards down the field to make the fumble recovery on that play.
Worth County needed only two plays to take advantage as they started on their own 15. Barrett Baker got a 10-yarder to the 25 as he kept his legs churning to get extra yardage; Coach Borey had been on Baker to run harder and he obliged Friday night. Of all 27 of Baker's carries Friday night, not one single carry lost yardage for the Tigers. Zach Harmening aired the ball out to Eli Mullock for the 55 yard score to make it 58-26. J.J. Mullock's extra point kick was short and to the left.
The Trojans then turned to Shamberger three straight times to move the ball down to the 28 and then he scrambled down to the Tiger 4. Worth County made a strong stand before giving up the score as Kinsella met Carson Long after a two-yard pickup, a pack of white shirts led by Josh Wagner threw Shamberger for a loss of 1, and Eli Mullock broke up a pass as Kinsella hurried Shamberger on the throw. But the Trojans went to their jumbo offense and gave the ball to Patrick O'Riley, normally a lineman, for the three yard score. O'Riley ran in the extra points to make it 58-34 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
Nodaway-Holt tried an onsides kick that fooled nobody as two white shirts were all over the ball and Worth County started off on their own 34. Barrett Baker hurdled a defender on his way to a 20-yard gain and Josh Wagner had a hard run of 9 down to the 16. An offsides penalty moved the ball down to the Trojan 11 and then Eli Mullock's sweep with 24.7 seconds left in the third quarter and J.J. Mullock's kick made it 65-34. Shamberger answered with a 69 yard scramble against a mixture of varsity and JV players and O'Riley added the extra points at the end of the third quarter to make it 65-42.
This time, Nodaway-Holt elected to kick it deep and a block in the back penalty buried the Tigers at their own 11. They were able to move the ball against an exhausted Nodaway-Holt team, but they could not score as the same officiating crew that flagged the Tigers for 15 penalties in half a game's work threw four on one drive alone. Dallas Greenland carried the ball for 9 yards to the 19 and then Barrett Baker picked up 6 more to the 25. After a fumble recovery by J.J. Mullock, Eli Mullock ran for an apparent 54 yard touchdown, only to have the refs allege a block in the back. Then, Barrett Baker's sweep as he waltzed the tightrope to the 40, Dallas Greenland's eight-yard gain, and Baker's 10 yard run put on the Nodaway-Holt 20. Eli Mullock's sweep moved it to the 8. Two plays later, a holding penalty moved it back to the 14, and another holding penalty that wiped out a touchdown pass made it fourth and goal at the 27. Eli Mullock caught a short pass over the middle that he turned into a 24 yard gain, but he was stopped at the 3 to kill the drive.
Nodaway-Holt nearly got backed into the end zone as Cody Green pressured Shamberger who barely made it out of the end zone. He then got five yards on a spread draw up to the 6, but a false start moved it back to the 3 and then two Trojan attempts to air it out were incomplete and the Tigers took over on the Trojan 3. Dallas Greenland ran in the touchdown and the extra points to make it 73-42 and round out the scoring for the evening. The JV squads saw the rest of the action; Nodaway-Holt gave up the ball on downs at the Trojan 39 thanks to solid hits by Kinsella and Jordan Harding and Mitch Andrews. Dallas Greenland picked up ten to the 29; a block in the back moved it back to the 38. But Mitch Andrews' sweep for six and a counter from Jordan Harding made it first and 10 at the 25. A delay of game penalty moved it back to the 30, but Adam Summers ran the ball for 18 down to the 12 after getting a block from Bryson Scott and Jordan Harding picked up an 8-yard gain down to the four before time ran out.
Alex Harmening gave the Tigers a good runback to give them good field position at their own 39, but they failed to take advantage as Zach Harmening misfired on two passes and Baker could only muster six yards on two other carries. Nodaway-Holt followed up their initial score by running at will on the Tigers, who were not containing the outside. The Trojans used a seven play 45 yard drive, including a 10 yard option from quarterback Blake Shambarger and a 20 yard sweep from Michael Brown to score again with 7:48 left to score again. Carson Long ran in the extra points to make it 14-0.
Worth County finally got on the board as Eli Mullock broke three tackles on the kickof return to give them good field position at their own 36. Barrett Baker ran up the middle for 23 and took a sweep down the left side for eight more down to the Trojan 15. An offsides penalty on the right end moved it to the 10 and then Josh Wagner faked up the middle perfectly as Barrett Baker ran into the endzone down the left side untouched to make it 14-6 with 7:12 left.
The Tigers stopped Nodaway-Holt on their own 18 on the ensuing kickoff, but the Trojans only needed three plays to score again. Nobody covered Shambarger on the option, which gave him a gain of 19 on the play to the 37. A holding penalty moved the Trojans back to their own 25 and they tried an option again. The Tigers had Shambarger contained this time, but then a few missed tackles led to him breaking away again, this time for a 55 yard score to make it 20-6 with 6:43 left in the first quarter.
Worth County once again started off in good field position and converted a critical third down in order to score. From the 30, Barrett Baker picked up 11 as Brian Hall led him through a hole up the middle. Josh Wagner then took a counter for 8 yards and Baker got four more for another first down to the Trojan 27. Two carries by Eli Mullock only netted five yards, but then Zach Harmening aired it out to Alex Harmening for a 22-yard scoring strike with 4:29 left to make it 20-12.
Something must have clicked at that point for, in Coach Chuck Borey's words, "we started coming at them." Eli Mullock, J.J. Mullock, and Barrett Baker ganged up on Michael Brown for a loss of five back to the Trojan 22. Then, Adam Summers and Cody Green combined on a sack of Shambarger for a loss of five. An offsides penalty moved it back up to the 22, but a flat pass to Carson Long lost two as J.J. Mullock got pressure on Shambarger and Brian Hall was there for the hit. That forced Nodaway-Holt to punt and the Tigers wound up with good field position again at midfield.
The blocking was nonexistent for two plays as Eli Mullock could only net three yards in two plays, but Barrett Baker picked up six yards and then an offsides penalty on fourth and one gave the Tigers a first down on the Trojan 26. Josh Wagner slipped and fell and only got two yards, but a strong push by the line netted Baker six yards and Zach Harmening kept it around the left end for a gain of 8 down to the 10. Worth County fumbled a snap, but J.J. Mullock alertly pounced on it at the 9. Two plays later, Barrett Baker scored up the middle from 4 yards out to make it 20-18 with 10:20 left in the half. The Tigers could not tie it as Zach Harmening's pass was behind Alex Harmening.
Nodaway-Holt could not answer as on second and 11 from their own 23, the Trojans fumbled it as J.J. Mullock got the hit and Brian Hall recovered it on the Trojan 22. A shot into the end zone was unsuccessful, but Baker picked up five to the 17, Eli Mullock caught a screen pass to the 8, and two cracks by Baker got the Tigers into the end zone with 8:23 left. Zach Harmening tried a keeper but was stopped short of the end zone and the Tigers lead remained 24-20.
The Tigers scored yet again thanks to a short field. Carson Long caught a 9-yard screen pass to the Trojan 30, but back to back sacks by Cody Green and a false start penalty moved the ball back to the 20. A fouled up punt thanks to pressure from Cody Green gave the Tigers the ball on the Nodaway-Holt 25. They only needed two plays to score as Barrett Baker took a lead sweep left for 25 yards and it was so wide open that lead blocker Josh Wagner had nobody to block until he was about 10 yards downfield. Baker's score made it a two-possession game and his second effort gave the Tigers their first extra points of the game to make it 32-20 with 5:58 left.
But Nodaway-Holt came right back to score; on their third play from scrimmage, Blake Shambarger was all alone for a 40-yard run thanks to a mixup on defense with 4:57 left to make it 32-26. Eli Mullock stopped Michael Brown short of paydirt on the extra point try.
The Tigers were faced with third and 8 at their own 35 thanks to an incomplete pass, but Barrett Baker moved a pile seven yards to the Trojan 38 and then Zach Harmening converted fourth and one with a three yard sneak. A 15 yard facemask tacked onto the end of the run moved it down to the 20. Barrett Baker got a 16 yard run behind a Wagner block and then scored with 3:14 left. Eli Mullock added the two-point conversion on a sweep to the right side as Wagner delivered yet another big hit to make it 40-26.
Worth County nearly got another score before the half, but a blown call by the officials cost them the score. Brian Hall stripped Zach Lemar of the ball and returned it to the Trojan 17, and Barrett Baker got four yards to the 13. The Tigers gave it to Eli Mullock on a sweep and he broke tackle after tackle as he got to the goal line. One official signaled touchdown, and everyone, including the scoreboard operator, assumed that the Tigers had scored. But another official, unbeknownst to everyone else present, overruled the call and put the ball on the one. Worth County fumbled the ball on the next play and Nodaway-Holt ran out the clock.
The Trojans were kicking off to start the second half, and they gambled with an onsides kick and failed as the ball did not travel the necessary ten yards. That gave the Tigers the short field to work with once again, this time at the Trojan 33. A pass over the middle from Zach to Alex Harmening was good for 24 yards to the 9, and Barrett Baker's dive took it the rest of the way to score with 11:35 left. Zach Harmening's extra point pass shorthopped Eli Mullock and the Tigers led 46-26.
Nodaway-Holt lost yardage on the next series after starting at their own 25 as Josh Wagner shot through a gap and dumped Lemar for a two-yard loss. J.J. Mullock and Josh Wagner hurried Shambarger, whose screen pass was batted down; Hall came through and spun Shambarger down for a sack to make it fourth and 24 at the 11 yard line. Nodaway-Holt, which shanked a couple of punts earlier, tried a fake punt this time and tried to spring Shamberger loose, but he could only net 8 yards and the Tigers got the ball on the Nodaway-Holt 20. An incomplete pass and two short running plays made it fourth and 7 at the 17 as there was no blocking and people were not blocking who they were supposed to. But Zach Harmening rescued the Tigers with a 17-yard strike to Alex Harmening to make it 52-26 with 8:47 left. Harmening was sacked on the extra point play.
Nodaway-Holt started off on their own 26 and got the benefit of another blown call by the officials, this time a phantom horsecollar penalty that moved it to the Tiger 39. This was the same crew which threw 15 penalties against the Tigers in one half several years ago. Shambarger then took the ball on an 11-yard keeper down to the 29 as linemen were getting blown out, to Coach Borey's ire. Eli Mullock got a sack to make it second and 16, but Zach Lemar caught a screen pass for an apparent 30-yard gain. But he was hit at the 3 and fumbled it and Dylan Kinsella recovered it in the end zone for the Tigers. Kinsella had been pressuring the quarterback and sprinted over 40 yards down the field to make the fumble recovery on that play.
Worth County needed only two plays to take advantage as they started on their own 15. Barrett Baker got a 10-yarder to the 25 as he kept his legs churning to get extra yardage; Coach Borey had been on Baker to run harder and he obliged Friday night. Of all 27 of Baker's carries Friday night, not one single carry lost yardage for the Tigers. Zach Harmening aired the ball out to Eli Mullock for the 55 yard score to make it 58-26. J.J. Mullock's extra point kick was short and to the left.
The Trojans then turned to Shamberger three straight times to move the ball down to the 28 and then he scrambled down to the Tiger 4. Worth County made a strong stand before giving up the score as Kinsella met Carson Long after a two-yard pickup, a pack of white shirts led by Josh Wagner threw Shamberger for a loss of 1, and Eli Mullock broke up a pass as Kinsella hurried Shamberger on the throw. But the Trojans went to their jumbo offense and gave the ball to Patrick O'Riley, normally a lineman, for the three yard score. O'Riley ran in the extra points to make it 58-34 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
Nodaway-Holt tried an onsides kick that fooled nobody as two white shirts were all over the ball and Worth County started off on their own 34. Barrett Baker hurdled a defender on his way to a 20-yard gain and Josh Wagner had a hard run of 9 down to the 16. An offsides penalty moved the ball down to the Trojan 11 and then Eli Mullock's sweep with 24.7 seconds left in the third quarter and J.J. Mullock's kick made it 65-34. Shamberger answered with a 69 yard scramble against a mixture of varsity and JV players and O'Riley added the extra points at the end of the third quarter to make it 65-42.
This time, Nodaway-Holt elected to kick it deep and a block in the back penalty buried the Tigers at their own 11. They were able to move the ball against an exhausted Nodaway-Holt team, but they could not score as the same officiating crew that flagged the Tigers for 15 penalties in half a game's work threw four on one drive alone. Dallas Greenland carried the ball for 9 yards to the 19 and then Barrett Baker picked up 6 more to the 25. After a fumble recovery by J.J. Mullock, Eli Mullock ran for an apparent 54 yard touchdown, only to have the refs allege a block in the back. Then, Barrett Baker's sweep as he waltzed the tightrope to the 40, Dallas Greenland's eight-yard gain, and Baker's 10 yard run put on the Nodaway-Holt 20. Eli Mullock's sweep moved it to the 8. Two plays later, a holding penalty moved it back to the 14, and another holding penalty that wiped out a touchdown pass made it fourth and goal at the 27. Eli Mullock caught a short pass over the middle that he turned into a 24 yard gain, but he was stopped at the 3 to kill the drive.
Nodaway-Holt nearly got backed into the end zone as Cody Green pressured Shamberger who barely made it out of the end zone. He then got five yards on a spread draw up to the 6, but a false start moved it back to the 3 and then two Trojan attempts to air it out were incomplete and the Tigers took over on the Trojan 3. Dallas Greenland ran in the touchdown and the extra points to make it 73-42 and round out the scoring for the evening. The JV squads saw the rest of the action; Nodaway-Holt gave up the ball on downs at the Trojan 39 thanks to solid hits by Kinsella and Jordan Harding and Mitch Andrews. Dallas Greenland picked up ten to the 29; a block in the back moved it back to the 38. But Mitch Andrews' sweep for six and a counter from Jordan Harding made it first and 10 at the 25. A delay of game penalty moved it back to the 30, but Adam Summers ran the ball for 18 down to the 12 after getting a block from Bryson Scott and Jordan Harding picked up an 8-yard gain down to the four before time ran out.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Graves Blasts Deficits, Obama Health Plan, Cap & Trade
During a districtwide tour, Congressman Sam Graves came to Grant City last week and blasted the federal deficit, Obama's health plan, and Cap & Trade. Around 40-50 people attended the meeting at the Fairgrounds Building, in which he talked about his work in Washington and in which he took questions from constituents.
Regarding the deficit, he said that "if you did that, you would go broke." He said that the current deficit, which he said was higher than any in history, was "a legacy that we would have to pay back."
The theme of Graves' tour was "Main Street Matters," and he pointed to specific legislation that he said would be bad for small businesses. Cap and Trade would require all businesses to place caps on emissions or face a carbon tax. Proponents say that this legislation is necessary because they argue that man-made pollution will create long-term global warming that will result in rising ocean levels, leading to the displacement of millions or even billions of people. They envision worst-case scenarios in which low-level cities such as Boston or New Orleans or Florida would be flooded under by rising sea levels. But Graves said that the proposed solution was bad for this area because Missouri was a coal-dependent state that would be hit hard by any such legislation. Senator Claire McCaskill has publicly voiced concerns about Cap and Trade because of Missouri's coal dependence as well. He said that the result would be an estimated 60% increase in electricity rates for the state and that it would become more expensive to move goods across the country. Consequently, he said that it would be bad for the economy since it takes fuel to move goods. And Graves said that there was nothing to protect farms from these new offset requirements because he said that the EPA could overrule any agency who tries to exempt farms from Cap and Trade requirements.
"China and India love bills like this," said Graves. He said that a better alternative was an "all of the above" approach that he and his Republican colleagues were developing. Graves said that contrary to media reports that the Republicans had no ideas, he said that they did have ideas for energy policy but that the Democrats who control the committees would not give them a fair hearing. "We do have alternatives to the President's proposals and we have been trying to push these alternatives," he said.
Turning to healthcare, Graves turned to one of his favorite props, a huge copy of HR 3200, the Health Care Bill thousands of pages long, which he dropped on the table to demonstrate what he said was the ridiculous size of government. He said that the Democrats tried and failed to get that bill passed without letting people read it or knowing what it was about before the August recess. But he said that the August recess was bad for the bill's chances because people could read it and see for themselves what a bad bill it was. "We've read it and we don't like what we see," he said. For instance, on page 16, he said it states that after five years, no new individual plans could be written. In another section, according to Graves, it allows the government to set health insurance prices. Graves said that problem with a government-run healthcare system was that it would drive hospitals away and make healthcare even more inaccessible. "More and more hospitals are not taking Medicare or Medicaid anymore," he said. "And I don't want some bureaucrat deciding for me what healthcare choices I can make."
Graves accused the current Democratic leadership in the House of not listening to Republican ideas. "I've had a bill on associated healthcare plans that would drive down the cost of health insurance for three years, and it has never even gotten a hearing," he said. "We do have alternatives to what the Democrats are proposing. We are going around the county holding hearings on healthcare solutions, and the Democrats are calling us 'unamerican' because we get the word out that the way they are going to pay for all this is to cut Medicare by $500 billion to pay for all this."
Turning to the current budget deficit, Graves aid it was "absolutely unsustainable" and that the government was trying to balance it "on the backs of small businesses" with such things as surtaxes. He said that increased taxes were the "wrong approach" during a recession and that the current healthcare plan would add one to two trillion dollars to the deficit. "It doesn't mean we don't need changes," said Graves. For instance, he said allowing businesses to pool together to purchase insurance would drive rates down because he said that an insurance pool of 8,000 employees was more manageable from a risk standpoint than 10 employees. Graves said that would allow small businesses to offer health insurance to their employees. Graves said that another solution was tort reform, saying that people in states that have it have to pay for those who don't.
Talking about possible changes down the road for local jurisdictions, local authorities have worried about changes coming down the road that they would not be able to meet financially. Graves said that what was being considered was a revision to the Clean Water Act that would give the EPA jurisdiction over all waterways; currently, they only have jurisdiction over navigable waterways. Graves feared that this change would mean that the EPA could regulate runoff from farms. "That would be a huge infringement on property rights," he said.
Addressing rumors that the BRO Program, which has funded 15 new bridges in the county, would be dropped, Graves said that it was part of the Transportation Bill; he explained that transportation bills are authorized every six years and that it would not be up for renewal for another 18 months. The administration can ask for an extension, which they have in this case. In other words, he said that nothing was written in stone regarding the BRO Program.
Asked for his thoughts on the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio stations to give equal time to differing points of view, Graves said that it was "basic business sense" for outlets to put what people wanted on the air.
Talking about Social Security, Graves said that it was in "a lot of trouble" and that the administration had already announced that there would be no cost of living increase for next year despite the fact that prices were still going up.
Graves said that in order for the administration's agenda to pass, it would have to be done this year. "Bills like this have to get done this year, because they would never pass in an election year," he said. He said that the problem was that "we are always told that we have to support this or that bailout or it will be the end of the world." By contrast, Graves said that the economy comes and goes in cycles and that it would have recovered without all of the government bailouts that he said added to an already massive deficit. "I voted against President Bush's bailout last year, the GM bailout, the stimulus bill, and the spending bill," he said. "The economy will recover regardless of what the government does, but the goverment can prolong a recession by passing more taxes." By contrast, Graves said that the proper way to stimulate an economy was to cut taxes "or at least don't increase taxes." He said that as opposed to passing "Speaker Pelosi's baby" of stimulus bills, "Let's give the people more money thru tax cuts so that they can stimulate the economy themselves."
The problem according to Graves was that "bad legislation is easy to pass but hard to get rid of." For instance, he said that the Healthcare Bill was written by Chairman Henry Waxman's staff and HHS staff and consisted of what he called "regurgitated ideas" from the failed health care reform efforts of 1993. And he said that the Stimulus Bill was originally considered to be an infrastructure bill but that only 3% or so of the funds were actually devoted to that.
Asked a question about the Guantanamo detainees, he said that that "they can rot in Guantanamo as far as I'm concerned." He explained that he had read the intelligence reports on them for three hours after getting the necessary clearances and "it takes a whole week to get over what these folks were capable of." Graves said that terrorists only needed to be right one time and we needed to be right all the time in combatting terrorism. "We weren't thinking ahead before 9/11," he said. Graves said he wasn't buying the argument that America's interrogation policies had hurt our standing in the world. "People gripe about us, but we're the first country they turn to when they need help," he said. "And I do not want the UN coming in and telling us what we have to do with ourselves."
Graves said that he was more excited by the "tax revolts" than he had been by anything in a long time. He said that part of the reason that people were fed up was because the government was "overreaching on simple little stuff" and coming up with "goofy ideas." For instance, he said that the Cap and Trade bill included a tax per head on cattle, which he said that Chairman Henry Waxman was preparing to slip in at some point.
Regarding ethanol, Graves said that he was continuing to fight for more ethanol standards, which he said that Big Oil was trying to block. "A blend of 50% soy/diesel is 50% out of their market share," he said. He called arguments that ethanol was not clean "ridiculous" and that pushing to end our dependence on foreign oil through ethanol was a "win-win." He said that the CBO has debunked one of the main arguments against ethanol, that it would raise the price of food. Graves said that as an example of the kind of ridiculous arguments he heard against ethanol, the Kansas City Star did an article about how ethanol was going to raise the price of popcorn at movies.
Addressing No Child Left Behind, Graves said that it was currently in limbo because "nobody wants to act on it." It was supposed to be reauthorized last year; however, it never was. He said he would like to see three things changed. The first was that it should differentiate between schools that miss one or two criteria and schools that miss all 13. Currently, a school that misses one criteria narrowly is treated as failing, just like schools that miss all 13. The second idea that Graves said he wanted to see was for children on IEP's to be removed from No Child Left Behind standards; he said that the goals of the IEP program and No Child Left Behind were in conflict with each other. The third thing that Graves said needed to be changed was that No Child Left Behind should measure students as they progress through school, not measure last year's fourth grade against this year's fourth grade. He said that "there is a big difference between one fourth grade class and the next" and that the law of averages might work in bigger schools, but that it doesn't in smaller schools.
On the flip side, Graves said that vouchers were not a solution for failing schools because he said that would take away what made private schools unique. He said that once the government started funding private schools like they do public schools, they would start making regulations for them like they currently do public schools. "A lot of public schools are just as good as private schools," he said.
Regarding the deficit, he said that "if you did that, you would go broke." He said that the current deficit, which he said was higher than any in history, was "a legacy that we would have to pay back."
The theme of Graves' tour was "Main Street Matters," and he pointed to specific legislation that he said would be bad for small businesses. Cap and Trade would require all businesses to place caps on emissions or face a carbon tax. Proponents say that this legislation is necessary because they argue that man-made pollution will create long-term global warming that will result in rising ocean levels, leading to the displacement of millions or even billions of people. They envision worst-case scenarios in which low-level cities such as Boston or New Orleans or Florida would be flooded under by rising sea levels. But Graves said that the proposed solution was bad for this area because Missouri was a coal-dependent state that would be hit hard by any such legislation. Senator Claire McCaskill has publicly voiced concerns about Cap and Trade because of Missouri's coal dependence as well. He said that the result would be an estimated 60% increase in electricity rates for the state and that it would become more expensive to move goods across the country. Consequently, he said that it would be bad for the economy since it takes fuel to move goods. And Graves said that there was nothing to protect farms from these new offset requirements because he said that the EPA could overrule any agency who tries to exempt farms from Cap and Trade requirements.
"China and India love bills like this," said Graves. He said that a better alternative was an "all of the above" approach that he and his Republican colleagues were developing. Graves said that contrary to media reports that the Republicans had no ideas, he said that they did have ideas for energy policy but that the Democrats who control the committees would not give them a fair hearing. "We do have alternatives to the President's proposals and we have been trying to push these alternatives," he said.
Turning to healthcare, Graves turned to one of his favorite props, a huge copy of HR 3200, the Health Care Bill thousands of pages long, which he dropped on the table to demonstrate what he said was the ridiculous size of government. He said that the Democrats tried and failed to get that bill passed without letting people read it or knowing what it was about before the August recess. But he said that the August recess was bad for the bill's chances because people could read it and see for themselves what a bad bill it was. "We've read it and we don't like what we see," he said. For instance, on page 16, he said it states that after five years, no new individual plans could be written. In another section, according to Graves, it allows the government to set health insurance prices. Graves said that problem with a government-run healthcare system was that it would drive hospitals away and make healthcare even more inaccessible. "More and more hospitals are not taking Medicare or Medicaid anymore," he said. "And I don't want some bureaucrat deciding for me what healthcare choices I can make."
Graves accused the current Democratic leadership in the House of not listening to Republican ideas. "I've had a bill on associated healthcare plans that would drive down the cost of health insurance for three years, and it has never even gotten a hearing," he said. "We do have alternatives to what the Democrats are proposing. We are going around the county holding hearings on healthcare solutions, and the Democrats are calling us 'unamerican' because we get the word out that the way they are going to pay for all this is to cut Medicare by $500 billion to pay for all this."
Turning to the current budget deficit, Graves aid it was "absolutely unsustainable" and that the government was trying to balance it "on the backs of small businesses" with such things as surtaxes. He said that increased taxes were the "wrong approach" during a recession and that the current healthcare plan would add one to two trillion dollars to the deficit. "It doesn't mean we don't need changes," said Graves. For instance, he said allowing businesses to pool together to purchase insurance would drive rates down because he said that an insurance pool of 8,000 employees was more manageable from a risk standpoint than 10 employees. Graves said that would allow small businesses to offer health insurance to their employees. Graves said that another solution was tort reform, saying that people in states that have it have to pay for those who don't.
Talking about possible changes down the road for local jurisdictions, local authorities have worried about changes coming down the road that they would not be able to meet financially. Graves said that what was being considered was a revision to the Clean Water Act that would give the EPA jurisdiction over all waterways; currently, they only have jurisdiction over navigable waterways. Graves feared that this change would mean that the EPA could regulate runoff from farms. "That would be a huge infringement on property rights," he said.
Addressing rumors that the BRO Program, which has funded 15 new bridges in the county, would be dropped, Graves said that it was part of the Transportation Bill; he explained that transportation bills are authorized every six years and that it would not be up for renewal for another 18 months. The administration can ask for an extension, which they have in this case. In other words, he said that nothing was written in stone regarding the BRO Program.
Asked for his thoughts on the Fairness Doctrine, which required radio stations to give equal time to differing points of view, Graves said that it was "basic business sense" for outlets to put what people wanted on the air.
Talking about Social Security, Graves said that it was in "a lot of trouble" and that the administration had already announced that there would be no cost of living increase for next year despite the fact that prices were still going up.
Graves said that in order for the administration's agenda to pass, it would have to be done this year. "Bills like this have to get done this year, because they would never pass in an election year," he said. He said that the problem was that "we are always told that we have to support this or that bailout or it will be the end of the world." By contrast, Graves said that the economy comes and goes in cycles and that it would have recovered without all of the government bailouts that he said added to an already massive deficit. "I voted against President Bush's bailout last year, the GM bailout, the stimulus bill, and the spending bill," he said. "The economy will recover regardless of what the government does, but the goverment can prolong a recession by passing more taxes." By contrast, Graves said that the proper way to stimulate an economy was to cut taxes "or at least don't increase taxes." He said that as opposed to passing "Speaker Pelosi's baby" of stimulus bills, "Let's give the people more money thru tax cuts so that they can stimulate the economy themselves."
The problem according to Graves was that "bad legislation is easy to pass but hard to get rid of." For instance, he said that the Healthcare Bill was written by Chairman Henry Waxman's staff and HHS staff and consisted of what he called "regurgitated ideas" from the failed health care reform efforts of 1993. And he said that the Stimulus Bill was originally considered to be an infrastructure bill but that only 3% or so of the funds were actually devoted to that.
Asked a question about the Guantanamo detainees, he said that that "they can rot in Guantanamo as far as I'm concerned." He explained that he had read the intelligence reports on them for three hours after getting the necessary clearances and "it takes a whole week to get over what these folks were capable of." Graves said that terrorists only needed to be right one time and we needed to be right all the time in combatting terrorism. "We weren't thinking ahead before 9/11," he said. Graves said he wasn't buying the argument that America's interrogation policies had hurt our standing in the world. "People gripe about us, but we're the first country they turn to when they need help," he said. "And I do not want the UN coming in and telling us what we have to do with ourselves."
Graves said that he was more excited by the "tax revolts" than he had been by anything in a long time. He said that part of the reason that people were fed up was because the government was "overreaching on simple little stuff" and coming up with "goofy ideas." For instance, he said that the Cap and Trade bill included a tax per head on cattle, which he said that Chairman Henry Waxman was preparing to slip in at some point.
Regarding ethanol, Graves said that he was continuing to fight for more ethanol standards, which he said that Big Oil was trying to block. "A blend of 50% soy/diesel is 50% out of their market share," he said. He called arguments that ethanol was not clean "ridiculous" and that pushing to end our dependence on foreign oil through ethanol was a "win-win." He said that the CBO has debunked one of the main arguments against ethanol, that it would raise the price of food. Graves said that as an example of the kind of ridiculous arguments he heard against ethanol, the Kansas City Star did an article about how ethanol was going to raise the price of popcorn at movies.
Addressing No Child Left Behind, Graves said that it was currently in limbo because "nobody wants to act on it." It was supposed to be reauthorized last year; however, it never was. He said he would like to see three things changed. The first was that it should differentiate between schools that miss one or two criteria and schools that miss all 13. Currently, a school that misses one criteria narrowly is treated as failing, just like schools that miss all 13. The second idea that Graves said he wanted to see was for children on IEP's to be removed from No Child Left Behind standards; he said that the goals of the IEP program and No Child Left Behind were in conflict with each other. The third thing that Graves said needed to be changed was that No Child Left Behind should measure students as they progress through school, not measure last year's fourth grade against this year's fourth grade. He said that "there is a big difference between one fourth grade class and the next" and that the law of averages might work in bigger schools, but that it doesn't in smaller schools.
On the flip side, Graves said that vouchers were not a solution for failing schools because he said that would take away what made private schools unique. He said that once the government started funding private schools like they do public schools, they would start making regulations for them like they currently do public schools. "A lot of public schools are just as good as private schools," he said.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Tigers Get 5th Place Trophy After Princeton Forfeit
Worth County dropped two games at the Albany Tournament Saturday, but claimed the 5th place trophy after picking up a forfeit win against Princeton after the latter team decided not to show up for their 3:00 game following their 6-5 loss to Albany, a team that had only won two games last year. The Tiger players and fans wound up waiting three hours for a game that never happened as their last game ended at 12:00 and their 5th place game had been scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
If anyone had a right to claim that they were shafted, it was Worth County, who was put in the same bracket with two powerhouse teams in Gallatin and North Harrison. The Tigers went down to Gallatin 13-2 in their first game after they had led 2-1 after two innings of play. That was quite a comedown for the Tigers offensively after they had hung 41 runs on North Nodaway and 15 on North Andrew. The Tigers and Bulldogs have played several extra inning games in recent years, but Worth County struggled against the always tough Gallatin squad. Then, they had to face a North Harrison squad which had beaten them 10-0 in districts and which had launched one shot after another over the short Stanberry fence. This time, they made a game of it after being on the ropes early before they fell to the Shamrocks 8-5. "The scoreboard didn't show it, but I was proud of the way the girls played Saturday," said assistant coach Amy Jackson, helping with the team again after a two-year hiatus. Freshman Casey Smyser made her first-ever start for the Tigers; she pitched strongly for the first two innings, got in a lot of trouble in the middle innings, but then got stronger as the day wore on to keep Worth County in the game and give them a chance to win.
The Shamrocks seem to find power pitchers year in and year out, and this year was no exception. They also featured Morgan Hallock, one of the top catchers and hitters in the area; her arm preserved a subsequent 5-4 upset of Gallatin as she threw out two runners at second in the late innings to preserve the win. Hallock led off for the Shamrocks against Worth County and she took advantage of a fielding lapse to go to second as centerfielder Brooke Adams' throw was wild and rolled all the way to the first base fence as Hallock took second. She advanced to third on a bunt and scored on a wild pitch to score North Harrison's first run of the day.
But Worth County came right back thanks to some fielding lapses by the Shamrocks. Brooke Adams reached first on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and Ashley Reynolds walked. Brooke Adams then took third on a delayed steal and then Ashley Reynolds took second as the throw went to third in an unsuccessful attempt to retire Adams. Amanda Downing then grounded out to score Adams and Delaney Davidson beat out an infield single as the shortstop knocked down a sharp grounder but didn't have a play.
North Harrison could not get anything going in the second as Tiger catcher Rebecca Moore picked a runner off of first, but they erupted for six in the top of the third. Smyser struggled to start off the third as she walked three batters and Brooke Gilland dropped a force throw to third base as she was covering on a bunt. That let in one run and two more scored on wild pitches. A sacrifice bunt scored another; Gilland threw a grounder into the first base dugout to let in another, and a single accounted for North Harrison's sixth run of the inning. That made it 7-2 and it looked like the Gallatin game all over again.
But Worth County answered North Harrison's outburst with one of their own. Brooke Gilland beat out a grounder to short and Ashley Reynolds reached on an error as the centerfielder misjudged a fly ball and it dropped behind her for a two-base error. Gilland scored on a wild pitch and Amanda Downing singled between third and short to plate Adams and make it 7-4. Delaney Davidson singled past a diving shortstop to put her on first and Downing on second with one out. But a bizarre double play that was made in conflict with the rules killed Worth County's momentum. Tonya Troutwine hit a pop fly that dropped in and, assuming there was no call, the Shamrocks threw to third to force Downing out. Downing went into the dugout thinking she was out and then the plate umpire called it an infield fly, meaning that Troutwine was out as well. The decision was made in conflict with the rules since the infield fly had taken away the force play at third.
Smyser pitched into some more trouble in the fourth as she walked three batters and hit another and let in Hallock with yet another wild pitch. That made it 8-4, but the Tigers got out of the inning when Gilland alertly threw to third for a force play for the third out. Worth County got another run with a two out rally as Smyser and Adams singled to center and Brooke Gilland drove Smyser in with a single down the left field line to make it 8-5.
North Harrison could not score in the fifth as Moore threw her second runner out stealing for the game. But Worth County couldn't take advantage in their half; Delaney Davidson walked with one out and Bailey McPike singled with two outs. But Moore grounded out to end the threat. Smyser got stronger as the game progressed as she struck out the side in the top of the sixth. But the Tigers went down in order in their half of the sixth as well.
The Shamrocks tried to get some insurance runs in the top of the seventh, as they got runners on second and third with two outs and Morgan Hallock coming to the plate. But Smyser struck out Hallock for the third out of the inning and Worth County was still in the game. Ashley Reynolds hit a pop fly single that dropped in as the Shamrocks were playing her deep to lead off the seventh. Amanda Downing forced her at second but back to back Shamrock errors loaded the bases with one out. But Paige McPike grounded into a force at home and Moore grounded out to the pitcher to end the game.
If anyone had a right to claim that they were shafted, it was Worth County, who was put in the same bracket with two powerhouse teams in Gallatin and North Harrison. The Tigers went down to Gallatin 13-2 in their first game after they had led 2-1 after two innings of play. That was quite a comedown for the Tigers offensively after they had hung 41 runs on North Nodaway and 15 on North Andrew. The Tigers and Bulldogs have played several extra inning games in recent years, but Worth County struggled against the always tough Gallatin squad. Then, they had to face a North Harrison squad which had beaten them 10-0 in districts and which had launched one shot after another over the short Stanberry fence. This time, they made a game of it after being on the ropes early before they fell to the Shamrocks 8-5. "The scoreboard didn't show it, but I was proud of the way the girls played Saturday," said assistant coach Amy Jackson, helping with the team again after a two-year hiatus. Freshman Casey Smyser made her first-ever start for the Tigers; she pitched strongly for the first two innings, got in a lot of trouble in the middle innings, but then got stronger as the day wore on to keep Worth County in the game and give them a chance to win.
The Shamrocks seem to find power pitchers year in and year out, and this year was no exception. They also featured Morgan Hallock, one of the top catchers and hitters in the area; her arm preserved a subsequent 5-4 upset of Gallatin as she threw out two runners at second in the late innings to preserve the win. Hallock led off for the Shamrocks against Worth County and she took advantage of a fielding lapse to go to second as centerfielder Brooke Adams' throw was wild and rolled all the way to the first base fence as Hallock took second. She advanced to third on a bunt and scored on a wild pitch to score North Harrison's first run of the day.
But Worth County came right back thanks to some fielding lapses by the Shamrocks. Brooke Adams reached first on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and Ashley Reynolds walked. Brooke Adams then took third on a delayed steal and then Ashley Reynolds took second as the throw went to third in an unsuccessful attempt to retire Adams. Amanda Downing then grounded out to score Adams and Delaney Davidson beat out an infield single as the shortstop knocked down a sharp grounder but didn't have a play.
North Harrison could not get anything going in the second as Tiger catcher Rebecca Moore picked a runner off of first, but they erupted for six in the top of the third. Smyser struggled to start off the third as she walked three batters and Brooke Gilland dropped a force throw to third base as she was covering on a bunt. That let in one run and two more scored on wild pitches. A sacrifice bunt scored another; Gilland threw a grounder into the first base dugout to let in another, and a single accounted for North Harrison's sixth run of the inning. That made it 7-2 and it looked like the Gallatin game all over again.
But Worth County answered North Harrison's outburst with one of their own. Brooke Gilland beat out a grounder to short and Ashley Reynolds reached on an error as the centerfielder misjudged a fly ball and it dropped behind her for a two-base error. Gilland scored on a wild pitch and Amanda Downing singled between third and short to plate Adams and make it 7-4. Delaney Davidson singled past a diving shortstop to put her on first and Downing on second with one out. But a bizarre double play that was made in conflict with the rules killed Worth County's momentum. Tonya Troutwine hit a pop fly that dropped in and, assuming there was no call, the Shamrocks threw to third to force Downing out. Downing went into the dugout thinking she was out and then the plate umpire called it an infield fly, meaning that Troutwine was out as well. The decision was made in conflict with the rules since the infield fly had taken away the force play at third.
Smyser pitched into some more trouble in the fourth as she walked three batters and hit another and let in Hallock with yet another wild pitch. That made it 8-4, but the Tigers got out of the inning when Gilland alertly threw to third for a force play for the third out. Worth County got another run with a two out rally as Smyser and Adams singled to center and Brooke Gilland drove Smyser in with a single down the left field line to make it 8-5.
North Harrison could not score in the fifth as Moore threw her second runner out stealing for the game. But Worth County couldn't take advantage in their half; Delaney Davidson walked with one out and Bailey McPike singled with two outs. But Moore grounded out to end the threat. Smyser got stronger as the game progressed as she struck out the side in the top of the sixth. But the Tigers went down in order in their half of the sixth as well.
The Shamrocks tried to get some insurance runs in the top of the seventh, as they got runners on second and third with two outs and Morgan Hallock coming to the plate. But Smyser struck out Hallock for the third out of the inning and Worth County was still in the game. Ashley Reynolds hit a pop fly single that dropped in as the Shamrocks were playing her deep to lead off the seventh. Amanda Downing forced her at second but back to back Shamrock errors loaded the bases with one out. But Paige McPike grounded into a force at home and Moore grounded out to the pitcher to end the game.
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