Tears Mark 6-5 Win Over Albany

Worth County took a 6-5 lead in the fourth and then clung by their fingernails for the last three innings to beat Albany Thursday. Afterwards Ashley Reynolds was in tears after the final strikeout. Reynolds, regarded as one of the toughest players on the team, said it was because she felt the Tigers were finally beginning to gell as a team. The game was one of the more perplexing games of the season -- the Tigers made seven errors against the Warriors, yet found a way to win. They made fewer errors against Plattsburg, Stewartsville, and Jefferson, yet lost all three of those games. They allowed five hits to Albany, yet won; they only allowed one lone Stewartsville hit in the last inning, yet lost.

The Tigers made some errors, yet they also made some strong fielding plays in order to kill rallies from the Warriors. In the top of the first, Chantelle Berger walked. Thea Sagun struck out, but Melissa Abreu reached on an error when Tonya Troutwine, covering first on a bunt situation, bobbled the throw. But Erin Teel grounded into a force play at third and then Maisie Yeager was out on a called third strike to end the inning.

In the second, Albany ran their way out of another possible rally when Brooke Smith singled to Amanda Downing in center field, but was thrown out trying for second as Downing let the ball get under her legs, but recovered in time to get the out. Ashley Smith hit a pop fly behind second that was possible trouble in the inning, but Brooke Adams hustled behind second to make the play for the final out of the inning.

Albany finally broke through in the third. McKenzie Pigg singled up the middle and then Bailey McPike threw Berger's bunt in the dirt for an error. Thea Sagun grounded out to move them both up and then Abreu reached on yet another Tiger error as Tonya Troutwine let the ball get under her legs; Abreu then went to second on Troutwine's second error of the play when she threw home when the runs had already scored to make it 2-0, allowing Abreu to go to second. Troutwine, who had made three errors to that point, would redeem herself in the field later on. In the meantime, everyone else had her back as Abreu tried to steal third but was thrown out stealing. Erin Teel walked and Maisie Yeager hit a pop fly single just over Troutwine's head; they both engineered a double steal. But Delaney Davidson got Paige McGinley out on a called third strike to keep the score at 2-0.

Warrior pitcher Katie Thomas retired the first eight Tiger batters, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the third with two outs. Casey Smyser walked and then first baseman Paige McGinley dropped Brooke Adams' bunt, moving Smyser to third. Adams stole second and Brooke Gilland reached on an error when the third baseman threw the grounder away, trying the score at 2-2. Ashley Reynolds then crushed the ball over the right fielder's head for a 250-foot triple to score Gilland to make it 3-2.

Albany regained the lead in the top of the fourth. Brooke Smith walked. Ashley Smith was caught looking, but McKenzie Pigg's single up the middle put runners on first and second with one out. Chantelle Berger's bunt to Bailey McPike was misplayed as McPike threw away an ill-advised throw to third for a two-base error that tied it up at 3-3. Thea Sagun's pop fly single to left scored two more runs to make it 5-3.

Worth County came right back to take the lead. Delaney Davidson singled up the middle and Rebecca Moore ran for her. Albany second baseman Thea Sagun struggled in the field as she dropped a throw from first on a bunt and then failed to cover on another bunt, causing an error by the third baseman. That made it 5-4. It was Casey Smyser at the bat next and once again, Casey did not strike out as she lined one to right field to score Bailey McPike to make it 5-5. Albany nearly got out of the inning with the score tied as Brooke Adams flied out and Brooke Gilland popped out. But Ashley Reynolds hit a pop fly behind first base. First baseman Paige McGinley gave chase to it but dropped it and it rolled away, allowing Troutwine to score to make it 6-5.

Delaney Davidson lost Maisie Yeager to a walk after getting her down 0-2, but the Tiger gloves bailed her out. Paige McGinley popped out to Reynolds at first and then Brooke Smith, trying to bunt her over to second with one out, popped out to Brooke Gilland, whose rocket arm doubled Yeager off first as Tonya Troutwine had hustled over from second to cover first on the bunt situation.

Albany went down in order in the sixth as Delaney Davidson struck out Ashley Smith and McKenzie Pigg and got Chantelle Berger to pop out. But Worth County failed to add to their lead and Albany made one last comeback bid. Thea Sagun hit a pop fly that looked like it might drop between first and second for a base hit, but Tonya Troutwine made a running catch for the first out. But then Melissa Abreu reached on an error as Brooke Adams threw away a grounder. Erin Teel bunted to advance Abreu, but the Warriors were down to their final out. Delaney Davidson got Maisie Yeager down to her last strike, but she threw a wild pitch to move Abreu to third and her 3-2 pitch to Yeager was outside for ball four. Davidson continued to fight the strike zone and uncorked another wild pitch to move Yeager to second, but Brooke Gilland scrambled to snatch the ball in time to prevent Abreu from scoring with the tying run. But on a 2-2 count, Delaney Davidson's ankle high pitch was swung at by Paige McGinley and missed for strike three.

Shorthanded Tigers Denied Consolation Crown

The shorthanded Worth County Tigers were denied a consolation crown as they beat Union Star 10-4 but lost to Plattsburg 5-1 in Union Star Tournament action Saturday. The Tigers were without Delaney Davidson, who was gone to district choir as well as her brother's wedding that day. Coach Todd Simmons started Casey Smyser both games and then brought in Ashley Reynolds in relief. He said that in order for the Tigers to play better, they needed to be more focused and that they needed to hit the ball harder. "We were not hitting the ball during the tournament; we were just poking at it," he explained.

Worth County 10, Union Star 4

Worth County scored 10 runs in the bottom of the first and made it stand up against Union Star, beating them 10-4 in their first game that morning. Union Star struck in the top of the first; with two outs, Hillary Todd was hit by a pitch and Jerika Wilkerson gave one a ride to the left field wall to score her to put Union Star up 1-0.

But the Tigers responded with one of their most productive innings of the year. Brooke Adams reached on an error as Todd's throw from short pulled the first baseman off the bag. Brooke Gilland struck out, but Ashley Reynolds homered to the wall in left as she circled the bases standing up to make it 2-1. Amanda Downing hit a pop fly single to center and then Bailey McPike singled between first and second. Casey Smyser grounded out to advance them to second and third and then Tonya Troutwine singled past short to score Downing. Bailey McPike then scored on a wild pitch. Rebecca Moore then hit a pop fly single that dropped right in front of the center fielder to score Troutwine. She stole second and then Paige McPike reached on an error when Falicia Grannas misplayed a hop to score Moore. Brooke Adams then laid down a bunt and reached on a two-base throwing error when Hannah Todd threw it away. Brooke Gilland then singled to left to score McPike and Adams. Ashley Reynolds then beat out a grounder to short. Amanda Downing then singled home Gilland and went to second as the third baseman let the cutoff throw roll away. Bailey McPike then singled in Reynolds for the tenth run of the inning.

That was the last scoring that the Tigers would do as Union Star chipped away at the lead, but could not cut in. Union Star went in order in the second; in the third; the Trojans got a run off a triple by Kaylee Barnett and a groundout by Hannah Todd. Casey Smyser got into trouble in the fourth and began fighting the strike zone; she walked Falicia Grannas and hit Audrey Silvey; a pair of wild pitches scored Grannas and left Silvey on third with nobody out. But Ashley Reynolds came on in relief as Smyser went to right field and Downing went to first and struck out Lauren Humphrey and Shelby Ray and got Kaylee Barnett to hit a weak grounder to end the inning. The Trojans got their final run in the top of the fifth as Hillary Todd walked and Jerika Wilkerson singled to right and Todd scored all the way from first thanks to a bad hop.

Plattsburg 5, Worth County 1

Worth County was denied the consolation trophy as they fell to Plattsburg 5-1 in their second game Saturday. The Tigers did some things right but could not solve the hard breaking ball of Samatha Gibson, who baffled the Tigers all day. Worth County got some good swings early but Gibson got stronger as the morning wore on. Plattsburg, up first, scored two unearned runs as Brooke Adams struggled to find the range at short; her first throw was wild and her second throw was in the dirt. Those two plays and a stolen base put runners on second and third; Dorothy Ward grounded out to score Shelby Cox and Rachel Cox doubled over the left fielder's head to score Gibson. Ashley Reynolds snared a line drive to take extra bases away from Cayla Wyatt.

The Tigers got some good swings in the bottom of the first but couldn't score. With one out, Brooke Gilland singled down the left field line. Ashley Reynolds forced her at second, but Amanda Downing reached on a dropped third strike and Reynolds went all the way to third on the errant throw. Sidney Davenport hit the ball hard, but right back at Gibson who threw to first for the third out.

Plattsburg could not score in their half of the second thanks to another sparkling defensive play from Reynolds at first. Megan Schurle singled to center. Elly Young struck out, but Cali Anderson walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Shelby Cox hit a hard shot at Ashley Reynolds, who snared it and stepped on first for the double play. Worth County could not take advantage of their good fortune in the bottom of the second as Casey Smyser walked and stole second with one out but was stranded by back to back strikeouts from Tonya Troutwine and Rebecca Moore.

Gibson helped herself out in the top of the third with a scratch hit off Casey Smyser's glove into no-man's land. Paige McPike made a nice play in left field with a running over the shoulder catch for the first out, but Rachel Kent grounded out to second to move Gibson to second and Gibson went to third on a wild pitch. Wyatt's single scored her to make it 3-0.

After Worth County went down in order in their half of the third, Plattsburg used yet another two-out rally to extend their lead to 5-0 in the fourth. Smyser helped herself out by catching a soft line drive from Elly Young for the first out but then Cali Anderson walked and Shelby Cox moved her over with a groundout. Samantha Gibson doubled just over Sidney Davenport's head for one run and then Dorothy Ward singled in Gibson.

Amanda Downing reached on an error when the third baseman swiped at the ball instead of fielding it, but the Tigers could not use it as Davenport struck out, Bailey McPike forced Downing at second, and Casey Smyser struck out. Ashley Reynolds replaced Smyser on the mound; Casey Smyser went to center field and Amanda Downing went from center to first. Reynolds pitched two innings and Plattsburg threatened in both of them, but Reynolds made some good pitches to get out of jams. She was helped by some strong defensive play in the field. Cayla Wyatt singled down the left field line for Plattsburg in the fifth and Cali Anderson reached on an error as Bailey McPike threw high on a bunt. They advanced to second and third with nobody out on a wild pitch, but Worth County catcher Brooke Gilland picked off Wyatt from third and Wyatt was out in a rundown as McPike chased her home and threw to Gilland for the out. Schurle Struck out and then Brooke Adams fielded Elly Young's hard line drive on a short hop and threw to first for the third out of the fifth.

After Worth County went down in order in the bottom of the fifth, Plattsburg once again loaded the bases with nobody out thanks to three consecutive singles from Anderson, Cox, and Gibson. But Dorothy Ward and Rachel Kent each grounded into force plays at the plate and Wyatt popped out to Reynolds. Worth County got their lone run in the sixth as Brooke Gilland tripled to left and came home on a groundout from Reynolds.

Bluejays, Hindered by Illnesses, Drop Two

Northeast Nodaway, still struggling to find its way after its four-game winning streak was snapped, lost to Plattsburg and Union Star Saturday as they went 0-3 in the Union Star Tournament. The Bluejays came off the King City game with an impressive 12-7 win over a North Nodaway team that had beaten them in the NEN Tournament and which had advanced into the winner's bracket in the Union Star Tournament. But then everything turned on its head for the final two games of the Union Star Tournament -- Northeast put the ball in play, but hit it right at people; their hitting had been one of their strengths during their winning streak. Northeast had some of its best fielding since reviving its softball program last year, only making one error in each of their two games Saturday and made some spectacular plays; their fielding had been a liability for most of the year. Pitchers Taylor Dougan and Emily Bryant were sick and only played at half strength; they battled gamely but both fought the strike zone all morning long. Finally, Dougan could not go on and was replaced by Bryant during the Union Star game.

Plattsburg 4, Northeast Nodaway 2

Northeast couldn't make a 1-0 lead stand up as they lost to the Plattsburg Tigers 4-2 in the first round of the loser's bracket Saturday morning. Plattsburg got a one-out walk in the top of the first but couldn't score as Dorothy Ward hit a towering fly ball to Mallorie Peters in center that she caught. Coach Rex Wallace had lamented earlier outfield errors by the Bluejays, who had struggled to make routine catches earlier in the year and muffed three against Pattonsburg. But Northeast had no trouble catching routine fly balls in Union Star Saturday.

Taylor Dougan walked to start the Northeast first and then Emily Bryant popped out to short. But then Rachel Runde hit a sharp grounder to short that was bobbled and she was safe on an error. A wild pitch moved Dougan to third and Runde stole second. Blair Schmitz then grounded out to score Dougan. But in an omen of things to come, Hallie Oelze hit a line shot that was right at the third baseman that was caught for the third out of the inning. That was the story for Northeast -- their fielding, which was the best all year, kept them in the game and gave them a chance to win, but they were hitting balls right at people for outs instead of hits. Against Plattsburg, they had trouble solving Samantha Gibson, whose slow breaking balls dove sharply and produced many bad swings and called strikes.

The same thing happened in the second -- Northeast hit the ball hard twice but had nothing to show for it. Sarah Fox got one of her hardest hits of the year, a shot off the third baseman's glove that rolled away for a single. But Kristan Judd's hard-hit drive was right at the left fielder, who snared it for the first out; Mallorie Peters and Allison Carter grounded out to end the inning and Northeast could not raise their lead.

Plattsburg went hitless for the first three innings, but Gibson helped herself out as she hit a sharp grounder down the line at third for their first hit of the game in the fourth. Northeast's lone error of the game was costly as Blair Schmitz fielded a bunt but her throw pulled Hallie Oelze off the bag and everyone was safe. Then, Dougan began showing the effects of her illness and the sweltering morning heat and began fighting the strike zone. Rachel Kent bunted into a force play at third for the first out, but Dougan then walked the bases loaded. She almost got out of the inning as Shelby Cox grounded into a force play at the plate, but then Dougan uncorked a wild pitch to let in the tying run.

Northeast nearly got the lead back; with one out, Hallie Oelze reached on a misplayed hop by the third baseman. Sarah Fox reached on another misplayed grounder by the third baseman and they went to second and third on a wild pitch. But they were stranded there as both Kristan Judd and Mallorie Peters struck out looking.

Again Northeast almost got out of the inning and again Plattsburg scored with two outs; this time, they took the lead for good. Dougan fought back from a 3-0 count to get Gibson out on a grounder to Bryant at short but then the red Tigers got consecutive singles from Dorothy Ward and Rachel Kent to chase Dougan and bring on Bryant. Bryant walked Cayla Wyatt to load the bases with one out but was seemingly out of the inning when Jill Apple popped out to Hallie Oelze at short for the second out. But then Megan Schurle singled between first and second with two strikes on her to put Plattsburg up 3-1.

Northeast got one run back in the bottom of the fifth; with one out, Taylor Dougan tripled over the right fielder's head. Emily Bryant struck out, but then Rachel Runde singled with a high chopper past third. She went to third on two wild pitches and Blair Schmitz fought back from a 1-2 count to walk, but then Hallie Oelze struck out to end the inning.

Plattsburg got an insurance run in the top of the sixth. With one out, Jessica Buckley and Gibson walked to chase Bryant and bring back Dougan. Ward and Kent singled past a drawn-in infield, but then Dougan settled down to get Wyatt on a called third strike and Jill Apple swinging. But Northeast could not make up the difference as they went in order in the bottom of the sixth and the game was called at that point due to the time limit.

Union Star 7, Northeast Nodaway 2

When the two teams met the last time, Taylor Dougan threw a no-hitter and they scored at will after the third inning. But it was a completely different matchup when the teams met for the 7th place game of the Union Star Tournament Saturday. Northeast made yet another sparkling defensive play when Rachel Runde snared a line drive from Hannah Dodd and doubled off Kaylee Barnett from first in the top of the first. They would make these sorts of fielding plays all game, but they gave up too many walks and did not get enough offense this time around.

Northeast had baserunners in every inning, but they reverted to earlier-season form as they could not get the big hit to bring them around. In the bottom of the first, Emily Bryant got a nice two-strike hit as she hit a pop fly single to left. But Rachel Runde hit a weak popup to the catcher and Blair Schmitz, who had been their hot hand, struck out to end the inning.

In the meantime, Dougan continued to battle the sweltering heat as well as illness as she gave up a one-out double to Hannah McGinnis to start the Trojan second. McGinnis stole third and then went home on a passed ball. Falicia Grannas grounded out to Hallie Oelze at second but then Northeast could not get the final out of the inning as Audrey Silvey singled and then Lauren Humphrey and Shelby Ray walked to load the bases for Kaylee Barnett, who singled in two runs to make it 3-0.

Dougan was unable to continue after that point, which took away some pop in the lineup as Dougan had been coming on strong at the plate. Coach Rex Wallace moved Emily Bryant to the mound, Mallorie Peters to second base, Hallie Oelze to shortstop, and Allison Carter to centerfield. Hillary Todd reached on an error as a grounder rolled through Rachel Runde's legs at third and stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Jerika Wilkerson grounded out to score her to make it 4-0; Hannah McGinnis singled and stole second as Union Star threatened to make a big inning of it. But Mallorie Peters, who had struggled at second earlier in the year, made a sparkling play at that position as she snared a line drive and doubled off McGinnis from second to end the inning.

Northeast could not score in the third as Rachel Runde's two out single to left was wasted when Blair Schmitz popped out to the mound to end the inning. Schmitz made a nice stretch at first to snare Oelze's throw from short to retire Silvey's grounder for the first out of the fourth but then Bryant began to fight the strike zone, walking Humphrey and Ray. They advanced on a wild pitch, but Barnett grounded to Oelze at short, whose accurate throw nailed Humphrey at the plate for the second out. But Hannah Todd reached on a dropped third strike and then Hillary Todd's pop fly single plated two more runs to make it 6-0. It could have been worse as Union Star's best hitter, Jerika Wilkerson was up next, but Bryant got out of the inning by knocking down a hard shot and retiring Wilkerson to end the fourth.

The Bluejays got two on with two out in the fourth, but once again, couldn't score. Kristan Judd hit a single into the gap in right center and then Mallorie Peters reached on an error when the shortstop dropped a pop fly and Judd beat out the force play at second. But Katrina Freemeyer struck out to end the inning.

The Trojans scored their final run in the game to make it 7-0 when Grannas singled to center, stole second, and then came home on a couple of wild pitches. Northeast finally got going and put some runs on the board in the final inning before time was called. Allison Carter beat out an infield single when the second baseman knocked down a hard line drive but had no play at first. Emily Bryant singled to left bast short and Rachel Runde moved them over with a grounder to the pitcher. Blair Schmitz hit a pop fly single just past the second baseman's glove to score them both and account for the final score.

Northeast Win Streak Grinds to Crashing Halt

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.

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.

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.

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.