Platte County’s comeback comes up just short against Staley

The alignment seemed right to maintain momentum against a quality opponent at home.

With a break in the schedule, Platte County set the pitching rotation to put senior ace Brennan McLaughlin on the mound Friday evening, but the envisioned scenario didn’t play out. Staley struck early and held on for a 4-2 victory at Platte County High School. The Falcons never trailed after scoring three in the top of the first and finished a busy week on a positive note.

Platte County senior first baseman Andrew Edsall drove in both of the Pirates’ runs, one with a solo home run in the fourth.

“The coaches and I were talking before the game, and we thought if we could put up a goose egg in the first inning and score one or two then we can get the momentum going and be in a good spot,” Platte County coach John Sipes said. “They did what we were trying to do. We put ourselves behind early with some defensive lapses, and it was hard to come back because that’s a good team. They don’t make many mistakes, and if they do, you’ve got to make sure you’re taking advantage of them and we didn’t.”

The defending Class 5 state champions, Platte County (9-5) saw a seven-game winning streak to come to an end. The Pirates brought the potential tying run to the plate in the sixth and the potential winning run batted in the seventh.

Staley (6-8) led 4-0 after the top of the second, and McLaughlin exited after three innings, allowing six hits and two walks but just one earned run.

Platte County stayed close with seniors Lucas Dillingham and Zach Brown each delivering a pair of scoreless innings in relief. The Pirates closed the gap when Edsall hit a two-out solo home run — his third of the season — in the top of the fourth.

“(Edsall) started off really slow, but once he started hitting the baseball, he’s been on fire and delivering,” Sipes said.

With Staley’s offense suddenly dried up, Platte County started a potential rally in the bottom of the sixth when junior left fielder Matt Cisco led off with an infield single and McLaughlin walked. Sipes opted to have senior designated hitter Ian Gold sacrifice bunt both runners into scoring position, and Edsall’s sacrifice fly to right field plated Cisco to pull the Pirates within 4-2.

The inning ended on a strikeout while McLaughlin looking to steal home only to create a play at the plate with Staley junior catcher Andrew Maultsby that ultimately didn’t count.

In the seventh, Platte County drew a pair of walks, one for sophomore catcher Boston Wasserman to lead off the inning and one for sophomore infielder Beckett Hall with two outs. That put runners on the corner, but Cisco popped out one pitch after Hall went to first base to end the game.

Platte County finished with just five hits total — two from Edsall.

“We were just hoping maybe Staley would spike a ball would spike a ball or launch a throw or a passed ball here or there,” Sipes said. “They’re just a good team. They played fundamentally sound baseball today, and we didn’t. That was the difference.”

Platte County’s inexperience again showed early McLaughlin, Edsall and Gold the only returning starters from last year’s state title run.

Staley’s first five batters reached with the Pirates’ defense charged with a pair of errors. McLaughlin strained a pair of runners to keep the deficit at 3-0, but Falcons junior starter Ayden Boyer pitched a clean first inning and immediately re-upped the pressure.

Three straight two-out singles added a run and ultimately drove up McLaughlin’s pitch count.

“You can only use (youth as an excuse) for so long when you’re at this point in the season,” Sipes said. “That tends to be a crutch, an excuse, but our boys are battling. The young ones are learning more every day, and we’ve just got to keep throwing them out there and take our lumps early and hope by the time districts come around they’re experienced and ready to roll.”

A controversial call in the bottom of the second proved beneficial to Staley holding the lead late.

Gold and Edsall opened the frame with back-to-back singles, and after a failed sacrifice bunt attempt, Wasserman hit a ground ball into the hole on the left side. Staley junior third baseman Connor Jones fielded and tagged Gold running to third base but immediately dropped the ball.

The field umpire ruled Gold out, claiming he needed to make an attempt to avoid the defender although Jones appeared to innate the contact solely by stretching out his arm to apply the tag.

“If (Ian) avoids contact, he’s out of the baseline, and he’s out anyway,” Sipes said. “The rule should be — and what I think it is — is that he can’t forcibly initiate contact. He didn’t initiate. He just ran straight like he has the right to do.”

Platte County stranded two in the second and saw sophomore center fielder Ben Burnich thrown out stealing after a leadoff walk in the third. The Pirates had at least one runner in base in every inning except the first with senior second baseman Owen Bane singling with one out in the fifth but ending up stranded at second.

Back in a break from Suburban Conference White Division play, Platte County hosts Smithville (3-9) on Monday in an important matchup for Class 5 District 8 seeding. The Pirates then travel to Columbia Baseball Tournament with four games scheduled for Thursday-Saturday.

Platte County 20, Ruskin 0, 3 innings

The Pirates scored 16 in the first inning, and junior Christian Sipes pitched three perfect innings Monday in Kansas City, striking out five of the nine hitters he faced.

Platte County collected 15 hits and four walks while also benefitting from four Ruskin errors. In the top of the first, the Pirates sent 19 batters to the plate with Gold (two-run double), Edsall (RBI triple) and McLaughlin (three-run home run) providing the biggest blows.

Burnich added a two-run double followed with a two-run single from junior Tate Archer to account for Platte County’s scoring in the second.