McLaughlin limits early damage, dazzles while shutting down Benton to earn doubleheader split

LIBERTY, Mo. — Brennan McLaughlin didn’t allow the early setback to derail his start.

Quite the opposite. Platte County’s senior ace worked a lengthy perfect stretch and ended up with the win in a 3-1 victory over Benton in Saturday’s matchup at Liberty High School — part of a unique triple header featuring three ranked teams. McLaughlin struck out 11 in a 98-pitch complete game, ultimately allowing just three hits and a walk.

Platte County trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the first on a single, two-base error and passed ball but manufactured enough offense to create a comeback that capped a nearly perfect series of five games on the week.

“I was confident, but I knew it was going to be a good game after that first inning,” said McLaughlin, who retired 14 straight batters between a leadoff single for Benton sophomore Porter McCarthy and a two-out walk in the fifth inning.

After a comeback fell short in a morning matchup with Liberty, Platte County (19-12) scored a single run in each of the top of the third, fourth and fifth innings to beat Benton — ranked No. 9 in the most recent Missouri Baseball Coaches Association (MBCA) Class 4 poll. McLaughlin’s two-out RBI single in the third erased the deficit, and the Pirates went ahead for good on junior right fielder Hank Fowler’s bases-loaded squeeze bunt in the fourth.

McLaughlin worked around a walk in the fifth inning, needed a double play to escape a minor jam in the sixth and then retired Benton in order in the seventh with help from Fowler’s spectacular diving catch for the second out.

“He’s definitely one of the kids that if he’s not playing he’s definitely one of those kids where we’ll be like, ‘Hey, we need you in this big moment,'” McLaughlin said of Fowler, who started both games as part of still rotational outfield unit involving five players. “He’s yet to let us down, so he’s trustable and reliable when we need him.”

Platte County missed an opportunity at an early lead after sophomore Beckett Hall, playing shortstop with McLaughlin on the mound, led off the game with a double the opposite way down the left field line. Owen Bane, a senior, sacrificed him to third, and after McLaughlin walked, the Pirates stranded two in scoring position.

McCarthy then led off Benton’s bottom half of the first with a line shot to center field, and McLaughlin’s errant pickoff throw resulted in an error that moved the runner up to third with no outs. He came home two batters later on the passed ball in what became the lone blemish.

Hall walked with one out in the third and stole second, allowing him to come home when McLaughlin’s single off the end of the bat dropped in shallow center field to bring Platte County level at 1-1.

“I think just seeing the ball better — seeing the ball, trusting the work I’ve put in and just swinging (the bat) with confidence,” said McLaughlin, who saw a seven-game hitting streak that includes four of his team-high seven home runs end earlier in the day against Liberty.

With Benton’s offense in check, Platte County took the lead with the eventual winning run in the fourth after third baseman Nolan Sipes and catcher Boston Wasserman — a pair of sophomores — hit back-to-back one-out singles before sophomore center fielder Bennett Burnich drew a walk to load the bases.

Fowler’s sacrifice bunt easily scored Fowler before Hall, who finished 2-for-4, popped out to shallow left field to end the inning with two runners in scoring position.

The insurance run for McLaughlin the fifth came after back-to-back walks for McLaughlin and senior designated hitter Ian Gold. Brandon Reynolds, a junior courtesy runner for McLaughlin, then came around to score on Sipes’ single to left field with two outs.

Benton’s best opportunity to rally came in the sixth when McCarthy reached on an infield single on a ball tapped awkwardly in front of the plate. The Cardinals’ third and final hit came four pitches later with junior Zaidyn Woodward reaching on a ball that Bane slid to keep from reaching right field.

Platte County then escaped the jam when freshman shortstop Carson Coy lined out back to the pitcher with McLaughlin making the catch and then jogging to first to double off wayward Woodward.

Ranked No. 5 in the most recent MBCA Class 5 poll, Platte County sits on the cusp of another 20-win season in an impressively quick rebuild after winning the program’s third state title last year. The Pirates have endured the ups and downs expected against a tough schedule with an inexperienced lineup trying to prepare for another postseason push.

Platte County plays at Truman (14-14) on Monday before hosting Raytown (6-12) on Wednesday in the regular season finale. Class 5 District 8 play is scheduled to start on Tuesday, May 19.

Liberty 4, Platte County 2

The Blue Jays scored three runs in the bottom of the first off of Platte County senior pitcher Zach Brown and then fended off multiple comeback attempts in Saturday’s opener.

Brown went all six innings for the visitors and scattered nine hits while striking out three in a second straight encouraging start after being used primarily as a reliever for the majority of the past two seasons. Hall and senior Andrew Edsall finished with two hits apiece for Platte County, and McLaughlin saw a potential game-tying home run robbed in the top of the fifth.

Liberty senior center fielder Logan Sutton jumped and reached over the wall near the 390-foot mark to record the pivotal out. The Blue Jays immediately added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth to go up 4-2.

Platte County couldn’t take advantage of junior outfielder Devin Lumm’s leadoff single in the sixth nor Hall’s one-out triple in the seventh.

Liberty (26-6) — ranked No. 4 in the most recent MBCA Class 6 poll — actually trailed early. The Pirates struck in the top of the first with a walk for junior outfielder Matt Cisco, who eventually exited with a knee injury, and a hit by pitch for McLaughlin.

Edsall then doubled home the game’s first run with two outs.

However, Liberty answered with four singles to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the inning. Edsall’s walk and back-to-back singles for junior catcher Tate Archer and Fowler allowed Platte County to cut the deficit to one run, but a pickoff and a walk eventually led to two runners stranded in what became a frustrating string of innings at the plate for the Pirates.

Platte County 3, Fort Osage 0

The Pirates improved to 10-2 in Suburban Conference White Division play behind senior Trent Belcher’s two-hit, two-walk shutout Friday night at Platte County High School. He struck out four and needed just 85 pitches across seven effective innings in the best start of his career.

Platte County took advantage of aback-to-back singles for McLaughlin and Edsall and then an RBI double for Sipes to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Pirates finished with just five hits total and didn’t score again until loading the bases in the sixth. Cisco led off with a single and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

Going into the final week of the regular season, Platte County, Truman and Grain Valley all have two losses in White Division play going into the final week of the regular season. Platte County and Truman have the only head-to-head matchup between those teams before the start of district play, meaning the winner of Monday’s game in Independence likely wins a share of the conference title.

Platte County 15, Ruskin 0, 3 innings

Belcher and Wasserman combined on three no-hit innings in Wednesday’s conference game at Platte County High School.

In a first career pitching appearance, Wasserman turned in two scoreless innings of relief for Platte County with two walks and three strikeouts after Belcher threw a perfect first. The Pirates finished with eight hits and took advantage of five errors while scoring in all three trips to the plate.

Hall, McLaughlin and senior Lucas Dillingham all doubled, while Edsall tripled.

Platte County junior outfielder Gaven Vest drove in two, as did Hall in addition to scoring three times.The Pirates gave some of the starters extra rest with Reynolds playing third based and scoring three runs between courtesy running while also drawing a walk in a plate appearance after subbing in for Sipes.

Platte County 13, William Chrisman 1, 5 innings

Scoring in every trip to the plate, the Pirates invoked the run rule in Monday’s conference game at William Chrisman High School in Independence.

McLaughlin went 2-for-4 with a double and his seventh home run while scoring twice. Gold and Cisco also hit home runs — their first of the season.

Cisco’s three-run shot came in the six-run third, while Gold’s two-run home run accounted for Platte County’s scoring in the top of the first. McLaughlin’s solo effort capped the scoring in the fifth to back juniors Brock Dye and Evan Magnuson, who struck out four and walked just one in three strong innings of relief.

Dye started and gave up just one run in two innings, while also striking out four. An all-state performer during last year’s Class 5 state title run, Magnuson shook off struggles and allowed just one hit and one walk on 50 pitches.