Platte County comes up short in repeat bid, still collects 3rd state trophy in 5-year span

OZARK, Mo. — Overcast skies and intermittent drizzling rain served as an appropriate backdrop for a consolation opportunity.

Yet, Platte County provided some final shine to another memorable season with a 9-3 victory over Chaminade in the Class 5 state third-place game Saturday afternoon at U.S. Baseball Park despite the melancholy weather. With star senior Brennan McLaughlin unavailable to pitch due to injury, the Pirates went into the weekend with loftier ambitions but still added to the program’s lengthening run of consistent success under head coach John Sipes.

This marks Platte County’s third state trophy in a span of five years, adding to the Class 5 titles from 2022 and 2025.

“It’s just great to go out there and get another win with the guys and just spend one more game with them,” said Platte County senior Owen Bane, who pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowed only four baserunners while striking out two and earned the win against Chaminade. “It’s tough to go out on a loss, but coming out with a win like that is always a good feeling.”

Having won state titles in each of the three previous playoff runs that reached the semifinals, Platte County (28-14) entered off of a 10-0 run-rule-shortened loss to Willard on Friday night. The Pirates bounced back by producing nine runs on just seven hits in a persistent offensive effort against Chaminade that included a pair of sacrifice flys from sophomore catcher Boston Wasserman and senior first baseman Andrew Edsall’s three RBIs.

Willard (34-8) went on to survive a late rally from St. Dominic and hold on for a 9-8 victory to capture the Class 5 state title late Saturday. That added even more significance to the semifinal results.

Since the Missouri State High School Activities Association expanded baseball’s playoffs, Willard (2021, 2024 and 2026) and Platte County have won five of the six Class 5 state championships.

“I told them that they had nothing to be ashamed of or hang their heads on. We had doubters from the get-go that we weren’t even supposed to be here,” Sipes said. “I think the boys really used that as fire, and these guys proved to everyone they can play and deserved to be here. I don’t want to say I was depressed, but it took some time to really process the loss (to Willard) and get over it. Once I was able to break it down and realize this doesn’t happen that often and the fact that we’re here and we weren’t supposed to be, that helped me get over it. Yeah, last night stung. Honestly, I would’ve rather lost 3-2 because we would’ve been in the game vs. everyone being out of it.”

Without McLaughlin, Platte County started senior Zach Brown against Willard looking to build on his recent run of postseason success but also burned his pitch limit in the loss. That left the Pirates possibly needing to piece together innings from multiple pitchers to finish in third place.

Early run support proved crucial.

Chaminade hit five batters, walked four and committed two errors to provide a steady stream of opportunities. After both teams went down in order in the first inning, Platte County quickly loaded the bases in the second and scored three times. Edsall and junior right fielder Hank Fowler both drew bases-loaded walks and junior center field Devin Lumm collected an RBI despite grounding into a double play for the first two outs of the inning.

Platte County added a run in the third on Wasserman’s first sacrifice fly and gave plenty of cushion for Bane, who began playing more at second base and right field and didn’t know if he would see the mound again after conversations with pitching coach Neil O’Brien.

“I pitched last night, and it didn’t quite go the way I had wished or envisioned,” Bane said. “At the start of the playoffs, OB told me I wasn’t going to pitch much because I needed to be in the lineup, so I’ve just been itching to pitch and getting to start today was everything I could have asked for.”

Both the second and the third could have been bigger innings for Platte County.

After Lumm’s double play, Chaminade senior starter Owen Plocher hit sophomore second baseman Beckett Hall with a pitch and exited. The Pirates stranded two, but McLaughlin, who played shortstop but couldn’t pitch due to a tendon injury on the left side of his chest, started the third with a single through the left side. However, the Red Devils cut him down trying to go first to third on a single from senior designated hitter Ian Gold, who eventually scored from third on Wasserman’s fly ball to left field that followed a bunt hit from sophomore third baseman Nolan Sipes and a wild pitch that advanced both runners.

Platte County’s lead hit 6-0 to in the fourth after another hit by pitch — this time Fowler. Lumm sacrificed him to second, and Hall’s infield single put runners on the corner with two outs and led to another pitching change. The Pirates’ next run came on junior left fielder Matt Cisco’s sacrifice fly, and Halla advanced to second on a balk.

McLaughlin walked with Hall stealing third base, and despite appeals for batter interference, Chaminade sophomore catcher Henry Lopez’s throw down resulted in an error. Hall easily scored to put the Pirates in control — a strong response considering the lopsided loss to Willard less than 24 hours earlier.

“Last night definitely wasn’t our style, how we played,” Bane said. “We might’ve stayed up a little too late last night, but we weren’t too focused on just coming out and tyring to beat the brakes off of (Chaminade). We were just trying to have a good time and not have too much stress on us. I think that’s what really helped us out tonight.”

Platte County’s first six runs were on just five hits, and the Pirates didn’t have another until a three-run top of the seventh.

Bane finished off four scoreless innings on the mound and then came back out for the fifth, retiring Lopez on a ground ball to second for the final out of his career. He then exited the game and gave way to junior Evan Magnuson.

“Definitely happy, I’d asked OB before the game if he would let me come out of the game in the middle of an inning instead of taking me out between,” said Bane, who threw 12 pitches and recorded the last out against Willard in the fifth inning of the state semifinal. “That was just a special moment, got to just soak it all in one last time.”

Chaminade scored three off of Magnuson, an all-state pitcher as a sophomore in Platte County’s run to last year’s state title. He went on to work 1 2/3 innings with a pair of strikeouts while the Pirates started to cycle through putting the majority of 22 players on the roster into the game.

The insurance runs came after the final at-bat of McLaughlin’s historic career became a hit by pitch to start the seventh. Gold followed with a double down the left-field line, and the bases ended up loaded when Nolan Sipes reached on a ground ball to shortstop.

Wasserman, who made the first important starts of his career at catcher in last season’s state semifinal and championship game, scored McLaughlin with fly ball to center field, and Edsall doubled home two more.

The runs were credited to Brown, who pinch ran for Gold in an entertaining opportunity for a pitcher-only player, and Nolan Sipes.

Platte County put Trent Belcher on the mound for the seventh inning, making him the last of seven seniors to enter the game with Lucas Dillingham receiving a pinch-hit opportunity in the fifth and Brown running the bases in the top half of the frame. The Pirates started sophomore Bennett Burnich in center against Willard, and with Bane on the mound, Fowler and Lumm were in the outfield against Chaminade before juniors Gaven Vest and Brandon Reynolds also came on for a late at-bat each.

In addition, Platte County used Wasserman behind the plate against Chaminade with junior Tate Archer catching vs. Willard.

“That was kind of the goal, regardless. Obviously, we were playing to win, but regardless of the outcome, I was going to try to get everyone in today just so they get a feel for a championship-style atmosphere,” John Sipes said. “I mean they may not ever get to come here again so I wanted to give as many kids a chance to be on the field as possible. I couldn’t get everyone in, but that was the plan.”

Belcher threw 29 pitches in relief against Willard, one under the threshold of 30 that kept him eligible to pitch on back-to-back days. He needed just nine to record three outs against Chaminade and set off the subdued celebration of a win, starting with him playfully chucking his glove at Brown as he came out of the third-base dugout.

Platte County’s senior class helped account for 96 wins in four seasons, including 58 over the past two that finished with top-four state finishes in Class 5. McLaughlin started the majority of four years in the infield and serving as the No. 1 pitcher the last three seasons. Brown (pitcher), Gold (catcher/DH) and Edsall (DH/1B) emerged as key pieces during last year’s championship run, while Bane (pitcher/2B/RF), Belcher and Dillingham (pitchers) earned increasingly significant roles this spring, especially on the pitching staff needed to navigate a busy and difficult schedule.

This year’s state trophy represented an understatedly impressive achievement given the circumstances.

Platte County graduated a large, talented senior class and also went into the season also minus starters Rocco Marriott and Brooks Hall — both early enrollees at the University of Central Florida to start their collegiate football careers. The Pirates started with just two wins in the first six games but lost just three of the final 16, including one in the previous weekend’s dramatic best-of-three state quarterfinal series win over Summit Christian.

Brown appeared on the mound in all three, nearly throwing an efficient complete game shutout in the third and decisive game before hitting his two-day pitch limit.

“There’s a bunch of guys who waited their turn and just trusted the process and just bought into the program,” Bane said. “And that’s what it’s all about, just making memories. There’s a ton of guys who are going to do the same next year, so I’m really excited to see how they do and I’m beyond happy that this is how it turned out (in my senior season).”

Willard 10, Platte County 0, 5 innings

OZARK, Mo. — Playing as the visiting team, the Tigers scored at least one run in every inning of Friday’s victory at U.S. Baseball Park.

Platte County finished with more errors (four) than hits (two) in a frustrating performance, especially after having a chance to draw even early. Willard took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a walk and two singles, the second with two outs to plate the game’s first run. The Pirates put their first two hitters on base with back-to-back singles for Hall and Cisco, who saw a pop up into shallow right field drop in off the second baseman’s glove.

McLaughlin flied out, and Gold grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Platte County next came to the plate down 3-0 and trailed by four runs when Bane gave the Pirates their next runner on a chopper in front of the plate. He reached first on a play ruled a throwing error on Willard senior catcher Jarrett McGee trying to make a difficult play.

Bane ended up picked off while trying to steal second base.

Brown lasted three-plus innings, exiting in the top of the fourth after loading the bases with a pair of hit batters sandwiched around his second throwing error. Willard ended up scoring five in the inning, three charged to Brown and two unearned for Belcher after he came on in relief. The Tigers added another against Belcher in the fifth to put the 10-run rule into play.

Cisco and Edsall walked to lead off the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, but Platte County stranded runners in both instances.

“We’re still young,” John Sipes said. “I think the championship atmosphere sped up the game on us, and I think the boys were trying to be too perfect. We preached all week long that (Willard)’s going to take advantage of your mistakes; we’ve got to limit those mistakes and make sure we’re throwing strikes.

“It was just kind of a snowball effect.”

Brown ended up charged with seven runs — four earned — while allowing five hits and two walks in addition to the two hit batters. McLaughlin’s final pitching performance ended up being 4 1/3 innings in the first game of the quarterfinal series against Summit Christian before inflammation in a tendon in the left side of his chest left him unavailable in the final two state games.

Prior to this loss, Platte County had won the only three previous state semifinal games in program history on the way to winning championships in 2002 (Class 3) and then 2022 and 2025 (Class 5). The Pirates needed a third game in each of the past two seasons to survive the newly created best-of-three quarterfinal series in the state’s two largest classifications to earn the third and fourth all-time state trophies.