Platte County came back with the deserved symbol of success for an accomplished senior class, just not the one envisioned or intended.
Platte County players and coaches pose with the Class 4 fourth-place trophy Thursday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
The seventh state trophy in program history — first since 2021 — came from a fourth-place finish Thursday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield in what became heartbreaking circumstances. Helias came up with a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning in a Class 4 semifinal, and St. Dominic staged a rally for a comeback 6-4 victory later in the day.
Platte County (24-9) lost in the district championship game each of the past four seasons but finally broke back through to the playoffs this fall behind a consistently potent offense and the steady presence of senior pitcher Reagan Ball. The Pirates were close to reaching the state title game but couldn’t escape a late jam in the semifinal.
Helias (26-6) — the eventual Class 4 champions — manufactured a run in the bottom of the seventh while just one out away from ending up in extra innings. After a one-out single for freshman Allison Koofer-Thompson, Ball recorded a strikeout to bring up the top of the Crusaders’ lineup.
Ball hit Helias senior catcher Brianna Brenneke with a pitch to put the eventual winning run in scoring position. That brought up senior shortstop Sophie Heckenkamp, who fouled off four pitches — the final three on two-strike counts.
Platte County junior Kinleigh Howren hits a home run against Helias in a Class 4 state semifinal Thursday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
Heckencamp then poked a single into right field with Koofer-Thompson scoring ahead of the throw for the final run of a dramatic 2-1 victory.
Helias junior pitcher Harper Sherry struck out 10 and limited Platte County to just four hits, which included junior second baseman Kinleigh Howren’s solo home run in the top of the third to bring the Pirates level at 1-1. Sherry allowed a runner in each of the next three innings, including leadoff singles for sophomore first baseman Gracelyn Shippee in the fourth and senior shortstop Bryli Seifert in the sixth.
Ball worked around a two-out double in the sixth and finished with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Platte County senior left fielder hit a one-out double in the top of the first, but Helias took an initial lead on a single from Heckencamp and a double for Sherry back-to-back in the bottom of the frame. That held until Howren homered for a second straight game — a solo shot to left field for her seventh of the season. The Pirates didn’t score again in a performance starkly contrasting a 13-9 victory over Belton in a Class 4 state quarterfinal that Howren led off with a solo home run to right field.
Platte County senior Reagan Ball delivers a pitch against Helias in a Class 4 state semifinal Thursday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
Helias went on to beat Parkway West 12-0 in a five-inning, run-rule-shortened win in Friday’s championship game.
Platte County came right back to play St. Dominic in the third-place game and ended up in position to close the season with a win. The Pirates didn’t trail until the final inning after Seifert hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the first, finalizing her single-season record at 19.
St. Dominic briefly drew even, but Platte County went back in front after Shippee and Ball went back-to-back with a double and a single in the fourth. The Pirates were up 3-1 after Shippee’s solo home run in the sixth.
Ball recorded two quick outs to start the seventh before disaster struck.
The next seven batters reached base for St. Dominic on a double, five singles and an error that ended up allowing the fifth run of the inning to score on the final hit. The Crusaders went into the seventh with just three hits against Ball, who struck out four and didn’t issue a walk in her final start.
Platte County senior shortstop Bryli Seifert swings at a pitch against Helias in a Class 4 state semifinal Thursday at Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.
Platte County brought the potential tying run to the plate in a final rally that came up just short. The Pirates’ seventh started with singles from sophomore catcher Eva Bane and junior right fielder Brynna Peterson.
St. Dominic recorded three straight outs with Howren’s sacrifice fly bringing home a final run, and Talbot struck out with Seifert on deck.
Platte County eventually collected the fourth-place Class 4 trophy, the first state hardware since the program came in third in 2020 and 2021. The Pirates were state champions in 2008 and runnerup in 2014.
The senior class of Seifert, Ball, Talbot and center fielder Kelly Bullano were part of 82 wins over the past four seasons — none bigger than a 5-3 victory over Smithville in the Class 4 District 8 championship game and then the high-scoring quarterfinal with Belton. Bullano homered twice against Smithville to help extend the season, and Howren and Seifert continued the power hitting all the way through to the end.
Signed to LSU, Seifert completed the best offensive season in program history, while Howren — committed to Louisville — didn’t end up far behind. They combined with Talbot to form the top third of a lineup that averaged more than 10 runs per game, while Ball finished up a third season as the reliable No. 1 pitching option.
All four were integral to pushing Platte County back into the playoffs and adding to the program’s accomplished history, which includes eight 20-win seasons since 2009. The Pirates jumped to a 10-1 start this fall — a mark that included a win over eventual Class 5 state champion Lee’s Summit (20-15) — and then bounced back from a three-game losing streak.
Platte County went into the state semifinals on an 11-game win streak.
