Platte County puts slow start in rearview, goes into home opener on 3-game win streak

SMITHVILLE, Mo. — If the pitching staff comes together, Platte County continues to show the potential to go from a slow start to a consistent winning team. More accurately based on the collective talent, the question might be more about when rather than if.

Smithville found out first hand in Monday’s nonconference rivalry game.

Platte County batted around in a six-run sixth inning on the way to a 9-5 comeback victory at Smithville High School. The Warriors couldn’t hold a 5-0 lead after the first six batters all reached, starting with four consecutive walks, but junior lefty Brayden Carter and senior Tyler Erickson combined for seven scoreless innings of relief to allow the comeback to coalesce.

Combined with a 4-2 road win over Fort Osage on Tuesday, Platte County has now won four of five overall and three straight to improve to 4-5 overall after opening with four straight losses.

“We always feel like we’re in the game,” said Platte County senior utility man James Schwieder, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBIs and two runs scored in the win over Smithville. “We always feel like, no matter the deficit, we’re always in there. We’re a really good hitting team, play good defense. As long as our pitchers do their job, we don’t lose a lot of games.”

Carter came on in the first inning with no outs and the bases loaded. He ended up charged with one unearned run but threw 51 of 71 pitches for strikes, walking two and allowing only three hits while striking out seven in five innings of work.

At one point, Carter retired seven straight and showed the form making him the likely ace starter for Platte County this season. He emerged last season after earning a win in his varsity debut against eventual Class 6 state champion Liberty North then becoming the top reliever during the stretch and playoff runs.

“That was the Brayden from last year,” Platte County coach John Sipes said. “That Brayden’s the one that beat Liberty North. That’s the one that came in and shut the door down in the state tournament, and that’s the Brayden we needed today.”

After Carter threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth on just six pitches, Platte County finally broke through after chasing Smithville senior starter Andrew Hedgcorth after a leadoff walk from junior right fielder Devin Wassmann to start the sixth. The Pirates would eventually send 10 to the plate against three pitchers, while turning a 5-1 deficit into a 7-5 lead.

Platte County senior Dylan Robertson, who finished 3-for-4 added a single, and Smithville senior reliever Luke Noecker loaded the bases when he hit senior third baseman Jordan Hedrick with a pitch. Hedgcorth then booted a routine groundball from Pirates senior catcher Cameron Dean that scored a pair and cut the lead in half.

Schwieder then kept the inning going with a perfectly placed bunt the lefty put down the third-base line — a sacrifice attempt that turned into a single to load the bases and re-jumpstart the big inning potential.

“I was just trying to move the runners so the next person up could drive them in,” Schwieder said. “Turned out to be a pretty good bunt.”

After Noecker balked in a run, the defense again faltered behind him with an error on junior third baseman Ayden Ambroson allowing Dean to score the tying run.

Platte County senior outfielders Dylan Zimmerman and Dayne Wimberly followed with RBI singles to give the Pirates their first lead at 7-5. Both came against senior Tristan Henshaw, the final pitcher of the inning. A double play and flyout prevented additional runs, but the Pirates not only were in front but held momentum.

“They kept the pressure on,” Sipes said. “We knew once we got Hedgcorth out, you could just see the confidence that this game was ours.”

Erickson worked around a walk in each of his two scoreless innings, and Schwieder’s double to left field in the top of the seventh scored Robertson and Dean for the final two runs. Erickson made his second appearance of the season and after losing a start over the weekend, he returned to his more familiar relief role and earned his first save of the season after totaling five as a junior.

“You know Tyler. He’s going to come in and shove every single time,” Schwieder said.

With a crowded early schedule filled with challenging opponents, Platte County has used 11 different pitchers both out of necessity to eat innings and while trying to retool after losing the top two starters and a key reliever from last year’s Class 5 state championship team. Results have been mixed with three losses to Class 6 foes plus two more to Oklahoma powerhouse Stillwater, which features multiple Division I recruits plus the son of former Major League Baseball All-Star Matt Holliday.

Platte County claimed the last of four games in Stillwater and ended up with a split. That immediately led into the only scheduled meeting this year with Smithville, a former Suburban Conference Blue Division foe still paired with the Pirates in Class 5 District 8.

Smithville immediately drew four straight walks against Platte County junior starter Ethan Veach and then bad went to worse when Carter came on in relief. Warriors sophomore Drake Odneal followed with a fly ball to center field that Wimberly ran underneath but dropped, allowing a second run to score.

Quickly up 2-0, Smithville added three more on a single from senior catcher Preston Rash, who singled to right field. Wassmann came up throwing, and Robertson cut the ball and threw to third base to try and cut down a runner.

However, the ball went to the fence and put Smithville up 5-0. While familiar with coming out of the bullpen, Carter ended up rushed to the mound due to the circumstances and ultimately found the form needed.

“Obviously, Ethan didn’t have his best stuff. We got down and had the error, the two errors, and next thing you know it’s snow-balling,” Sipes said. “With Brayden coming in, I was very confident he could close the door and keep us in that ballgame.”

Carter then struck out the next three batters, and Platte County went to work trying to utilize the deep talented lineup that has scored five or more runs six times already this season. The Pirates went down in order in the first, but Robertson and Hedrick started the second with back-to-back singles.

A sacrifice bunt from Dean put two runners in scoring position, and Schwieder scored one with a groundout to second.

“He’s a good pitcher,” Schwieder said of Hedgcorth. “Any time you can scratch a run off like that, it really helps your morale in the dugout.”

Platte County never truly broke through against Hedgcorth but did regularly tax his pitch count. The Pirates stranded one in the second, two in the third and one each in the fourth and the fifth, ending up with four walks and three hits against Smithville’s ace.

“Our boys had a fantastic approach today. We just had the approach that if we get him deep in counts, we can get him out of the game,” Sipes said.

Platte County returns to action Friday evening in the home opener against Staley before hosting Savannah on Saturday afternoon.

Platte County 4, Fort Osage 2

The Pirates overcame an early 2-1 deficit, battling back after an error led to a two runs in the bottom of the first Tuesday in Independence.

Zimmerman started for Platte County and allowed the two runs but ended up pitching three innings with three strikeouts, while seniors Aidan Norris and Hunter Canole combined on four scoreless innings of relief. The Pirates spotted Zimmerman a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Wimberly led off with a double and sophomore second baseman Dayton Doll immediately singled him home.

However, Fort Osage avoided further damage with a fly out and double play and then opened the bottom half of the inning with a runner reaching on a dropped fly ball in right field.

Zimmerman retired the next two batters but then allowed two singles around a walk. The second hit with two outs scored a pair and put Platte County behind. The Pirates then stranded two in the second and couldn’t turn a leadoff walk into the third into any runs.

Platte County then took the lead back without a hit in the fourth.

Robertson walked, and Hedrick reached on a hit by pitch to start the frame, and after Dean’s sacrifice bunt, Fort Osage induced a groundout to the pitcher to leave two in scoring position with two outs. Schwieder, junior third baseman Brian Chandler and Wimberly all walked to force in the two runs.

Norris struck out four in 2 1/3 innings, while Canole didn’t allow a runner in 1 1/3 innings to make the lead stand up.

Platte County’s insurance run came in the sixth when senior shortstop Nick Baker led off with a single, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on Chandler’s single to center field. He finished 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs, while Wimberly walked twice, scored once and drove in one. Robertson and Schwieder also walked twice each.

Brad Holt Memorial Festival

Due to inclement weather Thursday, Platte County ended up playing a pair of weekend doubleheaders in last week’s trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Pirates split both, earning their first win of the season Friday against Carl Albert and then salvaging the last of three games against the host Pioneers.

Platte County held a lead in three of the four games and six of the first seven during a rocky 2-5 start to the season in showcase matchups. The Pirates went 0-3 in the season-opening Metro Leadoff Classic before heading south hoping to encounter more solid competition and better weather.

Instead, Thursday’s game got pushed back to set up an opener with Stillwater on Friday afternoon. The Pioneers welcomed Platte County with a pair of grand slams in a 17-0 five-inning victory. They scored six in the second to take the lead, added two in the third and plated nine in the fourth to put the run-rule into play.

Platte County had just one hit — a single from Wassman — plus walks for Wimberly and senior reserve infielder Andrew Habel. The Pirates started Erickson (six earned runs in two innings) and also used Robertson (three earned runs) and junior Isaiah Smith (six unearned runs).

Coming right back, Veach and Carter combined on the best pitching performance of the season to that point in a 6-4 victory over Carl Albert. Veach started and allowed all four runs but none were earned. He walked two and gave up just one hit, all in the top of the third when the Titans took a 4-1 lead.

Veach opened with a leadoff walk before an error put two on with none out. He later issued an intentional walk to load the bases and then gave up a two-out grand slam.

Platte County came right back with two runs in the bottom of the inning, thanks to the top of the order. Wimberly walked with one out, and Doll singled, to set up Robertson’s two-run double two batters later. The Pirates ended up stranding two runner, but after Carter entered with a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, an error helped to push them back in front in the bottom of the inning.

After Norris reached on the miscue to start the inning, Platte County junior Zane Miller walked. Norris scored on a throwing error while stealing third, and Wassmann scored Miller and Wimberly with a two-out single to left field.

Carter allowed only one hit and one walk in his four innings, while striking out six.

Wimberly (two walks) and Doll (two singles) each scored twice, while Wassmann went 3-for-4 with a double. Doll and Wassmann singled back-to-back in the first inning, and Robertson delivered a sacrifice fly to give Platte County the original 1-0 lead.

On Saturday, Platte County opened with a rematch against the hosts, and this time, the Pirates immediately put up two runs in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead without a hit. Wimberly reached on a drop third strike to lead off the inning, and Doll then reached on an error. Wimberly had stolen second and scored on the play, and Doll later came home on a balk ahead of an inning-ending groundout.

Stillwater took the lead back with four in the bottom of the first against Schwieder, who started and walked seven but allowed only one hit and struck out three in 2 2/3 innings. Six of the walks came in the first inning. The Pirates would come back to tie the score at 4-4 with two in the top of the second on junior Brian Chandler’s two-run single to plate Zimmerman and Norris.

Platte County wouldn’t lead again with Stillwater scoring two against Doll — only one earned — in his 2 1/3 innings of relief and adding a run against Canole after he came on in relief with one out in the sixth. The Pioneers had just three hits, including a two-run home run for Gage Gundy that gave them a 7-4 lead. Canole gave up the two-run shot to the first batter he faced in the sixth after coming on for Doll, who hit a batter to start the sixth.

Wassmann hit a solo home run — his first of the season — with two outs in the top of the seventh to provide the final run.

The final game between Platte County and Stillwater went back and forth with only four scoreless half innings. The Pirates led 2-0, 3-2, 6-4 and 7-5 but also trailed 4-3 and went into the top of the seventh tied 7-7. The teams were also tied 2-2 after two and 3-3 after three innings.

In the top of the seventh, Platte County scored four with the first four batters reaching. Robertson and Hedrick singled, and Doll followed with a two-run double to center field for the game-winning RBIs. After a walk for senior Zach Gaspers, the Pirates were in danger of stranding two runners until Wimberly came up with a two-run single and needed insurance runs.

Canole came on for the seventh and worked around a two-out walk to finish off the win.

Wimberly finished 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two RBIs; Doll went 2-for-4 with five RBIs; and Hedrick collected three hits in three at-bats, doubling twice with three RBIs and adding a walk, to lead Platte County’s offense. Doll drove in two with a two-out single in the first, and Hedrick’s RBI double gave the Pirates the lead back at 3-2 in the third.

After Stillwater took its lead in the bottom of the fourth, Platte County came right back with three runs, including a two-run double for Hedrick that scored Wimberly and Wassmann after they collected two of three walks in the inning. Robertson also walked ahead of Hedrick’s double and scored on a fielder’s choice groundout from Doll.

Platte County used 14 batters in the game, and sophomore Patrick McCool added a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth to make it 7-5. However, the Pirates also cycled through four pitchers and gave up just three earned runs due to three errors.

Norris started and allowed only one earned run, while striking out four in 2 2/3 innings, and Zimmerman (five strikeouts and two unearned runs in 2 1/3 innings), Smith (two runs in one inning) and Canole (one strikeout in one inning) came on in relief.