First half of Platte County’s busy week ends with conference victory over Belton

Platte County prepared for a long week but couldn’t have planned for how arduous the first three days would be.

Circumstances resulted in taxing the pitching staff, making the performance from junior Brayden Carter all the more important Wednesday night at Platte County High School. The left-handed ace struck out 11 and didn’t issue a walk in a 2-0 victory over Belton that snapped a four-game losing skid and reset the rotation.

Platte County (9-10, 4-0 Suburban Conference White Division) faced a stretch of six games in six days and already planned to take a look at both freshman pitcher Rocco Marriott and freshman shortstop Brennan McLaughlin. Both happened a little earlier than expected thanks to an 11-1 blowout loss to Blue Springs on Monday. The Pirates then allowed a four-run lead to slip away in Park Hill South’s 7-5 victory Tuesday night.

To beat Belton and remain unbeaten in conference play, Platte County made the most of just four hits and a walk.

Platte County took a 1-0 lead without a hit in the bottom of the second when junior right fielder Devin Wassmann reached with one out after being hit by a pitch. He advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw to first base then came home on a wild pitch.

In the bottom of the fourth, Platte County senior centerfielder Dayne Wimberly led off with a single and then stole second. He scored three pitches later on senior first baseman Dylan Robertson’s double to center field. However, Robertson ended up picked off for the inning’s first out, and after a groundout, Wassmann tripled to center but ended up stranded in scoring position.

While all of Platte County’s hits came in the two innings that produced a run (senior third baseman Nick Baker singled with two outs in the second), Belton had runners in all but two innings. Platte County cut down a runner on the bases in the top of the first to help Carter navigate three straight hits to start the top of the first inning.

Belton brought the potential tying run to the plate in both the sixth and seventh with two-out singles, but Carter followed with inning-ending groundouts in both situations.

McLaughlin started at shortstop for a second straight game and went 0-for-2 with Baker moving over to third base. Platte County also shifted senior Jordy Hedrick to left field and used fellow senior Dylan Zimmerman as a defensive replacement late. The Pirates have three more games this week, starting with a road game at Central (St. Joseph) on Friday and then a home doubleheader with Oak Park (10 a.m.) and Lee’s Summit (2 p.m.) on Saturday

Park Hill South 7, Platte County 5, 10 innings

Wimberly and Wassmann hit home runs to help the Pirates build leads of 2-0, 4-0 and 5-2 in what ended up a lengthy extra-inning battle Tuesday at Platte County High School.

Park Hill South took the lead for the first time on sophomore Casen Lett’s one-out, two-run home run in the top of the 10th off of Zimmerman, who took a hard-luck loss as the fourth pitcher used. He allowed only the one hit and two walks, one of which preceded the game-winning home run.

Platte County threatened to extend the game in the bottom of the 10th when senior left fielder Aidan Norris and Baker singled to start the inning. However, a double play and fly out quickly led to the potential rally fizzling out.

McLaughlin collected his first career hit — a triple — and scored a run for Platte County, while Marriott also pinch hit a day after debuting as a pitcher. Wimberly led the offense, going 2-for-5 with a two-run home run. The Pirates also struck out 11 times total against three different pitchers.

Platte County started sophomore Dayton Doll on the mound which kept him out of the lineup and his typical high-profile role as the No. 2 hitter. He allowed two runs in three innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three after receiving early run support.

Doll stranded the bases loaded in the top of the first, and Platte County went to work when senior catcher Cameron Dean doubled with one out. On the next pitch, Wimberly homered to center field for an early 2-0 lead. The Pirates doubled the advantage in the second.

Platte County junior Brian Chandler, starting at second with Doll on the mound, led off with a walk and came home on a passed ball. McLaughlin then tripled and scored on a groundout from senior James Schwieder, locked into the leadoff spot mostly at designated hitter.

Park Hill South’s two runs charged to Doll came in the top of the fourth. The Panthers’ three batters reached on a walk, RBI triple and RBI single before Platte County went to senior Tyler Erickson, who escaped the inning and went on to allow two runs — one earned — in two innings. He gave up only one hit but walked four.

In the bottom of the fourth, Wassmann hit the first pitch he saw for a solo home run to right field to make it 5-2, and Platte County missed a chance at a bigger inning, stranding the bases loaded. Park Hill South answered with the two runs off of Erickson with three walks, a hit by pitch and a wild pitch for a dropped third strike that kept the inning alive and plated the run to make it 5-4.

Erickson started the sixth but exited after allowing a leadoff single.

Platte County then went to senior Hunter Canole, who worked around a one-out double and eventually stranded the bases loaded to keep the one-run lead intact. However, he ended up credited with a blown save after allowing a leadoff single that led to a manufactured tying run in the seventh. Park Hill South used a sacrifice bunt to put the runner in scoring position, and he scored on a two-out single to extend the game to extra innings.

Canole ended up pitching three innings, striking out one and working around three walks and three hits.

Platte County loaded the bases in the seventh on Wimberly’s leadoff single, an error and an intentional walk. However, Chandler popped out and Norris struck out to end the threat. The Pirates also had two runners in the ninth on a walk for Hedrick and an intentional walk to Wassmann, meaning the winning run was in scoring position but stranded in the seventh, ninth and 10th.

Blue Springs 11, Platte County 1

The Pirates managed only one hit — a single from Dean — in what ended up a frustrating double-digit loss that managed to go the full seven innings Monday at Platte County High School.

In the end, Platte County used five total pitchers, including four in the second inning, as Blue Springs built a 7-0 lead that expanded to 9-0 in the third and 10-0 in the top of the with to put the run-rule in play. However, Platte County used three of seven total walks plus a hit by pitch in the bottom of the frame to manufacture a run.

Chandler, Wassmann and Dean all walked, and Zimmerman ended up with an RBI for Platte County after he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and one out. Blue Springs left them full with back-to-back strikeouts then added another run in the seventh.

Blue Springs started with back-to-back singles against Carter in the first then scoring on a sacrifice fly and an error.

With the busy week ahead, Carter exited with two outs in the second and runners on second and third after again allowing back-to-back singles. Platte County then used Norris and Isaiah Smith in relief with neither recording an out while walking three in what ended up a five-run second. Norris gave up an initial RBI single before a three-base error on a line drive that sank under the glove of Wimberly in center field made it 5-0. Marriott eventually took over with the bases loaded for his varsity debut and walked another batter in before ending the inning with the first of his three strikeouts.

Marriott ended up throwing 3 2/3 innings and walked four while giving up two hits on a night when the umpire’s strike zone was consistently tight for the pitchers on both sides. There were 15 walks total.

Dean finished 1-for-1 with two walks for Platte County, while senior Andrew Habel (second base), junior Drew Boyer (right field), Chandler (third base) and McLaughlin (shortstop) all entered late for at-bats with the lopsided score. McLaughlin reached his first time up on an error, while Chandler walked and scored in his only plate appearance.

Canole came in for the final 1 2/3 innings and struck out two while walking one and giving up two hits.