Fort Osage hands latest tough loss to inconsistent, hopeful Platte County

Platte County continues to show the potential, but a combination of lost leads, comebacks come up short and tough competition leads to a pivotal moment in a season of promise.

Fort Osage put up seven runs in the bottom of the seventh to turn a tight nonconference matchup into a 13-7 runaway victory over Platte County on Thursday in Independence. The Pirates dropped to 8-10 overall, and they have lost two straight entering Monday’s tilt with Park Hill South and then the return to Suburban Conference White Division play.

Platte County has not been two games over .500 since starting the season-opening Greater Kansas City Invitational at 3-1 before losing the Silver Bracket title game and has losses that could potentially lead to a fourth seed in Class 4 District 8. The Pirates have been to the playoffs and state semifinals each of the past two years, finishing third place both times.

In the most recent game, Fort Osage piled up 18 hits against freshman starter Danica Salisbury and senior Mackenzie Shields.

However, Platte County put up three runs in the top of the sixth to close within 6-5 after a pair of errors helped build an early 6-0 deficit. The rally started with a leadoff walk for senior first baseman TK Lawson, who finished 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and four RBIs, before Salisbury reached on an error. Both runners, including sophomore pinch runner Kallie Hitzelberger, moved up on a sacrifice bunt, and junior infielder Emma Reed followed with an RBI single.

Platte County senior infielder Ava Carter then loaded the bases with an infield single, and a popout left the bases loaded with two outs. A two-run error on a grounder to short from Pirates sophomore Morgan Shields allowed the next two runs to score, but Carter and Shields ended up stranded as the possible tying and winning runs.

Fort Osage then came up with seven runs in the bottom of the inning to pull back away. The flurry started with a bunt single against Salisbury, who then exited to bring in senior Mackenzie Shields. The Indians immediately hit her for a single, two-run double and two-run home run to make it 10-5 in a span of just four batters.

Mackenzie Shields ended up allowing six runs in one inning on seven hits — including four more singles that allowed Fort Osage to extend the lead to 13-5. Platte County came back with a single for Mackenzie Shields and a two-run home run from Lawson — her team-best sixth of the season and second of the game — but the final three batters went down in order to end the game. Mackenzie Shields went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Fort Osage jumped to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second, platting all five on a pair of errors. The Indians loaded the bases against Salisbury with three singles, and an error on catcher Morgan Shields allowed the first run home run followed by an RBI groundout to make it 2-0.

The second error kept the inning alive and plated the third run, and two more two-out singles capped the big inning.

Salisbury ended up charged with seven runs total, but only three were earned and one came as a result of the runner she left on base with no one out in the sixth. She struck out two and gave up a walk and 11 hits, but that included the five singles in the troublesome, extended second and three more singles that led to a single tally in the bottom of the third that made it 6-0.

Platte County rallied back for two in the top of the fourth on a double from Mackenzie Shields and Lawson’s first two-run home run of the day. Salisbury followed with a single, and Reed reached with one out on an error but both were left stranded.

Kearney 7, Platte County 6

The Pirates overcame a 5-0 deficit and briefly led by a run but ended up with a loss Tuesday night in a nonconference game in Kearney that could have big Class 4 District 8 seeding implications.

Kearney came up with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to cap a quick back-and-forth between the rivals. Salisbury started and went five innings but ended up with the loss after allowing nine hits, two walks and seven runs (six earned) while striking out one. Mackenzie Shields worked around a hit in a scoreless sixth.

Platte County trailed 5-0 after two but made a huge comeback in the third thanks to a game-tying grand slam from Lawson. The Pirates loaded the bases with a single from Reed, a sacrifice bunt from Carter, a walk for junior outfielder Avery Webster and a single for Morgan Shields.

Platte County senior shortstop Demi Riechers followed with an RBI single for Platte County’s first run, and after Mackenzie Shields grounded into a fielder’s choice that forced out a runner at home, Lawson came up in a big spot. She responded with a home run blasted to left field bringing the score level at 5-5.

After Salisbury worked a scoreless third, Platte County came up with a go-ahead run in the fourth.

Reed again led off with a single and moved to second on an error. She then advanced to third on Carter’s single and scored on the play due to a second error in the inning.

Platte County’s 6-5 lead didn’t last thanks to a pair of singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly for Kearney in the bottom of the inning. The Pirates put the potential tying run on first when senior centerfielder Abby Reynolds walked in the fifth, Webster walked in the sixth and Lawson walked in the seventh but all three ended up stranded.

Lawson finished 2-for-3 with a walk, while Reed had two singles and two runs scored.

Platte County now has one-run losses to former Suburban Conference Blue Division rivals Smithville and Kearney plus another in White Division play to Belton. All three are in Class 4 District 8, and because of the new conference alignment, Platte County can only hope to even the season series with Belton in the regular season finale October 6 to have a shot at the third seed.

Platte County 7, Excelsior Springs 1

The Pirates did have an intradistrict win Monday at Platte County High School when Salisbury took a perfect game into the sixth before finishing a complete game with two hits allowed, no walks and five strikeouts. She needed just 69 pitches total, 50 for strikes.

The offense backed Salisbury with 12 hits, all singles, including four for Morgan Shields. Mackenzie Shields drove in a pair with an RBI groundout in the first and RBI single in the sixth, while Ava Carter walked and scored twice.

Platte County took a 2-0 lead in the first after singles from Webster and Morgan Shields and a double steal. Riechers and Mackenzie Shields then scored them with back-to-back groundouts. The Pirates put up two more in the second with a two-out rally. Salisbury reached to lead off the inning on a two-base error with freshman courtesy runner Evie Thrasher then stuck at third with two outs. Carter walked on four pitches, and Webster and Morgan Shields followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles.

Morgan Shields drove in a run with a two-out single in the fourth, and Platte County answered the two runs from Excelsior Springs in the top of the sixth with two-out RBI singles from Riechers and Mackenzie Shields. The win provided head-to-head criteria over Excelsior Springs in Class 4 District 8, especially important following the loss to Kearney the next night.