Howren’s walkoff hit caps Platte County’s final rally to topple state’s top team, build momentum

The first matchup with Grain Valley this season almost could not have gone worse.

Platte County completely changed the mindset and outcome in a Monday’s Suburban Conference White Division rematch. The Pirates trailed five different times but were relentless in comeback efforts on the way to a walkoff 8-7 victory in nine innings to become the first Missouri team to beat Class 5 No. 1-ranked Grain Valley.

In each of the final three home innings halves, Platte County scored two runs with freshman third baseman Kinleigh Howren delivering a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth to turn a 7-6 deficit into a memorable one-run victory in the Pirates’ final home game of the regular season. She also delivered a walkoff in the bottom of the 11th of a 5-4 win over Belton earlier this season.

“I have great teammates behind me. I’ve felt welcome since the day I came in, so it’s just kind of natural (to be comfortable in pressure situations),” she said.

Almost three weeks earlier, Grain Valley senior pitcher Makenna Moore threw a no-hitter that could have been a perfect game if not for one error in a 4-0 victory over Platte County. This time around, the Pirates collected 14 hits — 13 singles — against her and junior reliever Sidney Hemme, who pitched the ninth and ended up taking the loss.

Grain Valley (30-2) held leads of 1-0, 2-1, 4-2, 6-4 and 7-6 but didn’t trail until the game’s final at-bat.

“We just kept ourselves in it all the way. We kept our energy up, and once they only got one (in the top of the ninth) on us, we knew we could come back and get some more.,” said Howren, who finished 3-for-6 with three RBIs and two runs scored from Platte County’s leadoff spot.

Going into the bottom of the seventh, Platte County needed two runs just to keep the game alive but had managed just two runs at that point on seven scattered hits.

Howren and sophomore leftfielder Lillian Talbot, who went 4-for-5, started the inning with a pair of a singles. The runners were in scoring position after Talbot went to second with the Eagles trying to cut down Howren advancing to third.

The heads-up play mattered after Moore came back to record back-to-back outs, but Howren came home on senior rightfielder Haley Schank’s groundout.

Platte County sophomore pitcher Reagan Ball, who ground her way through nine innings in the circle while allowing 15 hits, knotted the score at 4-4 with a single to the opposite field. However, the Pirates were immediately down two again after a pair of errors in the top of the eighth led to two runs and another two-run deficit.

In the home half of the eighth, Platte County junior catcher Gwen Duncan, who reached base four times, dropped a popup into right field for a leadoff single, and sophomore centerfielder Kelly Bullano lined a ball to left to immediately put two runners on against Moore again. Pirates junior first baseman Dani Salisbury successfully sacrificed both runners into scoring position with a bunt.

Howren followed with an RBI groundout, and Talbot singled home the tying run with two outs.

Platte County then loaded the bases on a walk and an error, but Ball popped out to end the threat. The Pirates committed another error in the ninth — the last of their five — that resulted in the third unearned run charged to her with Grain Valley going ahead one more time.

Moore exited the game before throwing a pitch in the ninth, a somewhat welcome circumstance considering the prior matchup against her.

“We just had to adjust. She has great movement on the ball,” Howren said. “We’ve seen her a couple of times now so I think we just figured out her number.”

The final comeback started with junior second baseman Marlee Snyder-Richardson, who ended up charged with the error in the top of the ninth while trying to catch a difficultly placed popup in shallow right field. She worked a four-pitch walk, but Duncan couldn’t get a bunt down and ended up popping out to shortstop.

With one down, Bullano also walked before Salisbury struck out.

The leadoff hitter from the first game of her freshman season, Howren came up in a big spot and fell behind 1-2 and then fouled a ball off that eluded two Grain Valley defenders down the first-baste line. She then took advantage of the second chance and hit a soft line drive that dropped in front of Eagles centerfielder Madison Rust.

Snyder-Richardson and Bullano easily scored and set off a celebration with Howren behind second base.

“Had a good day at the plate so far, so I was just making sure I put it in play,” she said. “I just wanted to do whatever I could to make sure we win this game.”

Ball only struck out one and navigated 15 hits and a pair of walks in 108 pitches.

Grain Valley tagged her for one run in the first, but Duncan’s two-out single in the bottom of the second led to the game’s first tie when Salisbury singled her home two batters later. The Eagles had a dropped third strike to Bullano that extended the inning.

Platte County fell behind 2-1 in the top of the fifth and came right back on singles for Howren and Talbot, but Grain Valley yielded only one run on sophomore shortstop Bryli Seifert’s sacrifice fly. The Pirates appeared to take the lead only to have umpires rule Talbot left third base early on another potential sacrifice fly from Schank.

Grain Valley hit a pair of doubles in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead but couldn’t close out the win despite taking a lead into the bottom of the seventh, eighth and ninth.

Platte County’s comebacks came in wake of a deflating loss the week prior to Fort Osage that ended almost any chance of earning a share of the conference title. However, the win over Grain Valley started a stretch of three wins in the week that improved the Pirates’ record to 18-6 with with Class 4 District 8 play approaching.

“Our energy was a lot better out there,” Howren said.

Platte County 20, William Chrisman 1, 5 innings

The Pirates didn’t have a letdown in Tuesday’s blowout White Division win in Independence.

Seifert contributed a grand slam and scored twice to make the most of her two plate appearances, while Duncan continued her hot stretch with two hits, including the first home run of her career. Salisbury pitched and allowed just one run with eight strikeouts in five innings to earn the victory.

Platte County scored in four of five innings and were up 3-0 after the first. Schank, Ball and Snyder-Richardson came up with three straight singles. Ball’s scored Seifert after her walk, and Snyder-Richardson drove in two more. The Pirates’ nine-run second included Seifert’s bases-loaded shot to left field plus run-scoring singles for Duncan and Bullano.

Salisbury then brought home Bullano with a triple to right field to cap the rally.

Duncan started the fourth with a walk and came home on Bullano’s triple, and Platte County’s lead hit 14-0 on Salisbury’s RBI groundout. The 15-run rule came into play when junior reserve Emily Huel brought home Howren, who also tripled, with another groundout.

William Chrisman’s lone run came in the fourth on back-to-back doubles — the only two hits Salisbury allowed. Duncan hit a one-out solo home run in the top of the fifth, while Huel and freshman reserve shortstop Brynna Peterson forced in runs with walks before sophomore Lila Sedlacek, also in off the bench, hit a two-run single.

Platte County 4, Kearney 3

Authoring a second notable comeback in one week, the Pirates came up with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh in Thursday’s nonconference road matchup at Kearney.

Platte County trailed 3-2 when Howren fell behind in a 1-2 count with two outs before reaching on an error. Not only extending the game, the miscue allowed Duncan to score the tying run, and Talbot followed with a go-ahead RBI double to center.

Salisbury finished off a complete game, working around a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win. She struck out three and limited damage from eight hits and three walks.

Howren went 3-for-4, while Duncan upped her batting average to a team-best .455 after going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.

Kearney went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first, but Snyder-Richardson’s two-run home run — the second for her this season — in the top of the second gave Platte County a one-run lead that held until the fourth. The Bulldogs produced single runs in the fourth and fifth to earn a chance at a second win over a Class 4 District 8 rival in the process.

Platte County ended up earning a split of the teams’ two meetings this year but still ended up with the No. 2 seed in the bracket. Kearney (26-5), the two-time defending Class 4 District 8 winner and 2022 state champion, took the top spot with Smithville (16-13). The Pirates finish the regular season Tuesday against Liberty North and then open district play at 4 p.m. Wednesday against Lincoln Prep at Winnetonka High School.