Platte County back to .500 after 2nd straight week with 6 games in 6 days

Platte County maintains the potential to make a run at back-to-back Class 5 state championship but likely will have to do so with an unimpressive record. The Pirates continued their struggles in putting all three phases of the game together for prolonged stretches, after playing six games in six days for a second straight week.

This time around, Platte County opened with a loss in rare matchup of defending state champions before a pair of Suburban Conference White Division blowout victories. However, the weekend included three straight losses during the River City Baseball Festival in Lawrence, Kansas. The Pirates sit again at 14-14 overall with a deep, talented lineup, occasionally shaky defense and no definitive top-line pitching rotation.

The 12 games in two weeks forced Platte County into a potentially beneficial look at the full depth of options on the mound with the postseason looming. The Pirates play another four games this week, starting with a critical road trip to Grain Valley that could likely determine if they win the Suburban Conference White Division outright or face a potential split with the Eagles.

Platte County won the first matchup between the two teams 14-1 on senior first baseman Dylan Robertson’s walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The expectation will be for Platte County junior ace Brayden Carter to make the start after another strong week where he appeared in three games. The Pirates will enter without momentum due to the three losses all with a very different pattern.

On Friday, Blue Springs dominated start to finish, taking advantage of four errors in a third victory of the season in matchups between the two team. Platte County opened Saturday revisiting a frustrating pattern from early in the season, taking a lead only to give it back late against Lawrence Free State (Kansas), then missed out on multiple chances to overtake Shawnee Mission East (Kansas) in what ended up back-to-back one-run losses.

Platte County fought back to tie the score three times against Shawnee Mission East, only to give up a run in the bottom of three straight innings in a 6-5 loss. The Lancers made the most of six hits and six walks against the combination of freshman starter Rocco Marriott (three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings), senior Aidan Norris (three walks, two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings) and Carter (scoreless sixth after allowing two hits and allowing an inherited runner to score).

Shawnee Mission East led 3-0 after the bottom of the first thanks to a single, catcher’s interference, walk and three-run double against Marriott. Platte County answered with two runs the hard way in the top of the second. Robertson led off with a single, and senior Cameron Dean walked to start the frame. However, Dean ended up picked off of first ahead of senior third baseman Jordan Hedrick’s double, which ended with Robertson thrown out at home for the second out.

However, Platte County seniors James Schwieder and Dylan Zimmerman were hit by pitches to load the bases, and freshman Brennan McLaughlin drew a run-scoring walk on a full count in a seven-pitch at-bat to make it 3-1. The Pirates then plated another on a wild pitch.

Platte County would then bring the go-ahead runner to the plate in each of the final five innings but never led.

In the third, Platte County senior Dayne Wimberly led off with a single but was picked off, and Dean ended up stranded after a two-out double. The Pirates then worked around a pair of Marriott walks in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a double play for the final two outs.

Platte County tied it 3-3 in the fourth when Schwieder walked, and Zimmerman followed with a single. Schwieder went to third and scored on McLaughlin’s groundout, but Zimmerman ended up stranded at third base.

After giving the lead back, Platte County scored in the fifth after a one-out double from Robertson, who finished 3-for-4. Hedrick scored him to tie it again at 4-4 on a two-out single but ended up stranded there. Norris walked the bases loaded for the Pirates in the bottom of the inning and then gave up a go-ahead sacrifice fly. The Pirates’ final rally started with a triple for Zimmerman plus a walk then another RBI groundout from McLaughlin.

However, Shawnee Mission East took the lead for good with a pair of two-out singles to plate the winning run in the bottom of the sixth with Carter on the mound. The second scored a runner who reached against Norris with a leadoff single before he exited with no outs.

Robertson singled to lead off the seventh, but a double play erased the runner. Platte County ended up only bringing three to the plate in a frustrating loss.

Lawrence Free State 8, Platte County 7

In the first of two games Saturday, the Pirates built a 6-2 lead with three-run third and fourth innings but ended up not making enough of seven hits and eight walks.

Lawrence Free State led 2-0 after scoring a pair in the second against Platte County sophomore starter Dayton Doll, who walked three and allowed three hits in 3 1/3 innings. However, the Pirates gave him support in the top of the next inning behind two hits each for Hedrick and Schwieder. Dean and Hedrick drove in two runs apiece.

In the top of the third, Lawrence Free State committed two of four total errors to provide an assist.

Platte County senior Nick Baker, who started at third base after being the first-choice shortstop much of the early season, reached on an error but was at second with two outs. McLaughlin kept the inning alive with a single and both runners scored on a long single to right field from Dean. The Thunderbirds extended the inning with the second error, and Schwieder scored Dean with a two-out single. The Pirates then left the bases loaded.

After a 1-2-3 third from Doll, Platte County did more work with two outs. McLaughlin and Dean walked to load the bases, moving Baker to third after he reached earlier with a single. Hedrick scored two with a single, and Dean came home on the back end of a double steal to make it 6-2.

The lead was gone after Free State manufactured four runs in the bottom of the inning against Doll and junior Isaiah Smith, who recorded only two outs and allowed four runs (two earned).

Platte County couldn’t produce a run after back-to-back walks to start the fifth, and Free State responded with back-to-back singles in the bottom of the frame to chase Smith. The Pirates went to senior Hunter Canole, who intentionally walked the bases loaded after a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position. The Thunderbirds plated the go-ahead and winning run on a one-out single, the only hit Canole surrendered in two scoreless innings of work.

In the sixth, Platte County pulled within 8-7 on Hedrick’s one-out double — the only extra-base hit for the Pirates — Schwieder’s bunt single and an error. Zimmerman then walked to load the bases with one out, but a strikeout and ground out ended the threat and kept the one-run deficit in place.

McLaughlin walked with one out in the seventh but didn’t advance past first base.

Blue Springs 7, Platte County 1

The Pirates managed just two hits and an unearned run in a Friday morning matchup with Blue Springs, which started Arkansas-bound junior pitcher Nick Gibler.

In addition, Platte County committed four errors behind senior starter Tyler Erickson, who ended up charged with all seven runs but only one earned in four innings of work. Zimmerman turned in a second straight stellar itching performance in relief, giving up only two hits in three scoreless frames.

Blue Springs went up 7-0 after a six-run top of the third that included an error to start the inning. The Wildcats ended up producing three straight two-out hits and then a walk before a second error led to the seventh run.

Platte County’s lone run came in the bottom of the third after McLaughlin opened with a single and moved to third on an error. He scored after tagging up on a popout in foul territory down the third-base line from junior Devin Wassmann.

Platte County 22, William Chrisman 2

The Pirates plated an improbably 15 runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull away for White Division victory Thursday in Independence.

Wimberly, McLaughlin and Zimmerman all homered for Platte County in the frame, as William Chrisman saw two pitchers struggle to record three outs in what had been a 7-0 game. Zimmerman capped the inning with a grand slam to left field for his first career home run. The Pirates sent 20 batters to the plate total, starting with Wimberly’s lead off home run to left.

Norris added a two-run single and then scored on McLaughlin’s one out home run to right field that increased the lead to 12-0. Hedrick’s second single of the inning plated two more after an error scored a runner and re-loaded the bases. Platte County senior Tyler Stearns then received a rare at-bat while struggling with an injury that resulted in a two-run double.

Three batters later with Platte County up 17-0 and still just one out, Zimmerman hit his grand slam. The Pirates then scored their final run on consecutive singles from Wassmann, senior reserve infielder Andrew Habel and Wimberly.

Carter started and earned the win with three scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing only two hits, and Platte County junior Ethan Veach turned in the best pitching performance of his season, striking out four and only allowing two runs in the seventh in four total innings of work. He struck out four, while allowing a walk and three hits.

Zimmerman and Norris ended up driving in four runs apiece, while McLaughlin added three RBIs for Platte County. Hedrick, Habel and Robertson all collected three hits apiece.

Platte County bolted to a 6-0 lead with three runs in both the second and third innings. Hedrick drove in a pair with a bases-loaded single in the second, while Robertson had a run-scoring single before scoring on Norris’ two-run double in the third. The Pirates then plated a seemingly important insurance run in the sixth when Norris led off with a walk, and McLaughlin reached on an error. Baker scored Norris with a sacrifice fly.

Platte County 10, Raytown 0

McLaughlin made his pitching debut with three perfect innings, and Smith finished the shutout with two innings in Wednesday’s road game at Raytown High School.

Platte County scored in four of five innings, and Raytown managed only one hit and a walk against Smith, who struck out two. McLaughlin didn’t allow a runner while striking out three more.

Robertson doubled and tripled, driving in two, while Dean collected three RBIs without a hit. Wimberly reached four times and scored four runs, while Doll finished 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. He walked with one out in the top of the first and moved to third on Wimberly’s single. Hedrick plated the first run with a double, and Dean added an RBI groundout to give the Pirates an early 2-0 lead.

Robertson made it 3-0 in the third with a two-out RBI triple to score Wimberly, who led off with a walk, and Platte County then added five in the fourth. Doll’s two-run single kickstarted the frame, and Wimberly followed with an RBI single. Dean a sacrifice fly to bring home Wimberly two batters later after Hedrick singled, and he scored on Robertson’s double to left field.

After a perfect fourth from Smith, Platte County put the run rule in play when Marriott drew a pinch-hit walk and stole second. Raytown hit Wimberly with a pitch, and after a double steal, Hedrick walked to load the bases ahead of Dean’s second sacrifice fly.

Smith used a game-ending double play to navigate around a single and a walk in the bottom of the fifth.

Liberty North 6, Platte County 2

The Eagles were opportunistic in Monday’s battle between the 2022 Class 6 and Class 5 state champions at Liberty North High School that ended Platte County’s second four-game win streak of the season.

After building a 3-0 lead on just three hits, Liberty North plated three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth after the lead dwindled to one. Doll plated a pair with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the top of the fifth. Zimmerman and Schwieder reached with one-out singles, and Wassmann walked with two outs to load the bases. The Pirates ended up stranding the potential tying and winning runs.

Erickson, who came on in relief with two outs in the third, worked around a pair of singles allowed in the bottom of the fifth to give Platte County another shot, but the Pirates only managed one runner on a Liberty North error in the sixth.

In the bottom of the inning, Canole came on in relief after Erickson allowed a leadoff double. The runner scored one batter later on a dropped third strike where Dean then threw wildly to first trying to record the out. Canole inteiontally walked the next batter and appeared poised to escape the inning with Platte County down only 4-2. Instead, Liberty North came up with a two-out, two-run double, and the Eagles worked around McLaughlin’s one-out double in the seventh to close out the win.

A year after making his varsity debut in an upset of Liberty North, Carter allowed a single runs in both the second and third. The Eagles did not score against him last year in a matchup that ended up being between eventual state champions. Their first run vs. Carter came on a two-out wild pitch in the second and then a two-out double after a one-out walk in the third.

In between, McLaughlin started Platte County’s half of the third with a leadoff double to right center field where he was called out at third base trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Liberty North’s run in the third only came after a questionable call from the umpire on a stolen base where the runner never appeared to reach second base while McLaughlin applied the tag on a throw down from Dean.

In the fourth, Erickson gave up a single and two walks before a sacrifice fly made it 3-0. He ended walking two and allowing four hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings.