Platte County finishes unbeaten conference run, enters postseason on 3-game win streak

At this time of year, the optics of a win matter little.

Platte County didn’t have the cleanest regular season finale, but an opportunistic bottom of the fifth inning Friday night led to a 5-2 victory over visiting William Chrisman at Platte County High School. The Pirates closed out an undefeated run through the Suburban Conference White Division after wrapping up the title over a week earlier.

After William Chrisman scored in the top of the fifth to erase a 1-0 deficit, Platte County junior second baseman Taylor Stambersky created the go-ahead run with a bunt single, advancing to third on a two-base throwing error and scoring on a wild pitch. The Pirates then added single runs on RBIs for senior first baseman Brian Chandler, sophomore third baseman Brennan McLaughlin and junior outfielder Patrick McCool.

“As long as we close out with a win, I think that’s fine,” Chandler said.

Two-out singles from Platte County junior shortstop Dayton Doll and senior center fielder Devin Wassmann staked Platte County to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first that held until the fifth. The run came after Pirates sophomore starter Rocco Marriott worked out of trouble in the top of the frame.

An opening error and two straight singles quickly loaded the bases for William Chrisman, but Marriott came back to strike out the next three batters on just 12 pitches to escape the jam unscathed. He ended up working two scoreless innings with six Ks.

“When you see three guys get on, he can just strike out the whole side,” Chandler said. “It gives the defense confidence. We can make plays behind him. It even gives him confidence on the mound to keep throwing strikes for us.”

However, Platte County could not produce any runs on three walks drawn over the next three innings, and William Chrisman finally came up with an unearned run against senior lefty Isaiah Smith, who allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two in 2 2/3 innings of relief.

Smith walked the first batter in the fifth and gave way to McLaughlin with two outs. He issued his first of three walks, and a throwing error from senior Tyler Stearns trying to catch the lead runner as both tried to move up on a ball that squirted away from him allowed the tying run to score.

Platte County junior Brady Davis, who came in to play third base when McLaughlin went to the mound, charged a grounder and threw to first in plenty of time to record the final out and keep the go-ahead run from scoring.

The game changed when Stambersky’s bunt led to the errant throw with one out in the bottom of the fifth. After he came home on the wild pitch to give Platte County the lead, Doll walked and then stole second and third. Chandler’s infield single with the defense drawn in scored Doll, who finished 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored, and the Pirates went ahead 4-1 after Wassmann walked and McLaughlin drove a line drive single to left.

Wassmann and McLaughlin both moved up on a passed ball, and McCool’s sacrifice fly plated the final run.

After retiring William Chrisman in order in the top of the sixth, McLaughlin issued two walks in the seventh.

Platte County avoided a potential big inning when McLaughlin fielded a grounder on the next pitch and whipped the ball to Doll covering at second base. He completed the double play, which became even more important after another walk and a double allowed the Bears to close within 5-2.

McLaughlin, who struck out two, stranded two runners after William Chrisman brought the potential tying run to the plate.

William Chrisman produced two of six hits in the top of the third against Smith, but Doll dove to field a grounder and flipped to Stambersky to start a double play to erase the first runner. The Pirates then pulled away despite producing only five hits, none for extra bases.

“(Doll) being fast, he can make any play,” Chandler said.

Platte County has now won three straight, six of seven and 15 of 18 since a 3-8 start. After last year’s postseason ended with a dramatic Class 5 District 8 semifinal loss to Smithville, the Pirates now have sights set on a second playoff berth in three years with the seniors eagerly embracing the opportunity to add to the 2022 state championship.

“We had a plan. It’s going well so far, and I hope that we can close out for districts and eventually state,” Chandler said.

Platte County (18-11) opens Class 5 District 8 play Wednesday at Creekside Baseball Park against Van Horn (9-16).

Kearney (25-7), ranked No. 2 in the final Missouri State High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 5 regular season poll, owns the top seed in the District 8 bracket and enters the postseason on a 10-game winning streak. The Bulldogs won the regular season matchup with the Pirates 3-1 back in late March.

The semifinals will be Thursday with Smithville owning the No. 3 seed, while Kearney likely faces the winner of No. 4 Winnetonka and No. 5 William Chrisman in that round.

Platte County 7, Savannah 3

Playing four games in the final week of the regular season thanks to this postponed matchup, the Pirates led 7-0 on Thursday night at Savannah High School before holding on late.

McLaughlin finished 4-for-4 with three doubles and scored twice, while Stearns drove in a pair for Platte County, which broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fourth. The Pirates went ahead 1-0 in the second when Chandler reached to leadoff the inning with a hit by pitch and came home on McLaughlin’s first double. A caught stealing ahead of Marriott’s single and the first of two errors from Savannah kept the lead to one.

McLaughlin then keyed the four-inning fourth, following a hit by pitch for Wassmann with another double. Stearns scored both with a single to left field, and Davis, serving as his courtesy runner, eventually came home on a double steal with McCool after he singled to put runners on the corner. The Pirates then went up 5-0 on Stambersky’s squeeze bunt that turned into a single.

Savannah stranded two to stay within five, but Platte County increased the lead to 7-0 in the fifth when McLaughlin doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Stearns and McCool both walked, and another wild pitch allowed Davis to come home again while courtesy running for the catcher.

Platte County junior Owen Rawlings, who last started in a combined no-hitter a week earlier, went five innings and struck out eight but left with no outs in the sixth. He ended up charged with one run on two hits and a walk. The Pirates then went to sophomore Brooks Hall, who struck out four in the final two innings.

An error and two hits against Hall led to two runs in the seventh, but he stranded one in scoring position to secure the win.

Platte County 7, North Kansas City 6, 8 innings

Chandler delivered a walkoff single for the second time this season to help the Pirates escape with a home win Wednesday at Platte County High School.

North Kansas City scored two in the sixth and four more in the seventh to force extra innings. Platte County junior Wes Chiddix started and exited after 5 1/3 innings with 10 strikeouts and seemingly headed toward earning a win. Instead, the Hornets produced three singles and two runs — one unearned — against senior JP Wormington.

With the lead down to 6-2, Wormington came back out for the seventh but gave up three straight singles before coming back out with Chiddix going back to the mound to protect a three-run advantage. He induced three straight ground balls, two for outs around an error, with all three allowing a run to score. After a walk, Platte County junior reserve catcher Dalton Carlson threw out a runner to preserve a 6-6 tie.

McCool, who opened the year as a starter but only recently returned from a shoulder injury, walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but North Kansas City faced the minimum after a caught stealing.

Chiddix came back out and struck out two more to finish with 12 in seven total innings before Rawlings came in and worked around a two-out walk on another runner caught stealing.

Platte County loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth on a hit by pitch for senior outfieldeer Drew Boyer, a two-out single for Stambersky after a fielder’s choice resulted in the second out and an intentional walk to Doll. Chandler then lined a single to right field to bring home junior designated hitter Liam Blacklock, who replaced Boyer on the bases on his groundout.

Blacklock finished 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored, while McLaughlin and Marriott drove in two apiece. Chandler finished 1-for-5 with the hit coming in the biggest moment.

“He put Doll on, so bases loaded, I was like I don’t want to take this disrespect,” Chandler said. “It’s just trying to put the ball in play rather than just trying to be the hero.”

Platte County scored four in the bottom of the first with Blacklock leading off with a single. The Pirates loaded the bases with a walk for Doll and hit by pitch for Wassmann ahead of back-to-back two-run singles for McLaughlin and Marriott.

Single runs in the second and fourth, which included back-to-back doubles for Carlson and Boyer, increased the seemingly safe lead to 6-0.

Raymore-Peculiar 7, Platte County 4

The Panthers blew a two-run lead but then came back with three in the sixth and two of the seventh to steal a win Monday at Platte County High School.

Platte County senior Brayden Carter came up big in the top of the fifth, coming on to replace McLaughlin and working out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs with three straight strikeouts. That preserved a 4-2 lead but only until Raymore-Peculiar put the first four runners on base in the sixth and went back ahead at 5-4 on a two-run single.

Carter started and came back on in relief, finishing with four innings and allowing six runs on for walks and six hits. He struck out three.

Raymore-Peculiar took a 1-0 lead on Carter in the first after a runner came home on a wild pitch. Platte County went to Smith to start the second, and he ended up going two innings and ran into trouble in the first of those. The Panthers put the first four runners on base and went ahead 2-0 after a hit by pitch with the bases loaded.

Smith escaped with three straight groundouts, the first two erasing runners at the plate.

Platte County’s comeback started in the third when McCool and Blacklock walked, and Stambersky doubled both home. He put the Pirates up 3-2 when he scored on Chandler’s groundout, and they increased that to 4-2 when McLaughlin and singled, stole second and scored on Marriott’s single.

McLaughlin ended up working just one inning of relief and struck out two before exiting in the fifth after allowing two singles and a walk.