Platte County heads into postseason after back-to-back easy blowout wins

After a disappointing start to the week, Platte County loosened up, dominated two games as the heavy favorite and started to put the focus on postseason play. High scoring wins over Raytown (17-2 in four innings) and Ruskin (25-3 in three innings) wrapped up a share of the Suburban Conference title in predictable circumstances.

However, Truman’s 6-3 victory over Platte County on Monday at Platte County High School resulted in a season split between the two teams. They also shared identical 12-2 records in conference play.

Platte County (22-7) now heads into Class 5 District 8 play with a senior-heavy roster looking to earn the program’s first playoff berth since winning the 2022 state championship.

“I think just staying together (is key),” Platte County junior third baseman and pitcher Brennan McLaughlin said. “This game (against Raytown) was definitely a big team win. Putting up all those runs, definitely a big team win.

“I think we’re ready to compete.”

After the loss to Truman, Platte County remained at home for Wednesday’s matchup with Raytown (4-16), which took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Pirates senior left-handed starter Poul Gratereaux-Baez.

The lead didn’t last. Platte County came right back with four runs in the bottom of the frame and scored at least three in all four trips to the plate and eventually induced the 15-run mercy rule in walkoff fashion. McLaughlin started the swift comeback and eventual blowout with a three-run home run — his third of the season — in the first inning after senior second baseman Liam Blacklock doubled and senior shortstop Dayton Doll blooped in a single.

“Definitely felt good to get one out of the park again. Definitely felt good,” said McLaughlin, an all-state infielder as a sophomore.

Platte County collected 10 extra-base hits, including a pair of doubles for junior designated hitter Andrew Edsall and junior first baseman Brooks Hall with each driving in a pair of runs.

Doll — another returning all-state infielder, fourth-year starter and only holdover from the Class 5 state championship team three years ago — went 3-for-3 and scored twice. His triple to center field in the bottom of the second scored Blacklock after he led off with a walk to start a five-run inning that also included back-to-back RBI doubles for Hall and Edsall and a run-scoring single from junior catcher Ian Gold.

After collecting a double in the blowout of Ruskin, Doll goes into the postseason with 140 career hits. His triple against Ruskin gave him what is believed to be a new career Platte County school record in the category, pushing him past the career total of 137 for catcher Justin Mitchell (2014-2017). Official records were not available for other standouts, including current Pirates assistant coach Todd Jaros, Nick Jaros and Jake Blackwood.

Due to a more limited number of games in the 1990s and early 2000s, none are believed to have more than either Doll or Mitchell.

Doll and McLaughlin continue to drive the top of a potent lineup averaging more than eight runs per game, but Blacklock recently came back as a full-time starter at second base with senior Taylor Stambersky, the third returning all-state infielder, possibly out for the season after suffering a knee injury in an April 23 win over Truman.

Blacklock also hit leadoff much his junior season mostly as a designated hitter. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored in Platte County’s win over Raytown.

“That’s something we’ve been taught with how flexible our roster is,” McLaughlin said. “We’ve just all been taught to be able to be ready to go in whenever your number is called and have that mindset of ‘I’m going to get the job done.'”

After allowing a pair of runs on two hits and a walk, Gratereaux-Baez ended up going 3 2/3 innings with five strikeouts to earn the win.

Platte County staked the first-year transfer to a commanding 12-2 lead going to the top of the fourth after Doll, junior centerfielder Rocco Marriott, senior leftfielder Bronson Ryan and Hall all doubled in a three-run bottom of the third. Gratereaux-Baez worked around four walks total and didn’t allow another hit after the first inning but exited with two outs in the fourth after hitting the final batter he faced with a pitch.

Edsall came on in relief and struck out the only hitter he faced.

That set up a calamitous final half inning for Raytown. Platte County scored five more runs with only two hits, including Blacklock’s single after senior rightfielder Patrick McCool led off with a walk. The five runs came home on a combination of a sacrifice fly for senior infielder Brady Davis, continuing to have a prominent role on the infield especially when McLaughlin pitches, plus three more walks and shaky pitching.

McLaughlin also finished his perfect day at the plate with an RBI single, while Edsall scored the winning run on a wild pitch. That came right after senior pitcher Owen Rawlings walked on four pitches in a rare chance at the plate that left him wanting to but unable to swing.

“I think this was definitely a game we needed to get those runs up — just our bats were going, defense was there. I think this was definitely a momentum game, especially after the Truman game,” McLaughlin said. “I think this will give us momentum going into (districts).”

Platte County owns the No. 2 seed in the Class 5 District 8 bracket and opens play Wednesday against seventh-seeded Van Horn (9-15) at Creekside Baseball Complex in Parkville. The winner advances to Thursday’s semifinals at the same site against either No. 3 Kearney (18-11) or No. 6 Winnetonka (10-17).

Platte County won the only matchup with Kearney this season 6-1 back on April 25.

Smithville (29-3) owns the top seed and went 3-0 in three total games against Platte County and Kearney, including an 11-5 win in mid-April over Platte County in their only meeting. Kearney enters as the two-time defending champion.

Truman 6, Platte County 3

The Pirates finished with only four hits total in Monday’s White Division matchup at Platte County High School.

Truman led 3-0 after the top of the second and then broke a tie with three runs in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of four Platte County errors. The Pirates used sophomore Evan Magnuson, junior Zach Brown, Hall and McLaughlin on the mound, and the quartet combined to strike out seven and walk four while charged with four unearned runs.

All four of Platte County’s hits were singles, and three of them came in a two-run bottom of the second that cut the deficit to 3-2. Edsall singled with two outs, and Hall reached when Truman couldn’t record an out on a fielder’s choice roundball to shortstop. The Pirates took advantage with back-to-back RBI singles from Gold and Ryan — both on the first pitch they saw from Truman senior starter Cole Pleacher.

Platte County tied the score in the third with a walk and hit by pitch for Doll and McLaughlin to start the inning, but the lone run came after a double steal and senior right fielder Brock Fowler’s sacrifice fly off of Bleacher, who struck out three and walked two while allowing four hits in four innings. Truman junior Hayden Rogers worked three nearly perfect innings of relief with the Pirates’ only runners against him coming on an error and a dropped third strike.

Platte County 25, Ruskin 3, 3 innings

Rawlings pitched all three innings and finished with four strikeouts in Thursday’s road victory, a rescheduled game in Kansas City after a recent rainout.

Platte County drew 15 walks, and Ruskin pitchers hit four batters in addition to the Eagles’ three errors. The Pirates took full advantage with 11 runs in the first and 14 in the second. Edsall went 3-for-3 and finished a double shy of the cycle, hitting a a home run and adding a triple while driving in seven runs.

Edsall’s grand slam in the top of the first put Platte County up 5-0, and McLaughlin’s two-run home run — fourth of the season — capped the 11-run inning right after Doll doubled home two runs. Edsall added a three-run triple in the second.