Platte County’s week started and ended in diametric fashion.
Monday’s convincing win over Belton appeared to maintain notable momentum, but Fort Osage’s walkoff 6-5 victory in Thursday’s Suburban Conference White Division matchup in Independence created some questions heading into the final four games of the regular season. The Pirates still own a 15-6 record but might have dropped to the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Class 4 District 8 seeding with the loss in addition seeing faint league title hopes likely dashed.
Combined with Tuesday’s blowout of Raytown, Platte County had won five straight and 12 of 14 before dropping the matchup with Fort Osage.
Platte County sophomore all-state shortstop Bryli Seifert hit a go-ahead home run — her third of the season — in the top of the third and added two-run double in the fourth. She finished 2-for-3 with a walk, four RBIs and two runs scored, while senior rightfielder Haley Schank hit her team-leading fifth home run to help overcome an early 2-0 deficit.
Platte County sophomore pitcher Reagan Ball gave up a two-run home run in the bottom of the first but little else, allowing only five hits and a walk while striking out one in six innings. She finished off the run-rule victory by retiring Belton in order in the bottom of the sixth on just four pitches.
Down 2-0 after the first inning, Platte County scored the final 12 runs unanswered. Schank started the comeback on the first pitch of the top of the second, driving a home run to center field. Platte County then took the lead for good when Seifert went deep to center field in the third after freshman third baseman Kinleigh Howren singled with one out.
After sophomore centerfielder Kelly Bullano’s two-out RBI single extended the lead to 4-2 in the fourth, Platte County broke the game open with back-to-back four-run innings. The fifth included Seifert’s two-run double and then two unearned runs off of a two-out error.
Belton cut down Seifert at the plate trying to score on a single for Schank, who went 3-for-4, but walks for Ball and junior second baseman Marlee Snyder-Richardson loaded the bases for Platte County. After a strikeout, Bullano put a ball in play that led to an error and allowed Schank and freshman courtesy runner Brynna Peterson to score.
Snyder-Richardson, who walked twice earlier in the game, then added a bases-loaded, three-run double in the sixth and scored on Bullano’s single two batters later to put the run-rule in play.
Platte County 18, Raytown 1, 3 innings
The Pirates scored big in every inning, collecting 14 hits and taking advantage of 10 errors in a White Division matchup Tuesday at Raytown.
Platte County junior Danica Salisbury went 3-for-3 with two doubles and her fourth home run of the season and allowed only one unearned run in three innings on one hit while striking out five. Pirates junior catcher Gwen Duncan hit leadoff and went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple while collecting a pair of RBIs and scoring three runs.
A nine-run top of the first included a two-run single for Bullano, who went 2-for-3 and scored twice, and back-to-back RBI doubles for Salisbury and Duncan and then another run-scoring double from Seifert. Salisbury (double) and Duncan (triple) had back-to-back RBI extra-base hits to extend Platte County’s lead to 13-0 in the second, and senior Kennady Carrel’s run-scoring single capped the seven-run inning.
Salisbury hit a two-run home run in the third to cap the scoring.
Fort Osage 6, Platte County 5
The Pirates scored three in the top of the seventh to tie the score, only to allow the winning run in the bottom of the half Thursday in Independence.
Taking advantage of a two-run error in the first, Platte County led 2-0 but didn’t do more with back-to-back singles from Howren and sophomore left fielder Lillian Talbot to start the game. Fort Osage then scored the next five runs Ball, who ended up tagged with all six runs but only three earned. The Indians put up 14 hits and struck out just once in 6 1/3 innings.
Platte County put up three of seven total hits in the seventh — all with two outs — in what almost ended up a remarkable comeback. Bullano singled and Salisbury walked to start the rally, and Howren followed with an RBI double to close the Pirates’ deficit to 5-3.
Talbot’s two-run single tied the score and brought Seifert to the plate with a chance to give Platte County the lead. She flied out, and Fort Osage put the leadoff runner on in the seventh, and after a sacrifice bunt, a double plated the winning run. The Pirates dropped to 10-2 in White Division play and host Grain Valley on Monday in the final home game of the regular season. The Eagles have a 29-1 overall record and have not lost in conference play, including a 4-0 win over Platte County in their first meeting this year.
