Platte County played one of the longest games in program history, and freshman Kinleigh Howren helped fuel the initial comeback and then willed junior Marlee Snyder-Richardson on the game’s final pitch.
Platte County players and coaches huddle after a 5-4 victory over Belton on Thursday at Platte County High School.
Belton couldn’t hold a late lead, and Platte County came with a 5-4 win Thursday night at Platte County High School after scoring the final three runs of the game — two in the seventh to tie the score and one in the bottom of the 11th to close out the tense Suburban Conference White Division matchup. Platte County sophomore Reagan Ball pitched all 11 innings and gave up only four runs despite striking out one and having to work around 16 hits and a walk.
Now winners of five straight, Platte County (8-3) didn’t lead until the bottom half of the fourth extra inning and missed an opportunity for a walkoff in the bottom of the 10th when sophomore shortstop Bryli Seifert ended up stranded at third after a leadoff triple.
Platte County junior second baseman Marlee Snyder-Richardson throws to first base against Belton on Thursday at Platte County High School.
Ball worked around a one-out walk in the top of the 11th to give Platte County another chance. Snyder-Richardson, who reached base three times and finished 1-for-3 at the plate, drew her second walk with one out in the bottom half of the inning and went to third on junior catcher Gwen Duncan’s single plus a costly Belton error.
With Howren at-bat, Snyder-Richardson came home on a wild pitch with the winning run.
Platte County trailed 4-2 going to the bottom of the seventh after Belton scored its final run in the top of the sixth. Duncan, who singled three times out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup, started the tying rally with a leadoff single to center field. Howren, the first-year third baseman in the leadoff spot, followed with an RBI triple and then scored on Seifert’s sacrifice fly.
Belton led from the outset after putting up two runs on three consecutive hits in the bottom of the first and missed a chance at more runs when Ball used an unconventional double play to get out of the inning. Lillian Talbot, a sophomore, caught a line drive in left field and then threw out a runner trying to tag up and take third right after a two-RBI double.
Platte County sophomore center fielder Kelly Bullano tripled with two outs in the second and scored on Snyder-Richardson’s single to cut the deficit to 2-1. Belton’s lead also went down to one run in the bottom of the fifth when Seifert walked with one out and came around to score after moving up on a passed ball and a flyout and coming home on a wild pitch.
Despite some missed opportunities, Platte County made a lot out of 11 hits thanks to four that went for extra bases. Haley Schank, a senior right fielder, doubled for her only hit with two outs in the third but ended up stranded.
The five straight wins have all been in conference play, giving Platte County an early 5-0 record with season sweeps of Ruskin and Truman.
Platte County 10, Truman 3
Platte County junior Dani Salisbury swings at a pitch against Belton on Thursday at Platte County High School.
The Pirates topped the Patriots for the second time in less than a week with junior pitcher Dani Salisbury pitching a complete game and added a two-run home run Tuesday in Independence.
Scoring in the first three innings, Platte County took a 7-0 lead after the top of the third. The first three came in the first inning with two outs after Seifert started a rally with a walk. Talbot, Schank and Ball followed with back-to-back-to-back RBI doubles. Snyder-Richardson doubled to lead off the second and scored on Howren’s sacrifice fly.
The three-run third included a leadoff double from Seifert and a two-out single from Ball, who played first base and went 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Salisbury followed with a walk, and Snyder-Richardson drove in two more with a triple to left field.
Platte County won the previous matchup between the two teams 11-0 in five innings and flirted with the run-rule again this time. The Pirates added a run in the top of the fifth to go up eight runs after Schank doubled with one out and came home on Ball’s single.
Truman answered with three against Salisbury, who gave up five hits and two walks while striking out three in seven innings. Four of the hits and a walk came in the bottom of the fifth, but she worked out of additional trouble with a double play.
Platte County sophomore shortstop makes contact on a swing against Belton on Thursday at Platte County High School.
Salisbury then aided her cause with a two-run blast to center with two outs in the top of the seventh with Ball scoring after she singled with two outs on her perfect night at the plate. Salisbury has two home runs on the season.
Platte County 15, Ruskin 0, 3 innings; Platte County 15, Ruskin 0, 3 innings
The Pirates swept both haves of a doubleheader Monday at Platte County High School.
In the first game, Ball threw a three-inning perfect game while striking out seven of nine batters faced. Schank homered and drove in five, while Bullano and Ball both added doubles. The Pirates drew eight walks.
In the second game, Talbot pitched for the first time this season and threw three no-hit innings with seven strikeouts. She hit a batter with one out for Ruskin’s lone runner in the two games.
Schank homered again — her team-leading fourth of the season — and drove in a pair.
Ruskin walked 12 and hit four batters overall. Howren, Bullano, Schank, senior Maddie Nickell, junior Emily Huel and freshman Brynna Whitton-Peterson all scored twice with some of the regulars receiving a break against an overmatched opponent.
