Platte County suddenly back to .500 after back-to-back losses

Platte County doesn’t have time to anguish over back-to-back losses — not even in the wake of a rivalry matchup gone awry.

Kearney held on for a 6-4 victory on Thursday night at Platte County High School, belting out extra-base hits in two big innings to build a lead that ultimately stood up. Platte County sophomore second baseman Dayton Doll singled and scored on senior third baseman Jordy Hedrick’s double off the wall in the bottom of the first for an initial 1-0 lead, and senior first baseman James Scwhieder tasered a home run just over the right field wall with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

In between, Platte County saw a potential big rally fizzle out and never brought the tying run to the plate in the last turn at bat. The Pirates’ went from four-game winning streak to dropping back to 8-8 overall with six games in six days scheduled for this week.

“(Flush the losses) is exactly what we have to do,” Platte County coach John Sipes said. “It’s why we’ve got 35 games on the schedule. You can’t win them all. We just have to make sure we can play competitive baseball and get better.”

Platte County went into the bottom of the sixth down 6-3, and Hedrick, who who finished 2-for-3 led off with a single up the middle. The next three Pirates all struck out against senior reliever Manny Linthacum in what ended up a missed opportunity.

After Platte County senior reliever Hunter Canole worked around a leadoff walk in a scoreless top of the seventh, Linthacum retired the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters in short order with his fourth strikeout and a popout. Schwieder came up and whistled an 0-1 pitch out for his first career home run to provide a jolt of energy.

Doll, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, then worked a full count but ultimately popped out to end the game.

“I just wanted Dayton to get up there,” Sipes said. “With Doll’s at-bat that he had, he had 0-2 and worked it full, and I was sure he was going to either walk or get a base hit. He just missed it.”

Platte County entered with a chance to stake a claim to frontrunner for the top seed in Class 5 District 8, which includes both Smithville and Kearney. The Pirates already knocked off Smithville earlier in the season.

In a pivotal matchup, Platte County started senior right-hander Dylan Robertson on the mound, and Kearney (9-7) made him work early. The Bulldogs drew back-to-back walks in the top of the first, but Robertson escaped trouble by picking off Linthacum just before issuing ball four to sophomore Chase Porter.

Platte County then took the early momentum when Doll dumped a fly ball into right field for a one-out single that junior Casey Rooney just missed snaring with a diving catch attempt. After a flyout, Hedrick sent a line drive off the left field wall that allowed a sliding Doll to score uncontested from first.

Kearney junior starter Cameron Webster then stranded Hedrick and allowed only three more runners over the next three innings.

Platte County didn’t hold the lead for long thanks to a costly error to start the top of the second. After senior Kale Conway reached on Hedrick’s high throw, Bulldogs junior Carson Shear and senior Hagen Wilmer followed with back-to-back doubles, the second scoring two to give them a 2-1 lead.

“We can’t allow teams to have extra outs because they’re going to take advantage of it,” Sipes said. “Frankly, we don’t have the strikeout abilities we need to make sure we can erase an error like that. Last year, we could rely on the strikeout.

“We have to finesse more and rely on our defense.”

Robertson stranded a Wilmes at second, but Platte County couldn’t produce a threat from senior Cameron Dean’s leadoff single. Kearney caught senior courtesy runner Andrew Habel trying to steal just before senior left fielder Dylan Zimmerman singled with two outs.

Kearney then scored three runs in the top of the third off of Robertson, who walked Porter with one out. However, Dean threw him out trying to steal before sophomore Elijah Helberg singled with two outs. Conway followed with at two-run home run to center field, and Shear made it back-to-back bombs with a no-doubter to left field.

Robertson exited at that point, finishing with two strikeouts and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

“I think it was a little bit of a shock, those back-to-back homers,” Sipes said. “I think that took a lot of wind out of our sails, and it took a while to get it back. “You can feel the times the kids are starting to press, and they become a bit passive in the batter’s box and we’re staring at pitches they’d normally swing at.”

Platte County went to left-handed junior ace Brayden Carter, who immediately ended the inning with a groundout. However, he ended up working around a lot of trouble in 2 1/3 innings of work, allowing five hits and one walk.

Most notably, Helberg tripled with one out in the fifth, and Conway then reached on a fielder’s choice to third base. Hedrick held the throw rather than risking the run coming home on the play. Shear then also grounded to Hedrick, who momentarily hesitated before throwing home to record a pivotal second out and keep Platte County’s deficit at 5-1. The Pirates then recorded another fielder’s choice for the third out that set up the best chance at a big rally.

In the bottom of the fifth, Zimmerman led off with a walk and advanced to third when a wild pickoff throw from Webster went deep into right field foul territory. Platte County senior shortstop Nick Baker dumped a hit into left field that he turned into a hustle double despite protests from Kearney’s coaching staff that he should have been called out on the play. He ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly from Doll two batters later that made it 5-3 but left the bases empty.

However, the two-run inning seemed to supply some life for Platte County, which has shown comeback ability all year thanks to a deep lineup.

“Nick, whether he would agree with me or not, he’s kind of our emotional leader when it comes to that,” Sipes said. “He knows when to risk it and come through for us.”

However, Kearney immediately put a run on the board the hard way against Carter in the sixth with a walk and two two-out singles to load the bases. Hedrick knocked down a grounder on the second hit that prevented the ball from leaving the infield but loaded the baes.

Carter then hit Helberg with a pitch on a 3-1 count that Platte County insisted hit the knob of his bat and should have been strike two on a foul ball. Instead, Rooney trotted home to make it 6-3 and provide some cushion that ended up being important after Schwieder’s home run.

Platte County started the season 0-4 but had won 8 of 10 before a loss to Lee’s Summit West on Tuesday. Now back at .500, the Pirates have home games this week vs. Blue Springs (Monday), Park Hill South (Tuesday), Belton (Wednesday), Lee’s Summit (Saturday) and Oak Park (Saturday) in addition to a road game at Central (St. Joseph) on Friday. Sipes expects to call up some additional players from the junior varsity team to have enough pitching available to navigate the slate.

Lee’s Summit West 6, Platte County 1

In a game pushed back a day due to rain, the Titans pulled away early, taking advantage of six errors to end the Pirates’ four-game winning streak.

Platte County managed only five hits total and didn’t score until the top of the sixth Tuesday night in Lee’s Summit when the first four batters reached to avoid a shutout. Hedrick singled, and Dean walked before senior Aidan Norris dropped a fly ball into right field to load the bases.

The third hit of the inning came on a single from Baker off the pitcher that made it 6-1 and loaded the bases.

Platte County couldn’t take advantage, finishing strikeout, copout and flyout to end the game. Prior to Hedrick’s single to start the seventh, the Pirates hadn’t had a runner since stranding a pair in the fourth.

Hedrick went 2-for-3, also singling with two outs in the fourth, but Platte County did not have an extra-base hit. The Pirates used six pitchers for one inning each with Norris starting and allowing one run in the bottom of the first on a hit and a walk while striking out one. Only four of the six runs ended up being earned.

Carter struck out two in a scoreless second for Platte County, while Zimmerman allowed five hits and three runs in the third with Lee’s Summit West leading 4-0 at that point. The Pirates also used senior Tyler Erickson (one unearned run in the fourth), junior Isaiah Smith (one unearned run in the fifth) and Robertson (scoreless sixth with one strikeout).