Platte County finished strong and hopefully built some early-season momentum, winning the final two games of the weekend to place fifth in the Silver Bracket of the Greater KC Tournament held in Independence. The 24-team tournament featured eight three-team round robin pools played out on Friday before shifting to the placement portion on Saturday.
Platte County junior Reagan Ball delivers a pitch against Pleasant Hill during a Greater KC Tournament game Saturday at Adair Park in Independence.
After dropping Friday’s opener to Oak Grove, Platte County held off Lafayette (St. Joseph) for a 2-1 victory to earn a spot in the Silver Bracket. The Pirates also lost to Liberty but dominated Pleasant Hill (13-4) and Smith-Cotton (7-0).
Platte County junior Reagan Ball threw a two-hit shutout in the fifth-place game, while the Pirates turned a 3-0 advantage into a comfortable win with four runs in the top of the seventh. The frame started with back-to-back singles from senior catcher Gwen Duncan and sophomore third baseman Kinleigh Howren before junior all-state shortstop Bryli Seifert doubled both home with one out.
Seifert scored on a single from Platte County freshman Gracelyn Shippee, who went 3-for-4 in an impressive conclusion to her debut. She also scored the final run after an error extended the inning, and freshman right fielder Eva Bane brought her home with a two-out single.
Ball retired Smith-Cotton in order to finish the complete game, recording the last of her five strikeouts in the process.
Platte County also started fast after Howren led off the first with a single and came home on Seifert’s two-out triple. The Pirates extended the lead in the third with two unearned runs. Duncan reached on an error, and Howren walked to start the top of the third. However, they didn’t score until Ball came up with a two-out, two-run single to push the advantage to 3-0.
Platte County junior Bryli Seifert slides into a base during a game against Pleasant Hill in the Greater KC Tournament on Saturday at Adair Park in Independence.
Smith-Cotton didn’t have a runner against Ball until she hit a batter to start the bottom of the fourth before stranding two.
Ball also threw all seven innings and allowed only one earned run in the 13-4 romp over Pleasant Hill. The game ended after the sixth inning due to a time limit.
Platte County produced seven extra-base hits, including home runs for Shippee and Ball. The Pirates never trailed after junior center fielder Kelly Bullano doubled and scored on Ball’s two-run blast to left field in the top of the first inning. Shippee then led off the second with a solo shot to left field to put the Pirates up 3-1.
Ball finished 2-for-3 with a walk and drove in three, adding a two-run double in a three-run third. She later scored on Bane’s groundout to push the lead to 6-1.
Pleasant Hill closed within 6-4 thanks to a pair of errors, but Platte County put up seven in the top of the sixth to pull away. The Pirates’ big inning started with a double from senior first baseman Dani Salisbury, and Bullano and Seifert hit back-to-back triples, scoring three in the process. Shippee and Bane later produced back-to-back run scoring singles to produce three more, and Shippee added the final run on a wild pitch.
Platte County sophomore Kinleigh Howren swings at a pitch in a Greater KC Tournament game against Pleasant Hill on Saturday at Adair Park in Independence.
Bullano finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Shippee drove in three and also scored twice on three total hits.
Platte County might have finished higher but let a 2-0 lead slip away in Friday’s opener against Oak Grove after scoring a pair of unearned runs. The Panthers ended up tagging Ball for seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk, while she struck out four. The Pirates trailed 7-2 going to the seventh when an error and a single from Ball with two outs produced a final run.
To avoid dropping into the Bronze Bracket, Platte County rallied late to avoid a frustrating loss against Lafayette, which led 1-0 after the top of the fourth thanks to the lone hit against Ball — a leadoff triple followed by a sacrifice fly to to left field.
Platte County failed to take advantage of Shippee’s leadoff double to start the fifth but finally tied the score 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out rally. Seifert and Ball hit back-to-back singles before senior second baseman Marlee Snyder Richardson scored one with a single down the left field line.
Platte County junior Kelly Bullano hits a ball against Pleasant Hill during a Greater KC Tournament game Saturday at Adair Park in Independence.
Lafayette avoided a potential bigger inning by cutting down Ball trying to advance to third on the hit, but luckily, Seifert scored before the final out was recorded.
Howren produced the walkoff run for Platte County in the bottom of the seventh. Shippee drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Bullano. After senior left field Evie Thrasher was hit by a pitch and after the second out was recorded, Howren smashed a single to center field, and Shippee scored standing up.
Salisbury earned the win, striking out only two and walking just one in seven innings. She also started against Liberty and went three innings, allowing five runs — four earned — before Ball threw two innings in a 7-3 loss to Liberty that dropped Platte County into the consolation side of the Silver Bracket. The Pirates trailed 7-0 before scoring three in the bottom of the fifth just before the time limit hit.
Shippee went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, but Platte County’s runs came the hard way. Thrasher walked, and the Pirates loaded the bases with a single for Bullano and a hit by pitch for Seifert. A fielder’s choice from Ball cut Liberty’s lead to 7-1, and Snyder-Richardson and Shippee followed with back-to-back run scoring singles with one out.
Platte County’s offense really took over in the final two games, scoring 20 of the Pirates’ 28 runs in those wins.
