Platte County avenged a frustrating earlier loss and then reinforced a dominant claim to the Class 4 District 8 top seed in the most important games of another busy week.
Platte County junior outfielder Brynna Peterson swings at a pitch against Belton on Monday at Platte County High School.
On Monday afternoon in the annual Pink Out Breast Cancer Awareness game, Platte County pulled away for a 12-2 win in five inning with 10 unanswered runs in a Suburban Conference White Division matchup with Belton at Platte County High School. Platte County scored in every inning to earn a split of the season series with Belton, which prevailed in an eventful, high-scoring extra-inning matchup in mid-September.
Platte County senior left fielder Lillian Talbot went 3-for-4 with a double and triple — two of the team’s six extra-base hits — plus three RBIS and three runs scored. Bryli Seifert, the star senior shortstop committed to continue her career at LSU, went 3-for-3 with a double ad matched Talbot’s three runs and three RBIs.
In the top of the first, Platte County (19-7) jumped to a 2-0 lead after Talbot’s one-out triple and an RBI single from Seifert, who later scored on sophomore catcher Eva Bane’s bases-loaded single. Belton eventually stranded three runners and immediately answered back a two-run home run against Platte County senior pitcher Reagan Ball, who allowed six hits and walked two while striking out two to earn the win.
Platte County took advantage of four Belton errors and pushed the lead to 8-2 in the fourth on Ball’s two-run triple. In the bottom of the fifth, Platte County senior center fielder Kelly Bullano led off with a triple, and Talbot’s two-run double two batters later stretched the advantage to 10-2.
Platte County sophomore catcher Eva Bane blocks a pitch behind the plate against Belton on Monday at Platte County High School.
Talbot then scored on Seifert’s double, and Bane supplied the walkoff run-rule hit with a two-out single. She finished 3-for-4.
Platte County 20, Raytown 1, 3 innings
Platte County 16, Raytown 0, 3 innings
The Pirates swept a White Division doubleheader Wednesday afternoon and celebrated senior night for Seifert, Ball, Talbot and Bullano in between at Platte County High School.
Seifert and junior second baseman Kinleigh Howren, homered for Platte County, which ended up with seven extra-base hits and scored 10 runs in both the bottom of the first and second innings. Talbot went 3-for-3 with a double and a triple and five RBIs, while Howren also drove in five and scored four runs, adding a double to her home run.
Platte County sophomore first baseman Gracelyn Shippee ended up with a double and a triple in her only at-bats, while also being hit by a pitch in her third plate appearance.
In the second game, Platte County finished with three home runs — two more for Seifert as she continued to extend here single-season program record and the first of Bane’s career. Seifert went 3-for-3 with three extra-base hits, adding a double and driving in five. Bane finished with four RBIs and also had a double.
Platte County senior outfielder Lillian Talbot swings at a pitch against Belton on Monday at Platte County High School.
Ball threw a three-inning shutout and struck out six after combining with Talbot for three innings and allowing just the one run in the opener.
With two games canceled due to recent inclement weather and a lack of makeup dates available, Platte County finished 7-3 in conference play. The Pirates won the final five in a row but did not have a chance to avenge losses to Grain Valley and Fort Osage.
Platte County 12, Smithville 2, 5 innings
The Pirates put up five runs in the top of the first inning and then supplemented that with three more home runs in Thursday’s road game at Smithville High School.
With just one game left in the regular season, Platte County stayed unbeaten against Class 4 District 8 competition and cemented the No. 1 season for the tournament, which starts this week. The Pirates’ fast start included back-to-back singles for Howren and Talbot and then RBI doubles scoring three runs between Shippee and Ball.
The lead hit 5-0 on consecutive one-out RBI singles from Bane and Peterson.
Shippee hit a two-run home run in second, and Seifert hit a two-run shot in the fourth — her team-high 15th of the season. Platte County led 9-1 at that point, and junior outfielder Brynna Peterson’s three-run home run in the fifth — the first of her career — put the run-rule into effect.
Ball scattered eight hits and struck out two with no walks, while allowing single runs in the first and fourth.
Platte County now closes the regular season at Liberty North (21-8) on Monday before turning to the Class 4 District 8 tournament with all games hosted at Smithville High School. The Pirates open against winless Lincoln Prep on Wednesday, and the winner advancing to a semifinal on Saturday against either fourth-seeded Benton or fifth-seeded St. Teresa’s Academy.
The Class 4 District 8 championship is scheduled for a week from Monday.
