Platte County’s busy opening week concludes with pair of tough losses

Platte County knew the scheduled would be grueling, and early results backed

Playing seven games in a span of seven days in the opening week, the Pirates went 3-4 overall, receiving test after test as they switched between three pitchers — junior returning starter Kallie Hitzelberger, senior all-state utility star Mackenzie Shields and freshman Danica Salisbury. The run concluded Thursday with a frustrating 5-4 loss to Class 5 Blue Springs at Platte County High School when the Wildcats plated a tying run in the top of the sixth and then went ahead for good with another single tally in the seventh.

Platte County overcame an initial 2-0 deficit with a four-run third but totaled only five hits total. The Pirates also committed a pair of untimely errors.

Down 2-0 going into the bottom of the third, Platte County put up four unearned runs after junior catcher Morgan Shields reached on an error and went to second on senior centerfielder Abby Reynolds’ sacrifice bunt. Morgan Shields scored on junior left fielder Avery Webster’s single to right field to halve the deficit and make it 1-0.

After a linen out, Blue Springs committed a second error allowing junior infielder Emma Reed to reach, and Mackenzie Shields (two-run, go-ahead double) and senior first baseman TK Lawson (single) followed with run-scoring hits. Salisbury, who started on the mound, doubled, as well, but the Pirates ended up stranding a pair of runners in scoring position with the 4-2 lead.

Salisbury then ran into more trouble after allowing a leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt in the top of the fourth.

Blue Springs then came up with a run-scoring single on a full count that chased Salisbury, who finished with 3 1/3 innings allowing five hits and a walk plus a strikeout. Mackenzie Shields came on in relief and needed just two pitches to record an inning-ending double play — Reed at third base to junior second baseman Ava Carter to Lawson.

Mackenzie Shields went on to pitch the final 3 2/3 innings and gave up only three hits and a walk.

Blue Springs came up with the tying run in the sixth on a leadoff single, fielder’s choice, stolen base and wild pitch. The Wildcats took the lead in the seventh after Mackenzie Shields’ throwing error allowed the leadoff batter to reach first and advance to second on the play. The runner advanced to third on a sacrifice fly and a groundout.

Suddenly, Blue Springs led 5-4, and Platte County went down in order with three straight groundouts in the final at-bat.

Blue Springs took its 3-0 lead in the top of the third, right before the Pirates’ only big inning.

Coming off of back-to-back Classs 4 state semifinal appearances and third-place finishes, Platte County lost just three seniors going into this season. The Pirates opened with five games in two days in the always-tough Greater Kansas City Invitational and then the first two non-tournament games against Class 5 teams this week.

Liberty 3, Platte County 2

The Pirates allowed a pair of unearned runs in a nonconference loss Tuesday at Liberty. The two teams had met just days earlier in their season opener during the Greater Kansas City Invitational, also won by Liberty.

Hitzelberger (4 1/3 innings as starter) and Mackenzie Shields (1 2/3 innings of relief) combined to allow seven hits and two walks with Liberty tallying a run in the fourth and two in sixth to overcome a 1-0 deficit. Both runs in the sixth came after the Blue Jays started the inning with a runner reaching on an error, making the second run scored unearned.

Platte County went into the potentially final at-bat down 3-1, but Mackenzie Shields led off with a single to center field. She advanced to third on a pair of groundouts and came home on Webster’s RBI single. She represented the potential tying run, but junior right fielder Anna Crowell grounded out to the pitcher to end it.

Mackenzie Shields went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and RBI, while sophomore designated player Harper Humes, hitting when Hitzelberger is on the mound, had a double — Platte County’s only extra-base hit out of seven total.

In the top of the first, Crowell led off with a single and went to third on a steal and groundout. Liberty walked Lawson before Mackenzie Shields’ single scored the game’s opening run to put Platte County up 1-0. Lawson was thrown out trying to advance to third on the play, and Humes followed with her double.

Morgan Shields lined out, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.

Hitzelberger, who struck out just one, made the lead hold up until the fifth when an error led to an unearned run and a 1-1 tie. Mackenzie Shields also struck out one after coming on in relief with one out in the fifth.

Greater Kansas City Invitational

Oak Grove 5, Platte County 4

The Panthers walked off the Silver Bracket championship game Saturday at Adair Park in Independence.

Platte County finished the two-day event at 3-2 after giving up a pair of one-run leads in the fifth game. The Pirates went into the bottom of the seventh leading 4-3, and Mackenzie Shields retired the first two batters to put Oak Grove down to the last out. The Panthers then came up with three singles and a walk, all with two outs to score the tying and winning runs.

Oak Grove led 2-0 after the bottom of the second.

Platte County came back with one in the top of the third on Reynolds’ sacrifice fly to score sophomore courtesy runner Addy Schlake, who was running for Morgan Shields after her double. The Pirates then plated two in the fourth to take the lead for the first time with singles from Reed, Mackenzie Shields, senior shortstop Demi Riechers and Humes.

Mackenzie Shields, who started and went all 6 2/3 innings with nine hits allowed, three walks and five strikeouts, yielded the tying run in the fifth, but Platte County plated a potential winning run in the top of the seventh. The Pirates went up 4-3 on sophomore infielder Ava Carter’s two-out single and Reynolds’ two-out double to left field. She ended up stranded at third.

Platte County had doubles from Morgan Shields and Reynolds among eight total hits.

Platte County 3, Park Hill 2

In a Silver Bracket semifinal shortened to five innings due to time limit, the Pirates scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to advance to the title game.

Platte County loaded the bases on a walk for Riechers and singles from Morgan Shields and Webster. Groundouts from Reed and Mackenzie Shields scored the tying and winning runs. Salisbury started and lasted 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts but ran into trouble trying to finish off the win in the top of the fifth.

Park Hill nearly scored the tying run on a one-out hit, but Reynolds threw out a runner trying to score from second. With two in scoring position, Salisbury walked the next batter, and Mackenzie Shields came on to strike out the only batter she faced to end the game.

Salisbury allowed five hits and three walks and fell behind 2-0 after the top of the first, but Park Hill wouldn’t score again.

Platte County had only four hits, but Reed led off the third with a single and scored on a two-out error to knife the lead to 2-1. The Pirates stranded two in the inning but quickly added the pair of runs in the fourth after Salisbury set the Trojans down in order in the top half of the inning.

Platte County 5, Belton 3

The quarterfinal bracket game to start Saturday’s play featured another comeback with Platte County scoring four in the top of the fourth of a time-shortened, five-inning game.

Trailing 3-1 going to the top of the fourth, Platte County opened with a single for Mackenzie Shields, who then advanced to third on an error by the left fielder on the play. She scored four pitches later when Lawson hit a sacrifice fly on an 0-2 count. Platte County started fresh with singles from Crowell and Riechers, and Morgan Shields put Belton behind for the first time in the game with a two-run single. She then scored an error to make it 5-3.

Hitzelberger started but exited after allowing back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the fifth.

Mackenzie Shields came on and managed to end the game on just three pitches — a sacrifice bunt to put two in scoring position, a poppet and a flout. Hitzelberger earned the win after scattering eight hits and two walks while striking out four. Belton scored two against her in the bottom of the first, and Platte County answered with one in the top of the second.

Riechers, who went 2-for-2, singled and came all the way around to score when the centerfielder misplayed the ball for an error. Belton took the 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third on an error and a two-run home run.

Platte County 12, Holden 4

Lawson went 2-for-2 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored in the Pirates’ four-inning pool victory Friday at Adair Park.

Platte County collected 14 hits total, including two apiece for Lawson, Mackenzie Shields, Crowell, Reynolds and Riechers. There were 13 singles in addition to Lawson’s three-run, go-ahead home run in a six-run bottom of the second.

Holden had just four hits but plated four unearned runs in the top of the first to take a 4-0 lead against Salisbury, who struck out three while walking three and allowing four hits in four innings to earn her first career win.

Lawson drove in the first run with a two-out single, plating Reed after her one-out walk. After a walk for Crowell and single for Salisbury loaded the bases, Reynolds drove in two with a single to left field to make it 4-3. Platte County tied the score in the second on singles for Carter and Webster. Mackenzie Shields singled with one out to put two on, and Lawson blasted a 1-0 pitch over the center field fence to make it 7-4. The Pirates made it 8-7 on an error before Riechers capped the big inning with an RBI single to right.

Platte County scored runs in all four innings.

Crowell had an RBI single in the third, and Riechers and Reed added run-scoring singles in the fourth. The Pirates ran out the time clock in the inning with two outs, and the game concluded with Mackenzie Shields at the plate facing a full count.

Liberty 5, Platte County 3

The Pirates fell behind 5-0 after the top of the fourth inning, and a comeback came up short in Friday’s tournament opener at Adair Park.

Morgan Shields’ two-run double in the bottom of the fourth provided a spark, but the two-out rally ended one batter later. Riechers’ started the action with a walk, and Reed singled and Humes walked to load the bases. Shields then followed with a shot right field on a full count.

Mackenzie Shields came on in relief in the fifth and worked around a two-out hit by pitch to give Platte County a chance.

In the bottom of the fifth, Lawson hit a one-out solo home run — the returning all-stater’s first of the season — to make it 5-3. A pair of two-out walks for Crowell and Riechers brought the potential winning run to the plate, but Reed grounded out to the pitcher to end the game.

Hitzelberger started and allowed four unearned runs, walking five but allowing only two hits and striking out one.