Platte County’s offense stays hot in split with Staley, Savannah

The offense continues to shine, regardless of the pieces used.

Platte County gave a couple of off days Saturday afternoon and still rolled to an 11-4 victory over visiting Savannah. The Pirates collected 12 hits, scored multiple runs in each of the last four half innings in which they hit and overcame a disastrous top of the fourth to again pull within a game of .500 after 11 games in a span of two weeks.

Quickly rebounding from a loss to Staley in the home opener a day earlier, Platte County proved plenty of support for the pitching staff. The Pirates started sophomore Dayton Doll, giving him a day off from second base duties, then used junior Drew Boyer and senior Hunter Canole in relief.

Doll ended up charged with four unearned runs, and he ended up exiting with two outs in the fourth after walking two and allowing three hits while striking out two. Boyer and Canole combined on 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief as the offense stayed hot.

With not only Doll but also senior leadoff hitter Dayne Wimberly out of the lineup, Platte County plated four in the bottom of the third, three in the fourth to answer Savannah’s big inning and then two each in the fifth and sixth. The Pirates put senior James Schwieder at first base and in the leadoff spot, and he went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while junior Devin Wassmann and seniors Aidan Norris and Dylan Robertson drove in two runs apiece.

Scoreless through two with only one runner to that point, Platte County broke through in the third with a flurry of action on the base paths. Pirates senior Dylan Zimmerman, starting in right field with Wassmann shifted over to center to cover Wimberly’s day off, reached with one out after being hit by a pitch, and senior Andrew Habel, starting at second with Doll on the mound, walked.

Schwieder made it 1-0 with an RBI single, but Platte County ended up with two on and two out before rallying for more. Pirates senior Jordan Hedrick, seeing time in left field in addition to other action at third base and designated hitter so far this season, followed with a run-scoring double to right field, and Robertson’s line drive single to center field capped the four-run inning.

Savannah answered with four runs after loading the bases with no outs against Doll due to an error in center field. Most of the damage came on two-out hits that briefly tied the score.

Platte County’s offense kept up the pressure in its half of the fourth with junior third baseman Brian Chandler, Zimmerman and Habel loading the bases with three straight one-out singles. Schwieder scored one with a single to center field and two more came around on a one-out error.

Boyer struck out one and worked around two hits and two walks in his two innings to protect Platte County’s lead, while Canole continued his strong start to the season in relief with two strikeouts to help navigate giving up four hits in 1 1/3 innings.

Platte County added insurance with senior shortstop Nick Baker’s RBI double in the fifth before scoring on Chandler’s groundout. Norris drove in the final two in the sixth with a two-run home run — the first of his career. The shot to left field also scored junior Zane Miller, who drew a pinch-hit walk to start the inning.

Staley 6, Platte County 4

The Pirates lost leads of 3-0 and 4-2 in a Friday matchup at Platte County High School that ended up delayed nearly an hour late due to lightning.

Doll went 2-for-3 with an RBI double, while Chandler also doubled home a run in what ended up a strong start for Platte County. Wimberly led off the bottom of the first with a single and immediately came around on Doll’s double to left four pitches later to put the Pirates up 1-0. The Pirates manufactured two more in the second when Hedrick reached to start the frame after being hit by a pitch, and senior catcher Cameron Dean followed with a walk.

Baker followed with an RBI single but the chance at a big inning fizzled when Staley picked Dean off at second and Schwieder struck out.

However, Chandler’s two-out RBI double put Staley behind 3-0. Platte County started junior ace left-hander Brayden Carter, and he ended up charged with only one earned run in 3 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking none. The Falcons plated two in the third with help from an error but went back behind 4-2 in the bottom of third when Doll led off with a single and eventually scored on a wild pitch with two outs.

Platte County’s typically potent offense only had two more runners the rest of the way — both walks with one erased on a double play and another forced out on a fielder’s choice in the seventh. The Pirates’ lead went from 4-2 to 4-3 in the top of the fourth, and the Falcons took the lead for good with three in the top of the fifth against senior reliever Tyler Erickson, show walked two and allowed one hit in his inning of work.

Norris turned in his best performance on the mound of the season, giving 2 2/3 scoreless while striking out three and not allowing a runner.