After a pair of rainouts to start the season, Platte County’s season-opener ended in a disheartening loss. The Pirates scored six times in the first two innings but blew a pair of leads in a 10-7 loss to Oak Grove on Monday, March 30 at Webb Park in Oak Grove, Mo. Panthers starter Jackson Englehardt allowed four runs in the top of the first but ended up going five innings to earn the win.
Platte County sophomore catcher Justin Mitchell went 3-for-4 and collected the Pirates’ lone extra-base hit, a first-inning double that scored leadoff man Kodee Martin after he singled to open the game. Mitchell came around to score on Colton’s Horn’s single. Two of Oak Grove’s three errors led to three more runs in the frame and a 5-0 deficit.
Jake Eastman, a senior, started for Platte County and gave one run back in the bottom of the first before Oak Grove tied the score at 6 with five runs in the bottom of the third. The Pirates tallied their final run in the top of the fourth but did not score again, while totaling 12 hits, including two apiece for Martin and Horn.
Jake Eastman lasted three innings and twin brother Josh Eastman threw the final three. The Panthers scored pairs of runs in both the fifth and sixth to pull away late.
Platte County’s two pitchers combined to walk four and strike out just one.
Up next, the Pirates play at Park Hill South on Wednesday, April 1 with two more road dates to finish the week — at Raytown South on April 2 and a doubleheader with St. Joseph Central on Saturday, April 4.
Bartlesville (Okla.) Classic
Park Hill South finished 1-3 in a trek to the Sooner State this past weekend. The Panthers fell to host Bartlesville 5-1 on Friday, March 27 despite started Jake Purl giving up just one hit in four innings of work. The Bruins scored four unearned runs and tallied just two hits in the game.
Park Hill South senior Easton Fortuna, fresh off his contributions to Park Hill South’s second-place showing at the Class 5 Show-Me Showdown, collected the lone RBI for the Panthers, driving in Collin Farrow. Park Hill South then defeated Collinsville, (Okla.) 9-1 in the nightcap before going 0-2 on the second day.