Kaycee Hodgson drove in 10 of North Platte’s 21 runs during a runner-up finish in the Chillicothe Tournament this past weekend. The senior shortstop hit a pair of home runs, upping her season total to 10, during the four games and continued her torrid early-season pace. In 15 games this season, Hodgson has 20 extra-base hits, including the 10 home runs. She went 8-for-13 in the four games Saturday, Sept. 19, including wins against Carrollton, Westran and Macon in pool play.
In the 8-1 win vs. Carrollton, Hodgson went 3-for-4 two doubles with three RBIs while Victoria Haugsness and Janell Manville added two RBIs apiece. Hodgson hit a home run and double with five RBIs in a 9-0 shutout of Westran with Haugsness also driving in two.
Hodgson and Alley Rickel, who went 3-for-4 against Westran, drove in the runs in a 2-1 win against Macon, which plated only one unearned run.
Norborne defeated North Platte 4-2 in extra innings of the title game. The Pirates plated three runs in the eighth, which used the international tiebreaker rule (runner starts inning on second base), and the Panthers loaded the bases with one out but could only plate one and suffered their first loss of the season.
Overall, Haugsness allowed 16 hits and six runs, while striking out 38 in the four games.
North Platte 8, Mid-Buchanan 0
Haugsness lost a perfect game with two outs in the seventh but still recorded a shutout with 13 strikeouts. She also homered and drove in three runs to help the Panthers improve to 3-0 in KCI Conference play Thursday, Sept. 17 in Faucett, Mo.
Martina Williams, North Platte’s senior catcher, went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
North Platte 10, St. Joseph Lafayette 6
Hodgson hit for the cycle with five RBIs, while Rickel went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs, helping the Panthers plate the first 10 runs Tuesday, Sept. 15 in a makeup game in St. Joseph, Mo. North Platte led 10-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, but Haugsness allowed three runs in each of the final two innings.
Savannah 7, West Platte 1
The Bluejays took a lead in the first inning with Taylor Binkley driving in Logan Eagen, but Savannah quickly rallied and earned the win Wednesday, Sept. 16 in Savannah, Mo.
Eagen finished with two of West Platte’s three hits off of Madison Lytton, but she limited offense after giving up the opening run. The Savages scored three in the bottom of the first off of Lea Moose and then added two apiece in the fourth and fifth against Moose and relievers Alyssa Knox and Julia Poppa.
West Platte remains winless on the season after a loss in league play to Hamilton last week and another to Bishop LeBlond on Monday, Sept. 21. The Bluejays are 0-3 in KCI Conference play with matchups against Lawson and Plattsburg scheduled for this week and the final against Mid-Buchanan next week.