In a highly competitive KCI clash between the rival Plattes, Ty Lawson and Cohen Kite came to the rescue to help the West Platte baseball team (4-4) pull out an 8-5 win over North Platte (2-6) in eight innings on April 7.
With the game knotted at four entering the seventh inning, Lawson hit a ground ball and reached first base on a Panther error, which sent Dublin Carnahan across home plate. West Platte took a one run lead, but North Platte answered when Riley Hyde connected with a ground ball to left field with two outs left, sending Kaden Mullendore home to tie and extend the ball game.
Sophomore Colton Kirkham was on the mound for four innings for North Platte, and both struck out six Blue Jays when West Platte won 8-5 on April 7.
Colton Kirkham struck out the first two Blue Jay batters in the top of the eighth inning, before walking Xavier Reynolds and Carnahan reaching first base on an error. Lawson was the next batter up and made contact with a pitch, sending the ball to right field on a line drive and Reynolds scored.
Kite helped the Blue Jays add to the margin with a 2-RBI single to put the Panthers down 8-5. Wesley Meadows singled on the first at-bat for North Platte in the bottom of the eighth inning, but the next three batters got out.
For West Platte, Ezra Stigman struck out eight batters in five innings and Reynolds had four strikeouts in three innings. Jaxson Carpenter and Kirkham were both on the mound for four innings apiece for North Platte, and both struck out six Blue Jays.
Before the home loss to West Platte, North Platte earned its first win of the season when it defeated University Academy Charter (6-3) by a score of 9-5 on April 5. The Gryphons took an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings before the Panthers scored in five consecutive innings.
A Creek Johnson single in the bottom of the second inning sparked the nine-run outing for North Platte as Johnson and Carpenter both had two RBIs, while Ryan York and Mullendore both had two hits. Carpenter and Kirkham both struck out four batters, while York had one strikeout in two innings.
In the Panthers’ most recent game, they matched their run total amount from the four games prior when North Platte’s offense exploded for six hits and 16 runs against North Andrew (0-4) on April 8. The Panthers were on the winning side of the mercy rule for the first time this spring, defeating the Cardinals 16-1 in four innings.
Mullendore had a triple, while Kirkham had one double and four hits, along with two RBIs; Bartlett also had a double to end with two hits and one RBI. North Platte will host Osborn with Stewartsville on April 13, while West Platte will host Plattsburg (9-5) on April 14.