Kearney scored a run in the top of the seventh to rally for a victory on Monday, Oct. 1 against Platte County in Suburban Conference Blue Division play in Platte City.
Kearney’s Katie Blodgett drew a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh — if you ever listened to Denny Matthews you know where this is going — and moved up on a sac bunt. With two outs, Lillie Filger hit a ground ball that was mishandled and Blodgett scored on the error to break 1-1 tie.
The Pirates went down in order in the bottom of the seventh against Blodgett, who fanned six and gave up two hits in the victory.
Platte County got its lone run in the bottom of the first inning. Halle Magee and Paige Rocha drew walks to set up Shayla Kohler’s RBI single. The first inning ended with an out at home on an attempted steal.
Grace Jeffries had an RBI double in the third to get Kearney on the board, tying the game.
Platte County had a pair of runners on with one out in the sixth inning, but a fly ball and grounder ended the scoring threat.
Blue Springs 6, Park Hill 4
The Wildcats spoiled senior night with a victory against the Trojans on Monday, Oct. 1 at Park Hill High School in Suburban Conference Gold Division play.
Blue Springs ran out to a 5-0 lead before the Trojans got on the board with a run in the third, the start of four straight innings with one run.
Shelby Sanders had an RBI single for Park Hill to bring home Kennedy Townsend, who singled. Kali Day singled to open the fourth inning and scored on Isabella Wahlert’s RBI single, making it 5-2. Sanders hit a solo home run in the fifth to cut the deficit to two before the Wildcats tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth.
An RBI single by Alexa Lashbrook capped the scoring in the sixth inning, though the Trojans left two runners in scoring position in that inning. The tying run came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but the Wildcats got two straight outs to win it.
Park Hill had 13 hits, three by Sanders, while Lashbrook and Townsend had two each.
Blue Springs Wildcat Scramble
Ft. Zumwalt West 14, Park Hill South 8
The Panthers scored six runs over the first two innings, but the Jaguars posted eight runs in the third off starting pitcher Grace Dielman and breezed past the Panthers in final game of tournament play at Hidden Valley Park on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Kansas City, Mo.
The Panthers received offensive contributions from Kate Kobayashi(2-for-4, RBI), Jessie Hagen (2-for-3, 2 RBI), Chantice Phillips (1-4, 2 RBI) and Sam Ahrendt (3-for-3, 2 RBI) but were unable to overcome the Jaguars bats in the defeat. Panthers, now 13-8-1.
Park Hill South 4, Blue Springs 2
The Panthers and Wildcats were knotted through six until the Panthers struck for a pair in the seventh thanks to a tie-breaking sac-fly by Chantice Phillips scoring Kate Kobayashi and a run-scoring double by Megan Keller, plating Jessie Hagen with an insurance run. Starting pitcher Grace Dielman (7 IP, 4 H, 2 R) made stand up for a Panthers triumph over the Wildcats.
Cara Sparks (2-for-3, 2 RBI), provided the Panthers offense in the early innings with run-scoring singles in the second and fourth. Kristen Clevenger (2-for-3) and Hagen (2-for-4) had multiple hits for the Panthers.
Park Hill South 16, Webb City 6
A six-run second inning helped the Panthers take a 7-5 lead and they never relinquished it against Webb City on Friday, Sept. 28 in a pool play match.
The Panthers batted around in the second, getting a two-run single by Meggen Keller, while other RBI came from Leslie Callahan (single), Kate Kobayashi (triple) and Jolie McMinn (single).
Kobayashi had a two-run double in the third inning to make it 10-5, before a four-run fifth put the game out of reach. Jessie Hagen, Kobayashi and Emma Beuerlein drove in runs. Beuerlein added another RBI in the sixth, as did Kobayashi, who had three hits. Keller also had three hits, while Callahan and Annabelle Winter had two each.
Kearney 9, Park Hill South 6
The Bulldogs scored all their runs in the fourth inning to break a scoreless game on Friday, Sept. 28.
Sierra Culver hit a three-run homer and Grace Jeffries had a three-run double in the frame for Kearney, which sent 13 batters to the plate and had seven hits.
Park Hill South scored five of its runs in the seventh, batting around itself, and that came with two outs.
Kate Kobayashi walked and moved up on Jessie Hagen’s single. Chantice Phillips had an RBI single, while Kristen Clevenger and Sam Ahrendt had RBI singles. Cara Sparks hit a two-run single to cap the scoring. The tying run was at third base when Jeniyah Smith ended the contest with a strikeout for Kearney.
Phillips had three hits, while Sparks and Ahrendt had two hits apiece.
Troy Buchanan 10, Park Hill South 0
The Panthers gave up multiple runs in four of the five innings in a loss to the St. Louis area school on Friday, Sept. 28.
Park Hill South had on two hits, a single by Chantice Phillips in the first inning and a single by Jolie McMinn in the fourth.
The Panthers had only three runners in scoring position and only Annabelle Winter made it to third base, drawing a walk and moving up on two outs in the final inning.
Haylee McGinty had four RBI for Troy Buchanan, with a solo home run, an RBI single and a two-run double.
Other games
Platte County 1, Smithville 0
The Highway 92 rivalry hit the diamond and it didn’t disappoint as the Pirates outlasted the Warriors 1-0 in nine hard-fought innings in a Suburban Blue Conference game on Thursday, Sept. 27 in Platte City, Mo.
Emma Koeneke went the distance for the Pirates in the circle (9 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 6 strikeouts) as did Warriors’ hurler Karington Kadel (8 1/3 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 5 K). However, Koeneke was just a little bit better than her counterpart.
Koeneke kept the game scoreless through nine after retiring the Warriors in order in the ninth inning, she gave her offense another chance to plate the winning-run.
Pirates leadoff hitter Halle Magee opened with a single to right off Kadel, setting the stage for her teammates to drive her home. Stephanie Carroll, tried to bunt Magee to second but was unsuccessful, popping out to Kadel.
Paige Rocha picked up Carroll by mashing a double into left moving Magee all the way to third with just one out. Kadel then walked Shayla Kohler loading the bases for No. 5 hitter, Grace Heater.
Heater smashed a grounder to Warriors second-baseman Annie Postlewait and that was enough to drive home Magee for the walk-off Pirates win.
Carroll, Rocha and Magee each went 2-for-4.
Park Hill 8, Blue Springs 3
The Trojans used a six-run fourth to march past the Jaguars in a Suburban Gold Conference game on Thursday, Sept. 27 in Blue Springs, Mo.
Kali Day (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) provided the big-blow in the fourth when she popped a 2-run HR off Jaguars starting pitcher Easton Sieb (7 IP, 8 R) setting the tone for the inning. Kaylyn Jones (7 IP, 3 R) made the Trojans big lead stand up for the conference victory.
Shelby Sanders (3-for-4) joined Day in leading the Trojans offensive charge.
Liberty North 6, Park Hill South 1
The Eagles kept the offensive-heat up and emerged victorious in a Suburban Red Conference game on Thursday, Sept. 27 in Liberty, Mo.
The Eagles plated five runs in the first three innings with the Panthers lone run coming in the third on a sac fly by Jessie Hagen that was all the Panthers mustered off Sydney Goss (7 IP, 1 R) in the loss. Hagen, Chantice Phillips and Leslie Callahan provided the only hits off Goss.
Park Hill South 9, St. Joseph Central 4
The Panthers scored the first nine runs of the game in an easy Suburban Red Conference victory and their second of the week against the Indians on Wednesday, Sept. 26 in St. Joseph, Mo.
The Panthers offense backed a strong performance from the circle by Jessie Hagen (7 IP, 11 H, 4 R) scoring the first nine runs of the game, including a six-run fifth inning.
Chantice Phillips (2-for-4), Meggen Keller (2-for-4, RBI), Kristen Clevenger (2-for-3, RBI), Emma Beuerlein (2-for-3, RBI) and Maddie Buckler (1-for-1, 2 RBI) gave Hagen all the offense she needed.
Staley 3, Park Hill 1
The Falcons overcame an early one-run deficit when they plated three in the fourth off Trojans hurler Peyton Moorehouse (7 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 5 K) in a non-conference game on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Kansas City, Mo.
The Trojans were shut down by Texas commit Alana Vawter (7 IP, 1 R, 9 H, 3 K) after an RBI single by Josie Heckman in the second. The Falcons plated three in the fourth and never looked back. Kennedy Townsend, Shelby Sanders and Kali Day all went 2-for-3 at the plate for the Trojans.
Liberty 8, Park Hill South 6
The Bluejays slugged past the Panthers thanks to three runs in the first and 17 hits kept the pressure on the Panthers in a Suburban Red Conference game on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Riverside, Mo.
Meggen Keller slugged a 2-HR in the seventh and went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Bluejays.
Grain Valley 2, Platte County 0
Eagles’ starting pitcher Payton Walter tossed a two-hit shutout against the Pirates in a Suburban Conference Blue Division game on Monday, Sept. 24 in Grain Valley, Mo.
With the game scoreless entering the third, Brianna Carter swatted a go-ahead single, scoring Mikayla Chairez, off Pirates hurler Emma Koeneke (6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 7 K) giving the Eagles the lead with two outs in the inning.
The Eagles tacked on another run when Carter drove home Kate Arnold with two outs in the fifth. Payton Walter (7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 K) made the runs count as she shutdown the Pirates offense for the two-hit shutout with Paige Rocha and Stephanie Carroll collecting the only hits.