North Platte baseball win streak includes 2nd KCI win of past 3 years

North Platte won its first KCI Conference game of the season Thursday, April 7 at Dean Park in Dearborn, Mo., just the second league win of the past three seasons for the Panthers.

Andrew Roberts and Blake Toliver combined to give up just one run (unearned), and Plattsburg’s tally in the top of the sixth answered a five-run barrage from North Platte in the bottom of the fifth. The Panthers added one more in the sixth for a 6-1 win.

North Platte made the most of five hits and three Plattsburg errors.

Hunter Oliver doubled and scored in both the fifth and the sixth. Toliver, Halen Knapp and Roberts — the top of the order — all reached and scored in the fifth. 

Roberts started and struck out two in his only inning of work. Toliver threw the final six innings and struck out nine, allowing four hits and a walk.

North Platte 21, KC Lutheran 0, 5 innings

The Panthers put up a pair of nine run innings Monday, April 11 in Kansas City, Mo. keeping alive their first winning streak since 2014.

North Platte led 9-0 after the top of the second and 12-0 after the top of the third. The Panthers scored nine more in the fifth to invoke the run rule. They have now won three straight.
In all, North Platte collected 17 hits and seven walks, while Lutheran committed five errors.

Roberts and Halen Knapp combined on a one-hitter with each issuing one walk.

Remington Wilson led the offense with two hits, two runs and four RBIs, while Garrett Lamar and Roberts scored three runs apiece. Ethan Burke went 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Oliver, Lamar, Austin Snook and Jacob Stubbs had a double apiece.

North Platte 17, University Academy 2, 4 innings

Toliver helped the Panthers start a winning a streak Tuesday, April 5 at Dean Park in Dearborn, Mo., earning the win after allowing two unearned runs in the first inning.

North Platte scored at least two in every inning and walked off with the win after totaling six in the bottom of the fourth to invoke the mercy rule. The Panthers only collected seven hits but walked 15 times against three different pitchers, scoring seven in the bottom of the first to take control.

Garrett Lamar had two singles and a walk and drove in four runs, while Toliver, Knapp and Jacob Stubbs each had a double and two RBIs apiece. Toliver also walked four times from the leadoff spot and scored twice, and Mark Fisher walked three times with a run and an RBI.
Roberts tripled, scored three times and drove in a pair. 

West Platte 14, Plattsburg 0

Brett Shepardson and Mitch Moppin combined on a five-inning shutout with 11 strikeouts Tuesday, April 5 in Weston, Mo.

Moppin also double twice, collected three RBIs and scored twice. Shepardson, Jack Summers and Grant Eagen drove in two apiece. Summers had one of three doubles for West Platte, while Eagen had the lone triple. McKaulley Stephenson went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored for the Bluejays.

Shepardson, Summers and courtesy runner Gavin Davis also scored two runs each.

West Platte scored three in the bottom of the fourth to go up 14-0, and Moppin entered in relief, striking out three in his only inning to close out the win.

Mid-Buchanan 4, West Platte 0

The Bluejays dropped to 2-1 in KCI play and 7-2 overall Thursday, April 7 in Faucett, Mo.

Mid-Buchanan scored all four runs against West Platte senior ace McKaulley Stephenson, two apiece in the fourth and sixth. The Bluejays ended up with only three hits, including a double for Summers.