Platte County senior Dayton Doll had two hits in each of his final two games in the Class 5 District 8 Tournament at Creekside Baseball Complex.
PARKVILLE – Throughout the 32-game season, Platte County (20-12) only had two losses to Class 5 teams with both defeats coming against the same rival.
The Pirate promising postseason run came to an end by the hands of Kearney (28-7) in the Class 5 District 8 Baseball Championship at Creekside Baseball Complex on May 20. The Bulldogs have now won three consecutive games in the series.
Platte County appeared to be a tough draw for anyone who stood in its way, having won 15 of its last 18 in the regular season and that translated onto the field early in districts. Through the first two postseason games, the No. 2 seed scored 27 runs in a pair of shutout wins that totaled nine innings.
The Pirates annihilated Van Horn (9-17) 13-0 on May 15 and Smithville (17-16) 14-0 on May 16. Both times, the lower seed had a chance to score in the top of the fifth inning before the game was called due to a mercy rule.
Platte County seemed primed to use momentum from late in the regular season and early in the postseason in the matchup with Kearney, but all good things must come to an end. The Bulldogs scored in each of the first four innings and went to on win, 9-1.
It was a rough night for the Pirates on both sides of the ball, giving up 13 hits and only producing five. It took until the top of the sixth inning for them to score.
Following a strikeout by Brian Chandler, Devin Wassman ripped a hit off to right field and got all the way to third base on the play. Brennan McLaughlin grounded out to second base and Wassman scored for what ended up being the last run of his classmate’s high school career.
Tyler Stearns, Patrick McCool and Liam Blacklock all made contact in the seventh inning, failing to reach first base. Dayton Doll had two hits – a single and a triple – as did Wassman.
After winning the state championship in 2022, Platte County hasn’t outlasted districts. The Pirates had a district semifinal exit to Smithville a season ago but was working their way back to contention.
Platte County’s record doesn’t do it justice as many opponents on the schedule were against bigger schools. The Pirates went 10-2 at home while outscoring teams by an average of 3.7 runs per game.