The Platte County softball team (11-13) rounded up the regular season with a rough patch, losing the final three games ahead of the postseason.
Platte County’s Kallie Hitzelberger pitched in the Lady Pirates 8-5 home loss to Liberty North on Oct. 4.
Platte County finishing with a below .500 record is a rarity, especially as of late as it has finished in third place at state in the last two years while winning 21 games in each fall. The Lady Pirates scheduled some tough opponents this season, with seven of their 13 losses coming against Class 5 teams.
Platte County routed past Raytown (4-11) by a score of 15-0 on Sept. 29 to move over .500 with an 11-12 record before dropping the final three games against Grain Valley (22-7), Liberty North (19-10) and Belton (14-12). All three contests were close as the Lady Pirates lost by a combined six runs.
After scoring one run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings against Grain Valley, Platte County led 3-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when the Lady Eagles scored four runs in the inning to win 4-3. The Lady Pirates’ 11 hits against Liberty North weren’t enough to bounce back as Platte County lost 11-7.
In the regular season finale, it was a defensive battle between White Division rivals. There were only five hits on the night – with Platte County outhitting Belton 3-2 – with Belton scoring one run in the bottom of the second and fourth innings to win 2-0.
The Lady Pirates will be the No. 3 seed in the Class 4 District 8 Tournament and take on Winnetonka (9-8) at Kearney on Oct. 11. Platte County will advance to the semifinals on Oct. 13 with a win and the district championship will be on Oct. 15 at 11 a.m.