A key Class 5 District 16 preview seemed to be going well for Platte County on Monday, April 30 at Platte County High School.
Facing the No. 2 team in the latest Missouri high School baseball Coaches Association Class 5 poll, the Pirates led 2-1 after the second inning. The Falcons (26-1) tied things in the fourth inning before batting around in the fifth to take the lead for good finishing with what would become eight straight runs.
BRYCE MERENESS/Citizen photo
Glen Gammill delivers a pitch in the Pirates 13-3 win against Winnetonka on Thursday, April 26 at Platte County High School.
Platte County tallied just three hits in the contest in a rematch of last year’s Class 5 District 16 championship game which the Pirates won a year ago.
Grain Valley 9, Platte County 8
Grain Valley 7, Platte County 1
The Pirates dropped both sides of a twin bill on Saturday, April 28 with future Suburban Conference Blue Division foe Grain Valley at Grain Valley High School.
Platte County enjoyed the lead for much of the first contest before surrendering a five-run sixth inning to tie things up. In the seventh the Eagles started with a walk before a sacrifice bunt led to a two-base error which allowed the winning run to come around from first base.
The Pirates opened the scoring with a four-run first inning and added what seemed to be three insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning to go up 8-3 before the Eagles tallied six unanswered.
In the second contest the Pirates managed just one hit and one run. Platte County had four base runners in the sixth inning two walks a hit batsman and a single to manufacture their only tally of the game.
Platte County 5, Kearney 0
Three Pirates pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout on Friday, April 27 at Kearney High School.
Ethan Esdohr pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless work with just one hit allowed to go with one walk and seven strikeouts on 59 pitches.
Hunter Cox and Grant Allen combined for the final seven outs with four coming via the strikeout to cement the win. The Pirates collected just six hits in the game and benefitted from five Bulldogs errors.
Trent Rueckert was the first beneficiary, reaching on an error with one out in the first inning. He then moved to second on a single from Colby Sneed stole third and scored when the throw sailed into left field.
Esdohr drove in the second run with a single two batters later.
In the third the Pirates doubled their advantage with another two spot. Dalton Reichers drove in both runs with a single with one out after Rueckert and Colby Sneed both beat out an attempted double play turn.
Platte County added an insurance tally in the sixth and closed out a key Suburban Conference Blue Division tilt which forges a three-way tie atop the standings between Platte County, Kearney and Belton. All have one loss in conference play.
Platte County 13, Winnetonka 3
Ethan Esdohr gave Platte County the lead for good in the third inning with a bomb to left field then ended the proceedings with another home run to invoke the mercy rule on Thursday, April 26 at Platte County High School.
The Pirates got on the board first in the second inning, Chase James hit a two-out double before an RBI single from Max Hunter broke the scoreless tie.
In the third Winnetonka took the lead briefly before the first of four straight three-run innings from Platte County. After a Dalton Reichers RBI single Esdohr launched the first of his two big flies.
In the fifth the Pirates expanded their lead with another homer, Kobe Cummings hit a three-run long ball to put the Pirates up 10-3. Cummings finished with four runs driven in, tying Esdohr for the team lead. In the sixth the first two batters reached base with singles before a wild pitch brought in Dayton Mitchell from third base. Esdohr then ended the contest with the walk-off bomb.