Platte County third baseman Emma Reed helped lead the Lady Pirates to a bounce-back win over Excelsior Springs after a 0-2 outing in Nebraska.
LINCOLN – For the second straight year, the Platte County softball team (10-6) headed to Nebraska to play in the Papillion-LaVista Tournament on Sept. 15.
Platte County had a tough go at it this year, losing both games. The Lady Pirates won four in a row to start the month but have dropped their last three games including an 8-0 loss to Grain Valley (16-2) on Sept. 12.
Platte County started the tournament off with a matchup with Millard North (13-4). The Lady Pirates didn’t register a hit and fell 9-0.
Being shut out in consecutive contests is a rarity for Platte County as this was the first such occurrence since 2011. The Lady Pirates had a more competitive outing against Papillion-LaVista South (10-8) but gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to lose 8-5.
Platte County scored the opening two runs of the game in the top of the first inning. Avery Webster opened the game up with a triple on the first at-bat and Morgan Shields stepped into the batter’s box and sent her home with a double.
The Lady Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the inning after Bryli Seifert had an RBI single. South responded with four hits to go up 3-2 in the bottom of the first inning.
In the ensuing inning, Evie Thrasher got on base with a line drive double to left field and Webster batted her in to tie the game. South answered once again in the bottom of the inning to retake a 5-3 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, Emma Reed doubled and ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly by Allison Riggs. Thrasher tied the game, 5-5, with an RBI single to right field.
The Lady Titans had a big fifth inning, connecting with two singles and a double to put the game away with three more runs. The Lady Pirates had nine hits, led by Thrasher and Webster with two hits and an RBI.
Between the Greater Kansas City Tournament and the Papillion-LaVista Tournament, Platte County went 4-2. The Lady Pirates beat Liberty (10-7) on Aug. 29 and lost 3-0 on the road to Blue Springs (10-6) on Aug. 31.
Platte County strung together back-to-back-to-back-to-back victories over Park Hill (5-8), Smithville (0-6), William Chrisman (4-15) and Raytown (3-5). The Lady Pirates went on to beat Excelsior Springs (4-9) 17-4 on the road on Sept. 18 and will host Fort Osage (12-4) on Sept. 21.