Platte County went 4-1 during a trip to the Ozark Fall Festival over the weekend, winning three one-run games in a solid showing.
In a rematch of a 2014 Class 3 state semifinal, Platte County opened with a comeback win over Monett. The Pirates scored two in the seventh to force extra innings, lost a one-run lead in the eighth and then scored two more in the ninth before holding on to the win.
Monett led 4-0 after putting up four runs in the bottom of the third, but the Cubs didn’t score again until extras against Platte County freshman starter Emma Koeneke.
Taylor Farr doubled in Platte County’s first run with two outs in the fifth, and Halle Magee followed with a run-scoring single. The Pirates tied it in the seventh when Shayla Kohler grounded into a bases loaded fielder’s choice, and sophomore Gracie Erickson followed with a two-out single to score Magee.
Ana Cesaro’s infield single couldn’t score Kohler, and Platte County ended up in extras.
Errors gave a run to each team in both halves of the eighth, and Platte County went ahead 7-5 in the ninth. With tiebreaker rules in effect, Farr scored from second on Magee’s single to start the ninth, and Janessa Barmann doubled in Kohler after her single.
Koeneke allowed the tiebreaker runner at second to score in the bottom of the ninth then stranded the potential tying and winning runs.
In the second game, Platte County star sophomore Paige Rocha completed a quick two-out rally with a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the sixth against Nixa. After being hit by a pitch with two outs, Stephanie Carroll stole second and scored on Rocha’s hit.
Platte County trailed 1-0 after the top of the first but scored twice in the bottom half of the inning. Nixa tied it with one run in the top of the third against Erickson, who started and went four innings and also hit a two-run, two-out double in the bottom of the first.
Koeneke earned the win with two shutout innings of relief.
Platte County finished Friday, Sept. 8 with a 3-0 record after pounding Rolla 12-4 in the nightcap. The Pirates scored six in the top of the first and despite giving up three in the bottom of the inning never trailed, adding four in the fourth and two in the fifth of the five-inning game.
Barmann had a triple and three RBIs in the first then scoring on a wild pitch, while Rocha went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Platte County’s lone loss came Saturday, Sept. 9 against Kickapoo, which scored three in the third to take a 3-2 lead and then broke a 3-3 tie with one in the top of the sixth. The Pirates led 2-0 after the first when Rocha led off the bottom half of the inning with a home run, and Magee hit a two-out single to score Farr, who walked.
Rocha hit her second home run with one out in the fifth to tie it up, but Kickapoo answered with a leadoff home run in the sixth. Koeneke took the loss despite allowing just four hits and two earned runs in six innings.
The finale ended up being an adventurous 10-8 win.
Platte County led 4-0 after the top of the second against Logan-Rogersville but gave up four in the bottom of the second to fall behind. The Wildcats were up 5-4 going to the fifth in what ended up being the final inning.
Rocha reached on a two-base error and scored on Farr’s single to tie the score, and she came home on Grace Heater’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice for the second out. Erickson followed with a two-run double in what ended up a six-run inning for the Pirates, who led 10-5 at that point.
Koeneke, who pitched the final three innings in relief, was charged with four runs but none were earned. Logan-Rogersville plated three in the bottom of the inning, starting with an error on Koeneke.
Platte County had the potential winning run at the plate, but a single led to the final out with a runner caught in a rundown to end the game.
OTHER GAMES
Platte County 10, Belton 0, 6 innings
Koeneke threw a shutout, allowing just five hits in a Suburban Conference Blue Division win Monday, Sept. 11 at Platte County High School.
Platte County (12-4) pulled away with five runs in the fourth and three in the fifth before Erickson’s walkoff single scored Kohler with the winning run in the sixth. The Pirates improved to 5-0 at the midway point of the Blue Division season with one win against each of the other five teams.
Belton committed five errors, and Barmann went 3-for-3 with two triples, a double, two runs scored and two RBIs for Platte County. Rocha also had a double and a run scored, while Farr and Koeneke added two RBIs apiece.
Platte County 17, Raytown South 2, 5 innings
Koeneke drove in four runs, and Rocha walked three times and scored three times in a Blue Division blowout Tuesday, Sept. 5 in Raytown, Mo.
Platte County managed just nine hits but also drew eight walks, scoring at least three runs in four of five innings. Farr and Kohler had RBI singles in a three-run first inning, and Farr doubled in two more in a three-run second to make it 6-0.
Raytown South committed two errors and walked four in a disastrous third inning.
Platte County scored eight with Kohler hitting a two-run triple and then scoring on Erickson’s single. Koeneke capped the rally for the Pirates with a two-run, two-out double to make it 14-0. Barmann and Koeneke hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the fifth — part of another three-run inning.
Erickson threw a complete game, striking out five and allowing only one earned run.