A five-run fourth inning helped give West Platte its first victory in KCI Conference play this season.
Down three, the Bluejays rallied on Noah Johnson’s two-run double then scored two with two outs to take the lead. Gavin Davis held on for the win, pitching the final 5 2/3 innings in relief of a 6-5 win Thursday, April 13 at Benner Park in Weston, Mo.
East Buchanan led 4-1 after two runs in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom of the inning, West Platte loaded the bases with an error, hit by pitch and walk. Johnson then doubled in two runs with one out. Connor McNair sacrificed the tying run home and moved Johnson to third base with the second out.
Phillip Pattison followed with an infield single to plate the go-ahead run, and he scored on Grant Eagen’s two-out single.
Down 6-4, East Buchanan plated one run on Cody Archdekin’s two-out home run to left field in the sixth, but Davis allowed only one more baserunner. Wyatt Kleman, who started and threw the first 1/3 of an inning, came back in for the seventh and retired the Bulldogs in order.
West Platte improved to 2-3, 1-3 in KCI Conference play.
Lathrop 11, West Platte 7
The Bluejays held an early lead and rallied back late, coming up short in a KCI game played Tuesday, April 11 in Lathrop, Mo.
West Platte led 3-0 after the top of the first when McNair and Davis started the inning with back-to-back singles. McNair scored on a passed ball, while Davis came home on Alec Carson’s bases-loaded walk — the third straight free pass TJ Huddlemyer allowed in his 1/3 inning of work as the starting pitcher.
Jack Summers, a senior, brought in the third run on Kyle Tabaka’s one-out single to center field.
Lathrop answered back with three runs in the bottom of the first against Eagen, who started on the mound. The Mules took the lead for good with three more in the second , before adding five runs against freshman reliever Jasper Basel.
Down 8-3 after four, West Platte scored two in the fifth and two in the sixth. The runs in the fifth came on a bases-loaded walk to Tabaka and an error, while Summers (single) and Basel (sacrifice fly) had RBIs in the sixth.
West Platte stranded the potential tying run in the sixth, and Lathrop added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.