Three big innings provided more than enough offense for Stanberry to keep North Platte winless on the softball diamond this season.
The Bulldogs tallied four runs in the first inning and didn’t look back in a 11-1 victory on Monday, Aug. 27 in Stanberry, Mo.
North Platte fell to 0-4 with the loss against the Grand River Conference school.
A dropped third strike and an error on a sacrifice bunt gave the Bulldogs the lead only two batters into the first inning. A two-run error later in the inning made it 4-0.
The lone run for North Platte came in the second inning when Kadilynn Kelley scored on Stanberry’s lone error. She drew a two-out walk to reach and moved up on Jessica Meadows’ single.
Stanberry added three runs in the third inning and four more in the bottom of the fifth to end the game on the mercy rule. The game ended on a bases-loaded walk to Riley McQueen.
The Panthers had three hits, two by McKenzie Sams, who pitched the final 1 2/3 innings.
North Platte Invitational
West Platte 6, North Platte 2
On Saturday, Aug. 25, North Platte hosted a tournament with West Platte, East Buchanan and Lexington in a round-robin format where all teams got to play three games.
The first game of the tournament, an 8 a.m. start, pitted rivals North Platte and West Platte against each other and Lea Moose was the star of the game.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
West Platte’s Taylor McNair, right, awaits a throw to second base, while North Platte’s Jordyn Goetz prepares to slide into the bag on a stolen base attempt during the North Platte Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 24 in Dearborn, Mo.
The West Platte slugger hit two home runs and drove in four of the six runs.
Hailey Shepardson led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on Moose’s first home run to center field. Hannah Kleman added a two-run single to make it 4-0.
North Platte pulled within 4-1 on Brianna Spiers’ RBI single in the top of the second, but West Platte answered when Moose again hit a two-run home. Shepardson reached on a bunt single and then came home on Moose’s home run to right field, making it 6-1.
An RBI double by Janell ‘Itty’ Manville in the third helped the Panthers pull within four but was the final run of the game.
Karah Dunham got the win for West Platte, giving up two runs and striking out four. Ryann Smith struck out eight on the mound for the Panthers.
East Buchanan 4, North Platte 0
The Panthers were held to only three hits in their second game of the tournament, falling to a KCI Conference foe.
East Buchanan scored all the runs over the first three frames, accounting for eight of its 10 hits.
Hannah Archdekin had an RBI double in the first inning, while Madison McClelland had a two-run double in the third. The final run came in the third, when Archdekin scored on a passed ball.
The Bulldogs had six doubles in the win.
Lexington 3, North Platte 1
The Minutewomen scored a pair of runs in the first inning and held off North Platte in a 3:30 p.m. game, finishing the tripleheader for the Panthers.
Two hits to open the first set up a sacrifice fly by Lyndsi Phillips and a groundout RBI for Kyli Ashby. Lexington made it 3-0 in the third when Emily Marshall drove in a run with a groundout.
North Platte loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth inning, but only got one run out of it when McKenzie Sams hit a sac fly.
Gracie Ramsey was 3-for-3 for North Platte, collecting all but one of the team’s hits.
East Buchanan 14, West Platte 4
A five-run fifth inning allowed the Bulldogs to end this game early against the Bluejays, while a five-run first inning set the tone.
Faith Dryer and Allyson Kerns both had two-run doubles in the first inning for East Buchanan.
West Platte got three of the runs back in the bottom half of the innings. Hannah Kleman and Alyssa Stewart each had RBI singles, while another run came home on a double play with no RBI given.
East Buchanan scored nine unanswered and built a 14-3 lead against West Platte. The Bluejays final run came on the Taylor McNair’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.
West Platte 3, Lexington 1
The Bluejays scored two runs in the top of the seventh to rally for their second win of the day.
Lexington went up first with a run in the third on an unearned run and West Platte tied it in the third on Lydia Davis’ RBI double.
Scoreless over the next two innings, West Platte took the lead on Hailey Shepardson’s RBI single and Lea Moose followed with another run-scoring single to make it 3-1.
Karah Dunham retired the Minutewomen in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.
Shepardson and Moose combined for four of the seven hits by West Platte.