The Platte County baseball team started its stretch run before districts on a good note, but have stumbled recently. Now, the Pirates hope they can regroup for crunch time.

Platte County , 10-6, which opens play in the Class 3, District 16 Tournament Saturday at Phil Welch Stadium in St. Joseph as the No. 2 seed, won four straight games last week before suffering two lopsided Midland Empire Conference losses.

St Joseph Benton, the defending Class 3 state champions, visited Pirates Field Saturday for a game that had been rained out three times. The game was billed as a crowning of the MEC champion; Platte County never made it to the throne.

The game started off with junior right-hander Jeff Cline, who entered the game with a 4-0 record, allowing five quick runs in the top of the first inning. Cline gave way to lefty Cameron Kuhn, who fared no better, allowing eight runs on 10 hits. Senior Kyle Knox had a hit, scored three runs and had two RBI. Knox also hit a home run, along with Reed Martens. Benton third basemen Johnny Coy, however, put up the best hitting line on the day — 4-for-6, with two homers and seven RBI. The Pirates never seemed to have a chance, and eventually fell 20-8.

 “ Benton just came out and they earned that one,” Platte County coach Greg Jaros said.

The bleeding didn’t stop there.

All season long, the Pirates have battled to clean their wounds and rebound after losing a game and hoped to continue that resilience on Monday. The Irish of Lafayette visited Pirates’ Stadium, and left knowing they had stolen a win. Irish sophomore Grant Richardson went 2-for-3 in the game, notching three RBI, and he also hit a pivotal two-run home run in the fourth.

But the Pirates’ bats answered the challenge.

In the bottom of the fourth, senior right fielder Nick Maxwell doubled for the third time in the game, driving in two runs. The Pirates claimed a 7-6 lead in the fourth and the teams exchanged scoreless fifth and sixth innings. Then an infamous last inning proved deadly for the Pirates.

Junior right-hander Justin Wilson, who had just completed two scoreless innings and had retired four straight batters, started the seventh. Wilson was haunted by a series of ground balls that found their way through the infield, and some that found their way through the legs of the Pirates defense. Platte County committed three errors in the inning, walked in two runs, and, by the time it was all said and done, the scoreboard read Home — 7, Guest —14. The Pirates went down quietly in the seventh.