West Platte recorded a second straight KCI Conference shutout on Monday, May 11, scoring five runs in the sixth inning of a 12-0 win against East Buchanan in Gower, Mo. McKaulley Stephenson allowed only two hits but worked around five walks in a six-inning shutout. He struck out nine in 105 pitches to record the win, stranding eight runners total.
West Platte managed only seven hits, but four pitchers for the Bulldogs combined to walk 13, while striking out 11. The Bluejays didn’t lead until scoring six in the top of the fourth. Peyton Morris, Kyle Tabaka and Tanner Lintner walked three times apiece but combined for only three runs with West Platte stranding 10 runners.
Clay Lambrecht, Cody Guthrie, Mitch Moppin and Lintener all recorded doubles. Guthrie went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Luke Horseman, Moppin and Lintner drove in two apiece.
West Platte 9, Mid-Buchanan 0
Horseman and Guthrie combined on a one-hit shutout, and the Bluejays offense scored all of its runs in a span of three innings Tuesday, May 5 in Faucett, Mo.
In 6 1/3 innings, Horseman struck out six and allowed one hit while walking four. Guthrie recorded the final two outs despite walking one, relieving Horseman after he reached 101 pitches in the seventh inning.
West Platte ended up with only three hits but benefitted from nine walks and three hit batters. Mid-Buchanan also committed four errors, as did the Bluejays.
Only three runs were earned, and no batter for West Platte recorded more than one RBI. Tabaka scored twice without a hit, and Morris went 2-for-2 from his leadoff spot with one run driven in. Seth Eagen, Lintner and Guthrie also recorded an RBI. Stephenson, Lambrecht and Lintner all walked twice.
West Platte took a 4-0 lead in the third then added two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth.
The final league game for West Platte was scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 against Lathrop, but the result was not available at The Citizen’s deadline. The Bluejays (14-5, 9-2 KCI) earned the top seed for the Class 2 District 16 tournament, slated to begin this Saturday in Dearborn, Mo., and receives a first-round bye.
Lathrop 5, North Platte 4
The Panthers let a second KCI win slip away Monday, May 11 at Dean Park in Dearborn, Mo.
Lathrop scored one run in the top of the sixth to tie the score and another in the top of the seventh to win, despite recording only two hits against North Platte starter Triston Rickel. The Mules led 3-0 after the top of the first, but North Platte answered with two and then took the lead with two more in the fifth. North Platte totaled only four hits, and there were no extra-base hits for either team. Hunter Oliver, Bryntin Crockett and Garrett Lamar drove in one run apiece for the Panthers.
North Platte entered a Tuesday, May 12 rescheduled matchup against Mid-Buchanan with a 5-12 record (1-9 KCI). The result was not available at The Citizen’s deadline.
A postponed game with Plattsburg from last week was later cancelled, and North Platte owns the No. 4 seed in the Class 2 District 16 tournament. The Panthers open against KC Lutheran at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, and the winner advances to play top-seeded West Platte in Monday’s semifinal scheduled for 4:30 p.m.