Platte County’s softball and girls tennis teams returned from Springfield with a pair of fourth-place trophies on Oct. 29 for the MSHSAA State Championships.
Platte County softball takes 4th at State
Platte County’s softball team saved some big swings for the biggest stage, but a pair of late-game heartbreaks left the Pirates short of a state championship celebration.
Platte County suffered a walk-off defeat in its Class 4 semifinal against Helias Catholic before a seventh-inning collapse in the third-place game against St. Dominic on Oct. 29. The Pirates settled for fourth place at the 51st MSHSAA Fall Softball Championships, earning the program’s seventh state trophy since 2007.
The semifinal featured a defensive battle between Platte County, which ended the regular season ranked No. 6 in Class 4, and No. 2 Helias Catholic.
The Crusaders struck first with a run in the opening inning. Sophie Heckenkamp reached on a one-out single before advancing to third on a stolen base and passed ball. Sloane Sherry followed with an RBI double to center field to give Helias a 1-0 advantage.
Helias threatened to add to its lead, but senior pitcher Reagan Ball worked out of the jam with a strikeout to end the inning.
After leaving runners on base in each of the first two innings, Platte County finally broke through in the third. Junior second baseman Kinleigh Howren delivered the equalizer with one swing, driving a 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a solo home run that tied the game at 1-1.
The Pirates continued to create opportunities but couldn’t find another breakthrough. They finished with four hits and a walk while stranding five runners, including leadoff singles in both the fourth and sixth innings.
With the game still tied in the bottom of the seventh, Helias put together one final rally. Allison Koofer-Thompson reached on a one-out single and eventually moved into scoring position after Bri Brenneke was hit by a pitch with two outs.
Platte County was one strike away from extending the game into extra inning as Ball worked ahead of Heckenkamp 1-2. However, Helias’ No. 2 hitter found a hole through the right side of the infield. The throw from right field wasn’t in time to catch Koofer-Thompson at home, giving the Crusaders a 2-1 walk-off victory.
Platte County looked to bounce back in the third-place game against St. Dominic, and the Pirates’ bats showed more life early.
Senior shortstop Bryli Seifert provided the opening punch with a solo home run in the first inning. She drove a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence to give Platte County an early 1-0 lead.
St. Dominic answered with a solo home run of its own in the fourth, as Brylie Mills tied the game at 1-1 with two outs. The Pirates responded in the bottom half of the inning when Grace Shippee doubled to left field and later scored on an RBI single from Ball.
Platte County added some insurance in the sixth inning, with Shippee delivering another big swing. She launched the Pirates’ third solo home run of the day over the left-center field fence on the first pitch she saw, extending the lead to 3-1.
The advantage appeared to put the Pirates in position to claim third place, but St. Dominic erupted for five runs in the seventh inning.
Platte County recorded the first two outs of the frame before the Crusaders strung together seven consecutive hits to erase the deficit and take a 6-3 lead.
The Pirates weren’t finished, though. Back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the seventh gave Platte County a chance to mount one final comeback. Howren brought home a run with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 6-4, but the Pirates couldn’t get any closer.
The fourth-place finish brought an end to a memorable four-year run for Platte County’s senior class. Ball, Seifert, Kelly Bullano and Lillian Talbot helped the program consistently contend, combining for a record of 82-36 during their careers.
Platte County finished the season 24-9, earning its second fourth-place state trophy in program history.
Platte County tennis finishes 4th at State
Platte County’s girls tennis team brought home a first-ever state trophy from the 52nd MSHSAA Girls Tennis Championships, held Oct. 29 at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield.
The Pirates fell just shy of a trip to the championship match and ultimately settled for a fourth-place trophy at State.
Platte County began the day with a 9 a.m. semifinal matchup against the undefeated Thomas Jefferson Independent Day. The Pirates became just the second team to take multiple matches from them this season, but the Cavaliers prevailed 5-4.
They went behind 2-0 in the opening-round doubles matchups, but the No. 3 tandem of Katelyn Newberry and Jayne Muir pulled out the victory to get the Pirates on the board.
In singles, Platte County lost at No. 2, adding additional pressure to the rest of the lineup. The Pirates managed to tie it up at 4-4 when Newberry won her match at No. 4 singles, but the Pirates were unable to win the decisive match as they were sent to the third-place match with a 5-4 defeat.
Platte County returned for the third-place game later in the afternoon, where they faced a St. Dominic’s team that was also making its Final Four debut after a 5-1 defeat to Parkway West.
The Pirates started strong at No. 1 doubles as Ellie Kaser and Macie Keith — playing in their final official match together representing Platte County — put the Pirates on the board first with an 8-2 victory. St. Dominic’s took the next two doubles matches to take a 2-1 lead, then won three singles matches to secure the third-place trophy with a 5-1 scoreline.
Platte County concluded its historic season with a record of 15-4. The Pirates’ two regular-season defeats came to Class 3 opposition, which includes a Sept. 18 defeat to eventual Class 3 state champion Liberty.
After Kaser and Keith became Platte County’s first state champion doubles team in school history the previous week, the program will look to build upon a breakthrough season. Kaser will exit the program alongside Macy Doll.
Still, plenty of girls remain in the program, inspired to live up to newly established standards higher than they were at the season’s beginning.