No player was more valuable than Brennan McLaughlin in Platte County’s 15-4 run-rule victory against Park Hill on Tuesday, April 1 in Kansas City at Park Hill High School.
The junior went 3 for 4 at the plate and had a 6-RBI game with a 2-run homer run. He also pitched three innings with three strikeouts and gave up one earned run to earn the win on the mound.
Senior second baseman Taylor Stambersky got the Pirates off to a good start with a leadoff single in the first inning. After a fielder’s choice, McLaughlin came to the plate and blasted a no-doubt homer on a 1-2 pitch to straightaway center field, scoring himself and Stambersky.
McLaughlin also got the start on the mound and stranded two on base in the first inning. With one out and a pair of runners in scoring position in the second, McLaughlin got a ground ball to shortstop Dayton Doll, but the senior collided with the umpire as the ball got through to score both runners and tie the game 2-2.
Platte County returned to the top of the order in the top of the third inning, when Stambersky reached with a one-out triple as the senior was called safe in a close play at third base where Park Hill third baseman Lex Young believed he got the tag applied in time.
After a walk, the Pirates took advantage of the generous opportunity when McLaughlin nearly got another homer to center, but it dropped down on the warning track to score two go-ahead runs. Platte County added a third run in the third when Park Hill’s Spencer Beltram got called for a balk, allowing McLaughlin’s run to make it 5-2.
Following a leadoff double by Bronson Ryan, the Platte County bats exploded towards the finish line with a four-run fourth and a five-run fifth. The Trojans bullpen was unable to rejuvenate Park Hill as they struggled for command as a wild pitch and a pair of walks allowed three of Platte County's four runs in the fourth.
The Pirates added five more in the fifth as Trojan mistakes were exploited. Stamberky hit an RBI triple, followed by another RBI for McLaughlin on a single while Ryan and Brock Fowler also drove in runs to stretch Platte County’s lead to 15-2.
Park Hill tried to extend the game past the fifth inning but fell just short. The Trojans were patient at the plate, drawing four walks in the fifth to score a pair of runs until a flyout sealed a 15-4 double-digit run-rule verdict after five innings.
Beltram took the loss for Park Hill with seven earned runs and a pair of strikeouts in three innings. The Trojans also went through four pitchers in two innings to finish off their largest defeat of the season.
Park Hill rebounded quickly to shut out Excelsior Springs with a 13-0 victory on April 2. Starting pitcher Logan Conley gave up three hits in five innings while junior first baseman Bryson Augustyn hit a 2-run home run in the fourth inning as the Trojans improved to 3-6.
Platte County improved to 5-1 on the season with Tuesday’s win, later defeating William Chrisman 16-3 for another fifth-inning run-rule victory. Stambersky and Doll led the Pirates against Chrisman, combining for 8 for 8 at the top of the lineup as Doll drove in five batters.
Now 6-1 this year and ranked No. 7 in Class 5, the Pirates have won five straight and face a couple of tough road tests against Liberty North and No. 5 Staley this week.