No. 3-ranked Platte County showed why it’s a postseason contender, shutting out William Chrisman 9-0 on May 5 during a dominant Senior Night performance.
The Pirates improved to 20-6 with the win and are looking to build momentum heading into the Class 5 District 8 tournament, where another state title run will begin.
“Senior Night is always a fun night to get a W,” Platte County head coach Justin Sipes said. “Just because it’s a celebration the whole day. It’s always a struggle to make sure the kids stay focused on the game and business end, but it feels good to get a W on Senior Day because they’ve worked very hard for it.”
After two scoreless innings, Platte County took advantage of a pair of Chrisman errors in the third. Dayton Doll drove in Bronson Ryan with a groundout, and Brennan McLaughlin followed with a double to bring home Liam Blacklock from second.
Despite issuing six walks, Platte County’s pitching held firm for just its second shutout of the season. Evan Magnuson struck out four in 2.2 innings before seniors Owen Rawlings and Poul Gratereaux-Baez closed out the combined shutout.
The Pirates padded their lead in the fourth with runs from Ian Gold and Blacklock. Then, in the sixth, Doll broke things open with a two-run single as part of a four-run inning.
“He brings everything,” Sipes said about Doll. “His approach, his knowledge of the game.
It’s like having a coach on the field. He’s a lead-by-example kind of guy.
“At the same time, if he needs to, he can stand up and tell people where they need to be and tell people where they need to go. He’s a general on the field; he knows the program; he’s basically irreplaceable,” Sipes said.
Doll has started for Platte County since his freshman year — the same season the Pirates captured a state championship. His veteran presence remains a key to the team’s hopes of making another deep postseason push.
“We’ve still got some small things to iron out,” Sipes said. “But we’re getting better every day and new challenges that come up that we’re trying to face. We’re solution-based, so we’re coming up with solutions as problems come up.”
With one week left in the regular season, Platte County appears poised for another playoff run.
Postseason is always unpredictable, but the Pirates can envision a path out of their district with a likely district championship against No. 4-ranked Smithville.
The Pirates would love nothing more than to send Doll out how he came in — as a state champion.