On a night built around honoring service and sacrifice, West Platte baseball delivered a finish worthy of the occasion.
Under the stormy clouds at Benner Park on April 23, the Blue Jays celebrated their first annual Veterans Night before outlasting Plattsburg 3-2 in a 10-inning walkoff, capping an evening that blended reflection with resilience.
In partnership with Weston American Legion Post 501, West Platte recognized local veterans in a pregame ceremony highlighted by Rogers Strickland, a seven-year Air Force veteran.
Dressed as Shoeless Joe Jackson, Strickland addressed the crowd before throwing out the first pitch, drawing a connection between America’s pastime and those who have served.
“Baseball and the armed forces have been connected since the very beginning of baseball,” Strickland said. “If we’re talking about what it means to be an American, baseball is a part of Americana, and of course, serving our nation is awfully important too.”
Air Force veteran Rogers Strickland throws out the first pitch dressed as infamous Chicago White Sox outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson.
For West Platte head coach Brian Faulkner, the night carried personal meaning. He said the event is something he hopes to build into a lasting tradition, motivated in part by the memory of his friend Matt Mason, a Navy SEAL who died from injuries sustained in Afghanistan in 2011.
“That’s something I’ve always wanted to start here in Weston,” Faulkner said. “Any chance I can give back to these guys, especially veterans. As long as I’m here, we’re going to do it every year. We can’t thank those guys enough because they’ve done a lot for our country, and the least we can do is recognize them.”
Once the ceremony ended, the game that followed proved quite memorable as well.
West Platte struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on aggressive baserunning from Cuin Vincent. After drawing a walk, stealing second and advancing on a balk, Vincent came home on Blaze Masoner’s fly ball to left for a 1-0 lead.
But that would be all the offense the Blue Jays could muster for much of the night.
Plattsburg’s left-handed starter kept West Platte guessing at the plate, limiting the Blue Jays to just one runner in scoring position over the next four innings.
“Their pitcher threw a great game,” Faulkner said. “I thought he controlled the ball, controlled the zone. He kind of had us unbalanced. We didn’t put our best bats in play, and it showed.”
Senior Matthew Cook gave up just one run in six innings.
Meanwhile, West Platte senior Matthew Cook played out a similar performance. Cook delivered a strong six-inning outing, striking out five while holding Plattsburg scoreless until the fifth.
That inning, consecutive baserunners set up a game-tying groundout, knotting the score at 1-1.
Opportunities came and went for West Platte. The Blue Jays put runners on in the fifth and sixth innings but couldn’t break through, continuing a frustrating trend at the plate.
Masoner took over on the mound in the seventh and worked out of trouble with help from catcher Jhett Chandler, who threw out a would-be base stealer. Neither team could score, sending West Platte to extra innings for the second time this season.
The eighth inning brought one of the Blue Jays’ best chances. With the bases loaded and one out, Plattsburg escaped with an unconventional double play at the plate, cutting down the go-ahead run and keeping the game tied.
“We had several opportunities to put that game away,” Faulkner said. “On paper, we should have handled these guys a little bit easier, but hats off to those guys (Plattsburg).”
Plattsburg finally broke through once more in the 10th, using a leadoff walk and a West Platte error to take its first lead of the night at 2-1. Facing defeat, the Blue Jays responded with patience from the top of the batting order.
Chandler and Vincent worked back-to-back walks, bringing Reed Elms to the plate with a chance to redeem an earlier missed opportunity at the plate.
“We knew we had to score; we weren’t going to give up at all,” Elms said. “When we got that first runner on, we felt some more confidence.”
After a balk moved both runners into scoring position, Elms delivered. The sophomore shortstop drove a 2-2 pitch into left field, scoring Chandler to tie the game before Vincent raced home moments later with the winning run.
“Just tried to do a job for my team,” Elms said. “Struggled early on in the game, couldn’t really find a gap, but found it there, and it was a good win.”
The finish felt fitting for Elms, who had already made several key defensive plays to keep West Platte in the game. No defensive play early in the game was more important than when Elms robbed Plattsburg of two runs by fielding a ground ball up the middle to record the third out after a stretch at first from Alex Allison.
Sophomore shortstop Reed Elms makes a play on a ball up the middle to save a pair of runs in the third inning.
“That kid is clutch,” Faulkner said. “He’s one of the hardest-working kids out here. There’s not one time he’s not out warming up, doing the right things fundamentally, leading by example to some of the younger kids coming up.”
“Reed’s just a great team player,” Faulkner continued. “I know he doesn’t play with a lot of emotion, but he’s very well-balanced. He shows it on the field; he makes a great play in the hole. The kid is just one of those guys you want on your team. It’s been such a great addition to our team to get both Reed and his dad (Dave Elms, assistant coach) here.”
The win keeps West Platte rolling heading into a pivotal conference showdown with Mid-Buchanan on April 28 in Weston. The matchup will determine sole possession of first place in the final week of conference play.
“I feel like right now, with the way these guys care about this game and their teammates, they just keep accelerating,” Faulkner said. “That’s what it takes this late in the season. A lot of teams fall off, but when teams find a way to win like us, we’ll keep going and our bats will come around.”
On a night meant to honor selfless sacrifice and perseverance, the Blue Jays embodied it.