PLATTE CITY, Mo. — Webb City trimmed a 10-run deficit all the way down to three, but the early hole was ultimately too much to overcome.
Webb City suffered a season-ending 11-7 setback to Platte County on Saturday in a quarterfinal contest of the MSHSAA Class 5 state baseball tournament.
The Cardinals end the season with a record of 19-16.
Platte County (25-8) advanced to the semifinals, where they’ll meet either Parkway Central or Fort Zumwalt East at 7 p.m. on June 3 at Ozark’s US Ballpark.
The Pirates led 10-0 after three innings before the resilient Cardinals plated seven unanswered runs.
But the hosts added an insurance run and kept the Cardinals at bay late to secure the win.
Platte County plated eight runs on seven hits and three walks in the bottom of the second inning.
Eli Nelson and Jakob Knudsen both walked before Dayton Doll delivered a two-out, two-run triple off the fence in right field.
Dayne Wimberly followed with an RBI double to center before Cameron Lewis and Dylan Robertson added run-scoring singles for a 5-0 lead.
That chased Webb City starting pitcher Cooper Crouch, with Gavin Stowell taking over.
Nickolas Baker contributed a two-run triple and Knudsen had an RBI single for an eight-run cushion before Stowell retired the side.
In the third, Devin Wassmann’s two-run home run to right field made it 10-0.
Webb City didn’t go down quietly.
The Cardinals pushed across a single tally in the top of the fourth. Eric Fitch and Cy Darnell recorded back to back hits before Kenley Hood’s sacrifice fly got Webb City on the board.
The champions of District 7, Webb City erupted for six runs in the fifth.
Aidan Brock walked, Kaylor Darnell doubled and Brantley Carter walked to load the bases. Fitch then delivered an RBI infield single. Cy Darnell and Cade Wilson followed with two-run doubles.
After the second pitching change of the inning, Kenley Hood smacked a run-scoring double to left, trimming the deficit to 10-7.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom of fifth on Wassmann’s RBI single.
Webb City reliever Walker Sweet worked out of trouble in the sixth, keeping his team’s deficit at four.
However, the Cardinals went down in order in the seventh.
Fitch and Cy Darnell had two hits apiece, while Cy Darnell, Wilson and Hood drove in two runs apiece.
Crouch allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Stowell surrendered four runs on four hits and three walks and struck out three in three frames. Sweet did not allow a run in 1 1/3 innings, striking out two.
Platte County’s Sawyer Allen was the winning pitcher. He allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
Webb City’s seniors were Brantley Carter, Kolton Eilenstein, Jeremiah Leaming, Brock, Crouch, Fitch, Stowell and Wilson.
It was Flave Darnell’s final game as Webb City’s head coach, as he’s moving into an administration position in the school district.
Darnell recorded more than 300 wins during his coaching career.
