Platte County advances to Class 3

Source: The Star

RICH SUGG | THE KANSAS CITY STAR

Platte County’s Cacy Williams reached out of the strike zone but managed to lay down a bunt on a squeeze play.

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ST. JOSEPH | Cacy Williams was quick to admit she was nervous before the start of Platte County’s Missouri Class 3 semifinal game against Republic on Friday.

You couldn’t tell.

She had both RBIs for Platte County as it defeated Republic 2-0 at Heritage Park.

Platte County, 29-3, moves on to today’s Class 3 championship game against Cape Girardeau Notre Dame at 3 p.m.

“Oh my gosh, I was already totally nervous,” Williams said. “I just went up there and got it done.”

She laid down a bunt that was eye-high and drove in Molley Cantu from third on a squeeze play with one out, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead in the bottom on the second.

Williams wasn’t done. In the bottom of the fifth, Williams sent a shot beyond the right-center-field fence for her first home run of the season.

“I knew it was gone just by the way I hit it,” she said. “I knew on that one, I got it good.

From there, Haley Pypes took over, keeping Republic off balance.

Pypes struck out 12 hitters and allowed just two hits over seven innings. Once she got momentum, the short offensive innings for the Pirates began to help her.

“I think in a situation like this, the quick innings were to her benefit,” Platte County coach Rob Davenport said. “It would get her right back out there.”

Cape Girardeau Notre Dame is 28-0, picking up a thrilling 13-inning victory over Kirksville in the other semifinal.

Blue Springs moves on to Class 4 final todayBlue Springs picked up its biggest victory of the year, sending the Wildcats to the Missouri Class 4 championship game.

In a muddy semifinal, Blue Springs never held a lead until Mackenszie Sykes scored on a double by Jocelyn Price in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Sykes’ run gave Blue Springs a 6-5 victory over Webb City.

The victory sends Blue Springs, 30-0, to the Class 4 championship against Parkway South, 25-4, at 5 p.m. today.

The double by Price came with two outs in the bottom of the inning and barely stayed inside the right-field line.

Blue Springs fell behind in the top of the fourth inning 3-0, but quickly the Wildcats battled back. In their half of the inning, catcher Amanda Self hit a two-run homer that brought her team within 3-2.

The victory came despite what coach Roger Lower called the poorest defensive performance his team had all year. The Wildcats had seven errors.

Mid-Buchanan finishes third in Class 2Mid-Buchanan overcame a slow start to its trip to the Class 2 softball semifinals with a third-place finish.

After falling to Palmyra 15-3 in the semifinals, Mid-Buchanan defeated Morrisville 6-2 in the third-place game.

submitted by COLE YOUNG - 2008-10-24 23:43:02