Eagles return to Quarterfinal
HENRY JANSSEN/DAILY FORUM
Platte Valley pitcher Sarah Chor lays down a sacrifice bunt in the first inning of her team’s victory over North Harrison. In addition to her 12 strikeouts, Chor also reached base twice.
After falling last year in the District championship game, the Platte Valley Eagles’ softball team took a 6-1 Sectional victory over North Harrison to reach territory familiar to the program: the Quarterfinal round of the State tournament. The Eagles have failed to win their Sectional game only twice since 2006, winning a pair of Class 1 State titles over that same span.
Senior pitcher Sarah Chor hurled a dandy on Wednesday night in Conception Junction to defeat the North Harrison Shamrocks, striking out 12 batters and not allowing a single opposing batsman to reach base on a walk.
Chor struck out the first six batters she faced, fanning four of them and sending the other two back to the dugout on called strikes. She maintained a perfect game through four innings until Shamrock junior Audry Briggs belted a solo homerun to deep centerfield in the top of the fifth, bringing the Eagles’ lead back within three runs. Chor allowed just two hits after Briggs’ homer, and no Shamrocks entered scoring position from that point onward.
“They’re a solid hitting team,” Chor said of North Harrison, a team she had faced in two games earlier in the year. “We just figured out where to pitch them. It was just another game, but in this situation it’s do or die, so I think we did what we needed to do. Payton Craig is one of the best hitters I’ve faced. She sees the ball really well, so she was kind of our focus. Not letting her get anything off the barrel, and that was kind of our thoughts for all of them.”
Craig, the pitcher for North Harrison, was retired by Chor in each of her three plate appearances. Craig allowed nine hits against the Eagles’ batters, walking three and striking out five. Her defense was responsible for five errors, while Platte Valley committed one.
“I think the fact that we can hit off of her shows that we’ve been working on hitting some faster pitchers,” designated player Elizabeth Turpin said. “I think we can have some success later on against pitchers like her. It definitely helps us build confidence. We knew she was a fast pitcher, and we knew we had to get on it early.”
Turpin finished 2-2 with two runs batted in for the Eagles. She, first baseman Stephanie Chor, and shortstop Kelsi McQuinn each recorded multiple base hits.
Platte Valley head coach Shelly Deen said that while she was enjoying her team’s Sectional victory, she was unsurprised in what her group of girls was able to do.
“Two years ago when we won State, even three years ago, we got to the Quarterfinal,” Deen said. “It’s just what we live the whole year for. We can enjoy it, but we’re still going to work hard the next two days to prepare for it. We’re not going to let up yet. The girls played well tonight and you can’t take anything away from Payton Craig, but we capitalized on some little hits and that’s what you have to do in a big game.”
Deen said that she knew little about her team’s opponent for Saturday’s Quarterfinal, defending Class 1 champion Norborne. Norborne enters the game with the best record in the field of remaining teams at 20-2.
HENRY JANSSEN/DAILY FORUM
Platte Valley coach Shelly Deen and daughter Josie Deen discuss a big situation with two Eagles in scoring position. Platte Valley would go on to win, 6-1.
HENRY JANSSEN/DAILY FORUM
North Harrison’s Payton Craig tags Platte Valley’s Kelsi McQuinn out when McQuinn attempted to take home on a wild pitch. Platte Valley failed to score in the first three innings of the game. McQuinn recorded three of the Eagles’ nine hits in Wedsnesday’s victory.
