Shamrocks edge past Eagles in pitching duel

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Platte Valley freshman Jessie Miller takes a swing against North Harrison senior pitcher Payton Craig in the sectionals on Wednesday in Eagleville, Missouri.

EAGLEVILLE, Mo. — As happens whenever a team’s season ends, there were plenty of tears and bowed heads in the Platte Valley dugout after the Eagles fell to North Harrison 3-2 in the sectional round of the Missouri State Softball Playoffs in Eagleville, Missouri.

This convocation of Eagles has nothing to hang its head about with the way its season came to an end.

The Class 1, District 16 champions went up against one of the top pitchers in the state on Wednesday and pushed Payton Craig and her Shamrocks to the absolute limit with two runners on base in the seventh inning of a one-run ballgame.

“Payton is is one of the best in northwest Missouri and I told the girls that they have to remember that we battled and didn’t give up,” Platte Valley coach Shelly Deen said. “I am very proud of them for not giving up. That says a lot about them.”

Craig was able to buckle down and get a groundout from Platte Valley senior Liz Turpin, but even with the fairly routine play for the Shamrocks, Turpin dove head-first across first base and end up crumpled behind the bag as the North Harrison celebration commenced.

That is the type of hustle and competitiveness that Deen will miss from this senior class that includes Josie Deen, Stephanie Chor, MiKayla Mattson, Kellie Palmer and Turpin.

After losing ace pitcher Sarah Chor last season, it would be fair for Platte Valley to enter the year in some sort of rebuilding mode, but the Eagle senior class made sure that wasn’t going to be the case.

“It is amazing,” Shelly Deen said of her seniors. “Liz has come so far, because she was always behind Sarah Chor. Steph and Josie have played every year and MiKayla has been unbelievable in the outfield. K.P. (Palmer) on the bench didn’t see a lot of playing time, but she still worked so hard. I’m proud of those girls, so proud of all of them.”

The future is certainly bright for this group though with the only scoring inning of the day being sparked by the lower half of the order.

After Craig mowed through the first four innings without a hit allowed, junior left fielder Amber White and freshman Jessie Miller had back-to-back hits to lead off the fifth inning and they came around to score on an error by Craig with one out.

“Like I told them all year, it doesn’t matter who is batting, they are going to bounce off each other,” Deen said. “You get a rally going and good things can happen.”

That cut the margin to 3-2, but Craig proved too tough in the end despite the rally the Eagles mounted in the seventh.

White led the final inning off with a single and sophomore Ashley Mattson had a two-out single to move the game-tying run into scoring position for the Eagles. That is when Craig was able to get the final out and send her Shamrocks into the state quarterfinals.

JON DYKSTRA/DAILY FORUM
Platte Valley senior pitcher Liz Turpin delivers a pitch during the Eagles’ 3-2 loss to North Harrison in the sectional round of the state playoffs on Wednesday in Eagleville, Missouri.