By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
North Platte overcame a frustrating start offensively and hung six runs in the sixth inning to prevail 8-5 over St. Joseph Christian at Victory Field in St. Joseph Monday.
The Panthers (2-3) were held without a hit through the first three innings, as Christian's starting pitcher Nick Orscheln struck out six of his first nine batters faced.
Christian (4-2) got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning, thanks to an RBI single from Blake Ray.
North Platte had the answer in the top of the fourth, leading off that frame with three straight hits, including an RBI single from Colton Kirkham and an RBI double from Chance Garber.
"It felt really good," Garber said. "Coming off of a bad game the last game (against Lawson) and then coming out here and trying to perform and do something for our team is pretty good. We played a hell of a game today."
Trailing 2-1 going to the bottom of the fifth, Christian retook the lead at 4-2, scoring three runs on three hits and two errors in the fifth.
Undaunted, the Panthers made their mark in the sixth, leading off that frame with a single, three straight walks, another single and then a hit batter.
The second single in that sequence was a two-run RBI blast to right field by Ben Jaycox, giving North Platte the lead at 5-4. Subsequent RBIs by Wesley Meadows, Kaden Mullendore and Kirkham put the Panthers up 8-4 after an inning that lasted for 12 at-bats.
"I think at the beginning, we just started off slow," Mullendore said. "Hitting, and making no contact. We were slow getting there, but we found it eventually and got some runs in."
Christian got one run back in the sixth, but Mullendore retired the Lions in four at-bats in the bottom of the seventh to close it out.
Mullendore got the win on the mound, throwing the final 3.2 innings in relief. He struck out five batters and walked only three, while allowing five hits and three earned runs.
Offensively, Garber went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Kirkham went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.
"Our kids came through when we needed them to," North Platte head coach Daniel Atkinson said. "So, I'm very proud of them."
Orscheln started on the mound for Christian and struck out nine in four innings. Clabaugh took the loss in middle relief, allowing five runs in the sixth inning.
Sophomore Logan Hubble led the Lions with three runs scored. Johnston Stewart and Orscheln each had a pair of hits, as did Blake Ray.
Christian's pitching staff totaled 12 strikeouts, but the Lions also stranded 10 baserunners offensively.
For North Platte, Monday's win is an early confidence boost. It marks the Panthers' first road win of the season, and it puts them back in the right column after a 2-0 loss at East Buchanan and then a 4-3, eight-inning loss to Lawson at home last week.
"We don't always create the best situation by a mistake here or there," Atkinson pointed out, "but we always compete. I'm trying to keep our kids on that course, because we can win a lot of ballgames by just staying the course and doing what we do."
North Platte heads to University Academy Charter in Kansas City Tuesday. St. Joseph Christian doesn't play again until next Tuesday at East Buchanan.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.