EXCELSIOR SPRINGS – For the second straight season, Platte County dashed Excelsior Springs’ hopes of winning a Class 4 District 8 softball title. In 2020, the Pirates downed the Tigers 8-0 in the tournament semifinals. This season, they held off Excelsior Springs’ repeated comeback attempts in the title game, defeating the Tigers 9-4 Oct. 16 at Miracle Field. Platte County took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with two runs on two hits, aided by a hit batter and a walk. The Tigers answered with a run in the top of the third, when junior Karli Shipman reached base on an error and scored on a two-out single to right field by junior Daelyn Williams. The Pirates grabbed two more runs in the bottom of the third with the help of an Excelsior Springs error, two hits and a walk. The Tigers bounced back with three runs in the top of the fourth to knot it at 4. Senior Ariana Reynolds started the fourth with a sing...