Plato battled two-time defending Class 2 State Champion Valle Catholic on Tuesday in the Class 2 semifinals, but would come up short in a 7-0 defeat.
"I am not disappointed in the game. Valle Catholic is a good team; that's why they have won a couple state championships here lately," Plato Head Coach Mark Vaughan said. "My kids come out and they never give up. We had our opportunities to keep the game close and it just didn't happen. That's baseball."
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Plato escaped a bases load jam in the first inning. The Eagles found themselves in the same predicament in the second inning and All-State senior Connor Basler made Plato play with a two-run single. Valle added another run in the fourth, but blew the game open with a four-run seventh inning.
"I know we didn't win today, but we gave them everything they wanted and more. We had opportunities. We got out of some big innings, but we just didn't take our chance when we needed to," Vaughan said.
Plato finishes the season at 26-5 and says good-bye to six seniors from this roster.
"They just continued the program's legacy. We have had a lot of tradition and they continued that tradition," Vaughan said.
Next season the Eagles return a young group that includes seven freshmen from this roster and two juniors. That junior group includes No. 1 pitcher Wiley Miller who started the semifinal game.
"Maybe some of the younger kids get a taste of it and maybe will work harder and we will get a chance to be back here in the next couple years," Vaughan said.
Plato finish in third place in Class 2 due to the game being cancelled because of weather.
