West Platte falls to Valle Catholic in Missouri Class 2 baseball semifinals

West Platte junior McKaulley Stephenson stepped onto the mound at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo., Wednesday as the bonafide ace of the Blue Jays’ staff and the owner of a 0.48 earned run average.

In a Missouri Class 2 semifinal, that number took an uncharacteristic hit. Valle Catholic, the defending state champion, was the responsible party.

Valle Catholic dealt West Platte its first loss in a month, an 11-1 rout in six innings. Valle Catholic will play today for its second straight Class 2 title.

After losing for the first time since May 4, West Platte, 19-6, is set to play Norwood in the third-place game at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

“We ran into a hitting machine (Wednesday),” West Platte coach Tanner Lawson said. “Top to bottom, they had a good approach. They didn’t have a weak spot. It’s tough when it seems like everything you’re throwing at them isn’t working.”

Valle Catholic pitcher Dan Bergtholdt silenced West Platte’s offense and even flirted with a no-hitter for five innings.

West Platte left fielder Ben Heili had the Blue Jays’ lone hit of the game, which he produced in the sixth inning. Bergtholdt struck out 14 and walked two.

“He didn’t miss too many spots,” Lawson said. “He kept us off balance. He really pitched a gem.”

The offense for Valle Catholic, 29-5, was equally as productive as its pitching. It pounced on Stephenson for two runs in the first before adding three in the third, two in the fourth and four in the sixth that forced the mercy rule.

In only his second loss of the season, Stephenson struck out seven. Three of the 11 runs he allowed were unearned.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 7:42 PM with the headline "West Platte falls to Valle Catholic in Missouri Class 2 baseball semifinals."