By NICHOLAS GAINEY
Special to TopSports.news
Runs came in bunches for the Topeka High softball team on Friday evening, as the Trojans swept city rival Topeka West by 10-4 and 12-2 scores in a doubleheader at Hummer Sports Park.
London Backman turned in a big day at the plate as Topeka High softball swept city rival Topeka West 10-4 and 12-2 Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [File photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
After a scoreless first inning in Game 1, the Trojans got on the board first in the top of the second, with Campbell Dawson’s leadoff single resulting in a sacrifice fly to center field by Taimane Isaia.
West answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning after Callie Jones came around to score on a Trojan error after opening the inning with a walk and a stolen base.
The Chargers took their first lead of the evening in the bottom of the third inning.
After the first two batters went down on strikes, catcher Addaline Hall kept the inning alive with a double to left field. Jones gave the Chargers their second consecutive extra-base hit in the form of a triple to right field, scoring Hall and giving the hosts a 2-1 lead.
T-High found its first big inning of the day in the top of the fourth, pushing across four runs to take a lead it would not relinquish.
The Trojans’ London Backman hit a hard line drive that hit directly off the left leg of Charger starting pitcher Ahlexis TenEyck, scoring pinch runner Masyn Chard.
Despite staying in the game, TenEyck was not rewarded for her toughness, as two more runs came around to score on an error and a fourth crossed the plate on an RBI single by Dawson, putting the Trojans up 5-2 entering the bottom of the fourth.
West cut the deficit to two in their half of the fourth with an RBI single to left field by Breonnah Keeling. T-High tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a wild pitch and a groundout, and added three more in the sixth, courtesy of RBI singles by Backman and Madilyn Poole.
The Chargers scored one final run in the bottom of the sixth to make the score 10-4, but couldn’t mount a late rally.
The Trojans rattled off 13 hits in the contest, with Backman tallying four hits in five at-bats with two runs driven in.
Poole and Adrianna Adame also drove in two runs each for T-High.
Campbell Dawson went the distance for the pitching win in Topeka High's 10-4 first-game win over city rival Topeka West Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [File photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Dawson went the distance in the circle for the Trojans, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out eight batters.
Hall went 3 for 4 to lead the Chargers in the loss, while Keeling drove in a pair of runs.
In Game 2, the Trojans opened with an offensive onslaught, putting up 10 runs in the top of the first inning.
After the Chargers recorded the first out of the game, eight consecutive Trojans reached base.
Cleanup hitter Kenslee Young drove in a run with a single to center field, and two more Trojans crossed home plate when Dawson reached on an error.
Becca Gateley tacked on another run with an RBI single to make the score 4-0, with T-High adding three more runs on a trio of Charger errors.
In her second at-bat of the inning, Jo’Mhara Benning drove in two more runs with a double to the wall in left-center field.
Young capped off the offensive explosion with her second hit of the inning, a single to right field that brought home Chard and gave the Trojans a 10-0 lead after a half-inning of play.
After Benning shut down the Chargers from the circle in the bottom half of the inning, T-High put up two more runs in the top of the second.
Following a leadoff walk and stolen base by Gateley, junior varsity call-up Remi Cushinberry singled to left to make it an 11-0 game.
Cushinberry came around to score on a triple to right field by Backman, but the Chargers limited the damage by throwing out Backman at the plate to prevent an inside-the-park home run.
Topeka West got on the board in the bottom of the third with a two-out, two-RBI double from Isabella Kutina to bring the game to its final score.
T-High recorded eight hits in the nightcap, with Young turning in a 3 for 4 effort with two RBIs.
Topeka High senior Jo'Mhara Benning picked up the pitching victory and had two RBI in Topeka High's 12-2 second-game win over city rival Topeka West Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [File photo by Kyle Manthe/Special to TSN]
Benning and Cushinberry also drove in two runs each for the Trojans, while Benning earned the win in the circle with four innings pitched and five strikeouts.
After a slow start in the first game, Topeka High coach Shane Miles was pleased with the way his team changed their approach at the plate to produce runs in a variety of ways.
“(Later in the game) we got more quality at bats,” Miles said. “We started putting the ball in play on the ground instead of in the air. We put some bunts down and created some havoc.”
T-High closes the regular season with a stretch of games that includes several teams with losing records.
Miles hopes to take a long winning streak into postseason play, giving the Trojans a chance to host a regional.
“At the beginning of the year we divided our season into three seasons: a first part, a middle part, and this is the last part,” Miles said. “We have 10 games in this last season, and we’d like to be 10-0 going into regionals and have a shot to host.”
Even though the Trojans will be favored in many of their upcoming games, Miles wants his team to stay alert.
“Anybody can beat anybody on any given day,” Miles said. “If you look at the scores, there’s some wild games. You just never know what is going to happen, and the girls have to show up.”
Topeka High will travel to Leavenworth on Monday before a Centennial League showdown with Emporia on Tuesday. Topeka West returns to UKC play with a visit to Shawnee Heights on Tuesday.
GAME 1
TOPEKA HIGH 10, TOPEKA WEST 4
Topeka High 010 423 0 – 10 13 5
Topeka West 011 101 0 – 4 7 3
Dawson. TenEyck and White. W -- Dawson. L -- TenEyck. 2B -- Topeka West: Hall. 3B -- Topeka West: Jones.
GAME 2
TOPEKA HIGH 12, TOPEKA WEST 2
Topeka High (11-7) (10)20 00 – 12 8 2
Topeka West (8-10) 002 00 – 2 4 4
Benning and Young. White and TenEyck. W -- Benning. L -- White. 2B -- Topeka High: Benning. Topeka West: Kutina. 3B -- Topeka High: Backman, Lo.
