By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It's a given that teams always want to score more runs.
But with the way Washburn University's Sadie Walker and Jaycee Ginter are pitching, Ichabod coach Brenda Holaday also knows that it's probably not going to take a bushel full of runs to get the job done.
Washburn sophomore left-hander Sadie Walker threw her second no-hitter of the season Saturday in the Ichabods' 1-0 win over Missouri Western. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn senior Jaycee Ginter threw a three-hitter and struck out 12 for the second straight day in the Ichabods' 2-0 win over Missouri Western. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
No. 24-ranked Washburn scored just three runs in Saturday's MIAA doubleheader against Missouri Western, but those three runs were enough to push the Ichabods' winning streak to seven games with 1-0 and 2-0 wins at Gahnstrom Field.
"It's kind of who we are as a team,'' Holaday said. "We've got two really quality pitchers and we've got a good defense. We have hits up and down the lineup but we're having some struggles stringing them together.
"A lot of that's credit to who we're playing. They have good pitchers, too, but I was comfortable this weekend. I felt like our pitchers were really dominant and if we could scratch across a couple of runs we'd have a good chance to win. I was really proud of the way our kids played this weekend and the four wins were big for us.''
In the opener, Holton sophomore Walker tossed the first seven-inning complete-game no-hitter since 2021 when Ginter pitched a no-no against Fort Hays State. Walker struck out 10 and improved to 17-5 on the season while facing just one above the minimum batters in the win.
"Honestly I didn't realize it was a no-hitter until it was probably one out into the last inning,'' Walker said. "I had two more outs to go and I was like, 'Well, we'll see what happens.'
"Obviously I wanted to get the no-hitter but at the end of the day I just wanted to shut them down.''
Shawnee Heights product Ginter (14-5) followed Walker's dominating performance with one of her own, twirling a three-hitter while striking out 12 batters for the second straight day.
Walker and Ginter held the Griffons to an .067 batting average while combining for 22 strikeouts on the day.
Washburn swept Northwest Missouri on Friday before Saturday's sweep over the Griffons as Walker and Ginter recorded an 0.25 earned run average over the weekend while holding Northwest and Western to a .138 batting average and striking out 39 batters.
The Ichabods (30-10 overall, 11-5 MIAA) scored their lone run of the first game in the third inning when Erin Boles singled to right field and then moved to third when the ball skipped under the outfielder's glove.
Silver Lake junior Ellington Hogle's sac fly to center scored Boles for what would be the game-winning run.
Walker lowered her earned run average to 0.84 on the season and did not issue a walk.
Ginter moved to 14-5 on the season in the second game, scattering three hits with one walk while lowering her ERA to 2.08.
Washburn broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with its only two runs of the game.
Mariah Wheeler doubled to start the inning. Gracie Gallagher entered as a pinch-runner, moving to third on a sacrifice bunt.
Catcher Madi Moore's single down the right-field line brought Gallagher around to score.
Zoe Quinn came in as a pinch-runner for Moore and would score on a Boles single to right for the second and final run of the day.
From that point on, Ginter struck out six more Griffons (20-12, 6-6 MIAA).
Moore led the Ichabods' eight-hit attack with two hits.
Washburn will return to action next weekend on the road facing Nebraska-Kearney on April 5 and Fort Hays State the following day.
FIRST GAME
WASHBURN 1, MISSOURI WESTERN 0
Missouri Western 000 000 0 -- 0 0 2
Washburn 001 000 x -- 1 4 1
Raderand Preston. Walker and Moore. W -- Walker (17-5). L -- Rader (11-4).
SECOND GAME
WASHBURN 2, MISSOURI WESTERN 0
Missouri Western (20-12, 6-6) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2
Washburn (30-10, 11-5) 000 200 x -- 2 8 0
Kissinger, Pruetting (5) and Preston. Ginter and Moore. W -- Ginter (14-5). L -- Kissinger (0-3). 2B -- Washburn: Wheeler.
