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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
MAGNOLIA, Ark. -- It was a long time coming, but Washburn University baseball is finally in the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament field.
Now the Ichabods just want to take advantage of that opportunity.
"I've had confidence in these guys all year,' and we've got a great team,'' Washburn senior standout Brett Ingram said. "I think the last couple of weeks we really got tested against some really really good teams. We took care of business against all the teams we knew we had to take care of and I think nobody's more deserving of this than us.''
Washburn's baseball team reacts to its first-ever selection to the NCAA Baseball Tournament during Sunday's selection show. The Ichabods open their tourney bid at 6 p.m. Thursday in Magnolia, Ark. against Southern Arkansas. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Washburn had to wait until late in Sunday night's selection show to see its name pop up on the screen, which was a relief to Ichabod coach Harley Douglas, whose team had narrowly missed the field in previous seasons.
"My first two years here and my last year playing we were right there,'' Douglas said. "We finished fifth (in the region) and they only took four and we finished seventh when they only took six and we finished ninth when they took eight. But I felt like we played ourselves into it (a national bid) over the last couple of weeks.''
Washburn will play its first-ever NCAA postseason game at 6 p.m. Thursday as the No. 7 seed in the Central Region tournament and will take on the host team, No. 2 seed and No. 8-ranked Southern Arkansas at Walker Stadium.
"I don't think our guys are really scared of anybody,'' Douglas said. "I think they really embrace the opportunity to compete with anybody in the country.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The defending Class 6A state softball champions have punched their ticket back to the big dance after Topeka High rolled through their competition at Wednesday's regional tournament at Hummer Sports Park.
Topeka High made it look easy with a clean sweep against Wichita East and Dodge City by a combined 30-0 score.
High defeated Wichita East 16-0 in its semifinal and would go on to rout Dodge City in the regional final, 14-0.
Topeka High freshman Jo'Mhara Benning delivers a pitch in Wednesday's Class 6A softball regional at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High senior NiJaree Canady had a big offensive day in Wednesday's Class 6A softball regional, knocking in nine runs. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
“Getting back to the state tournament was one of our goals,” Topeka High coach Shane Miles said. “We were able to do some damage tonight, which was good. I think we proved to ourselves that we play like we did today more often. I know our girls are playing well.
“I told our girls that we need to go 5-0. That’s all we need to do. Fight hard, play hard and win five games. We are 2-0 right now and all we need to do now is win the next three games. That is our goal and mindset right now. Win three games and we will achieve what every team wants to achieve, a state title.”
While the Trojans dominated their opponents in the regional sweep, they were also able to get a good look at two players who could step in at any time.
The freshmen duo of Jo’Mhara Benning and Montgomery Freel imposed their will in the circle on Wednesday night. Benning and Freel no-hit Wichita East in the first game and allowed just three total hits in the second contest. The duo also fanned 11 batters in a combined eight innings of work.
“The performance from both of them was great,” Miles said. “They are just freshmen. They are going to be great for this program for the next few years. Getting those two experience here where the stakes are the highest is only going to help them and this program. They still have some growing to do, but they looked good today.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With one swing of the bat Wednesday, Washburn Rural junior Kaci Bath made it a certainty that the Junior Blues were headed back to the Class 6A state softball tournament for the fourth straight season that the state tourney has been held.
Already in front 3-0 over Free State, Bath, the No. 9 hitter in Rural's lineup, blasted a grand slam over the left field fence in the third inning to give the Junior Blues a commanding 7-0 lead en route to an 8-0 victory over the Firebirds in the regional championship game at Gahnstrom Field.
Washburn Rural junior Kaci Bath launches a grand slam home run in the third inning of Wednesday's Class 6A regional championship game. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Kaci Bath's Washburn Rural teammates wait to congratulate her after her third-inning grand slam Wednesday at Gahnstrom Field. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
"I knew the bases were loaded and I knew that I had to put the bat on the ball,'' Bath said. "I was just trying to do that for my team and not really focus on anything personally or mentally, just put the bat on the ball and try to score runs.''
Free State edged Rural 1-0 in the 2019 state championship game and the Firebirds took a 2-0 win over the Junior Blues in the 2018 state semifinals.
"Free State's a good team and they have a good reputation and they were the hardest team we were going to have to face today so we really brought our 'A' game,'' Bath said. "I think everyone did.''
After Bath hit her third home run of the season and the first grand slam of her career, Rural senior Campbell Bagshaw followed with a round-tripper of her own and the 21-1 Junior Blues cruised the rest of the way as junior Emmerson Cope threw a five-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
After stranding runners at second and third in the bottom of the first Rural broke through for three runs in the second as senior Mikaila Herring delivered a three-run double.
After Trenna Whitmore got on base with a one-out single in the third, a Free State error and a walk loaded the bases for Bath, who promptly cleared the bases before Bagshaw gave the Junior Blues consecutive homers.
Free State had two baserunners in both the third and fifth innings but Cope got out of both innings without any damage.
"I think we played really well,'' Bath said. "I think we strung our hits together really well and I think we played together as a team and we kept our energy up.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West sophomore Myles Alonzo won the individual title in Monday's Class 5A golf regional at Lake Shawnee in a playoff. [File photo/TSN]
MYLES ALONZO, Topeka West
A sophomore, Alonzo captured the individual championship in Monday's Class 5A regional boys golf tournament at Lake Shawnee,earning an individual berth in the state tournament for the second straight season.
Alonzo carded a 76 to tie Shawnee Heights' Alex Valdivia for medalist honors and sank a 30-foot birdie putt on the first playof hole to take the win.
Topeka High multi-sport standout Tae Thomas scored a three-goal hat track in the Trojans' Senior Night game, leading the Trojans to a 7-1 Centennial League win over Emporia, and added a second straight hat trick in a 9-0 regional win over Wichita Heights. [File photo/TSN]
TAE THOMAS, Topeka High
Thomas, a senior three-sport standout for the Trojans, recorded a three-goal hat trick in Topeka High's 7-1 Centennial League Senior Night soccer romp past Emporia at Hummer Sports Park.
Thomas, a place-kicker in football and a standout guard in basketball, added a second straight hat trick on Wednesday in the Trojans' 9-0 Class 6A regional win over Wichita Heights, helping Topeka High improve to 12-5-0 on the season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman's baseball team continued its amazing state qualifying streak on Tuesday while also gaining a dose of revenge.
The Vikings topped Hays 5-0 in Tuesday's regional championship game at Optimist Field, qualifying for their 18th straight Class 5A state tournament while avenging a first-round loss to the Indians in the first round of the 2021 state tourney.
Seaman celebrates after earning its 18th straight regional baseball championship Tuesday at Optimist Field. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman junior Bryson Vawter threw six shutout innings in the Vikings' 5-0 win over Hays in Tuesday's Class 5A regional final. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman improved to 20-2 and ran its winning streak to 10 games while qualifying for next week's state tournament at Wichita's Eck Stadium.
