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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights tore the cover off of the ball in Tuesday night’s doubleheader sweep over United Kansas Conference foe Lansing at Lake Shawnee.
Heights couldn’t have dreamt of a much better offensive night. scoring 30 runs with a pair of home runs and nine extra-base hits.
“We had an answer for every time (Lansing) scored,” Shawnee Heights coach Tara Griffith said. “I still think we have some room to improve. It took us a little while to adjust to the different speed from (Lansing) pitchers.
“Overall I thought we had a pretty good day.”
A 16-6 T-Bird victory in the first game was followed by a 14-3 decision in the second game, with both contests ending by way of the 10-run spread rule.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Ally Adams-Millard had a big day at the plate in the T-Birds' doubleheader UKC sweep over Lansing, including a home run. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Olivia Morgan makes a catch in Tuesday's UKC softball sweep over Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
In the first game, the final T-Bird run came home off of a Lansing wild pitch. In Game 2 sophomore Karlyn Bowman smoked a two-run home run, walking it off for Heights.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Luxanna Sands got Topeka High off to a great start and an even better ending Tuesday at Hayden.
Sands, a senior, scored both Topeka High goals, lifting the Trojans to a 2-1 overtime Centennial League victory over the Wildcats.
Hayden senior Kate Roeder (middle) advances the ball as Topeka High senior Luxanna Sands (left) and sophomore Ronnie Blancas defend. Sands scored both Trojan goals in a 2-1 overtime win over the Wildcats. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden senior CC Hammes (8) moves the ball upfield against Topeka High freshman Alexa Aguirre Tuesday at Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sands, a returning All-Shawnee County midfielder, scored High's first goal in the first five minutes of the contest off an assist from Cierra Carranza and then broke a 1-1 tie with her second goal of the day 4:34 into the first overtime period.
"She has been a good scorer for us since she stepped on campus four years ago,'' Topeka High coach Derek Snook said of Sands. "She leads to a lot of our attack for sure.''
Sands' early goal gave Topeka High a 1-0 lead that stood up until the 16:44 mark of the second half when Hayden sophomore defender Lauren Sandstrom put a long-range shot in the goal.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Area Football Coaches Association will host its annual Junior Day Combine next Tuesday, May 3, at Shawnee Heights for football players who will be seniors in the 2022 season.
The TAFCA, along with Rebound Sports Performance, will offer a chance for players interested in playing at the collegiate level to test their ability in a combine setting.
There will be representatives from NCAA Division II, NAIA and junior college programs in Kansas and the Midwest area at the combine and prospect information and combine results will be available to every college that recruits the Topeka area.
Seventy-four prep players, most from the class of 2022, participated in last year's combine while representives from 18 area college programs were in attendance.
The combine will be conducted from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and players need to bring running shoes, cleats and water.
The annual Topeka Area Football Coaches Association Junior Day Combine will be held next Tuesday, May 3, at Shawnee Heights. [File photo/TSN]
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
No. 4-ranked Shawnee Heights' late first-half surge was all the T-Birds needed to take down No-10-ranked Seaman in Monday's 3-1 road victory.
Shawnee Heights continued to be dominant on the defensive end, with Seaman’s goal against the T-Birds one of only two goals that they have allowed in the entire season.
Shawnee Heights' Isabell Van Fleet (white) advances the ball against Seaman's Kinley Wilhelm in Monday's 3-1 Heights soccer victory. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Shawnee Heights' Makenna Lunsford (white) attempts a free kick guarded by Seaman's (left to right) Stella Appelhanz, Carstyn Anderson and Kinley Wilhelm. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
“Having the defensive solidity is a big reason why we’ve been able to be successful,” Shawnee Heights coach Kellen Griffin said. “We’ve got to keep our defense going and communicating well. I thought we communicated on the field great tonight.
“When we communicate like we did, knowing our assignments and where the ball is will be much easier for us to win games.”
The T-Birds' defense was led by senior goalkeeper Tatum Hoge.
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By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Twenty-six times Washburn softball has played at Gahnstrom Field this season and 26 times the Ichabods have won.
A 2-0, 3-2 sweep over No. 8 Rogers State Monday afternoon completed that accomplishment and moved the team's overall win streak to 20 games.
Washburn senior Ashton Friend (20) celebrates her walkoff home run with teammate Jaden LaBarge in Monday's 2-0 Game 1 win over No. 8 Rogers State. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
Washburn mobs teammate Ashton Friend at home plate after her game-winning home run Monday against No. 8 Rogers State. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/The Washburn Review]
Monday's wins moved the Ichabods to 40-11 on the year, the most wins for the program since the 2002 season where they won 48 games.
“Really just so proud of our kids,'' Washburn coach Brenda Holaday said. "I mean, you are talking about the No. 8 team in the nation. I thought our kids were fighters … we capitalized when we needed to and then our pitching and defense was really good.”
All five runs came on just two home run swings, the first two from Ashton Friend to walk-off Game 1 and the final three by Autymn Schreiner to come from behind in the second game.
“This is unreal, I mean, this is probably the greatest win that I have experienced here at Washburn,'' Friend said. "Just to be a part of it is amazing.''.
“Just hearing it is surprising but I don’t doubt it because we worked so hard every single day for this and there is nobody more deserving,” Friend added about the 20-game win streak.
Two top-10 wins hope to provide a boost to the team's No. 7 Central Regional and No. 32 NFCA Coaches Poll rankings from the week before.
“Every kid's goal at the Division II level is to get into the postseason and so anything we can do to help our cause is important,” Holaday said. “Last year at this time we couldn’t even think about that, we weren’t in that position. We’re at least in that position but there is still a lot of work to do.”
The sweep momentarily puts Washburn atop the MIAA standings over Central Oklahoma who has two more games left to play than the Ichabods.
Game 1 was a pitcher's duel between former Shawnee Heights star Jaycee Ginter, who leads Division II with 26 wins, and Andrea Morales, who boasted a 1.09 ERA entering the day for the Hillcats.
The game lived up to expectations, with both teams combining for just one hit over the first five innings.
“Morales for Rogers State is an All-American for a reason, she is so good and I think this is the first time we have beat her,” Holaday said.
Rogers State picked up its first hit in the sixth inning with a one-out double, but Ginter was able to force two fly balls to keep the game scoreless.
Ginter cruised through the top of the seventh and led off the bottom of the inning with an infield single.
It was followed up by an 0-2 home run from Friend that bounced on and over the wall in center field to walk-off the 2-0 victory.
“Honestly it was going to be all or nothing up there. I made solid contact and as I was running down first base I was just hoping it would go and then once it went too many emotions rushed through me and it was just great, it was awesome,” Friend said.
Even after the wild win, Holaday was pleased with the discipline of the team to stay under control and focus for the second game.
“The funny thing is I still worry about that but I really don’t have to anymore,” Holaday said. “They did a really good job on their own switching gears and getting ready for the second game so the credit is to them, not me.”
Game 2 started in a similar fashion, with Raegen Hamm in the circle for the Ichabods.
