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Seaman junior pitcher Skylar Duncan threw a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts in an 11-0 softball win over Topeka West Thursday. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman rode a pair of dominating pitching performances to an 11-0, 10-0 Centennial League softball sweep over Topeka West Thursday at Optimist Field.
Viking junior Skylar Duncan turned in a one-hit, 11-strikeout performance in the first game while sophomore Aspen Burgardt followed that up with a 3-hitter in the nightcap as Seaman improved to 4-2 on the season.
Senior Raigan Kramer and junior Emma Smith both doubled twice in the first game while seniors Callee Dempewolf and MaKenna Dechand doubled in the second game.
Seaman junior Emma Smith (6) had a pair of doubles in the Vikings' 11-0 first-game win over Topeka West Thursday. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman jumped on top with two runs in the bottom of the first in the first game and added three runs in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth to end the game after four and a half innings due to the 10-run spread rule.
The Vikings scored twice in the first and once in the second to take an early 3-0 lead in the second game and added a run in the fifth before ending the game with a six-run sixth.
Topeka West fell to 1-8 on the season, 1-6 in the league.
FIRST GAME
SEAMAN 11, TOPEKA WEST 0
Topeka West 000 00 -- 0 1 2
Seaman 232 4x -- 11 14 0
Dice, Thompson (3) and Bell. Duncan and Gockel. WP -- Duncan. LP -- Dice. 2B -- Seaman: Kramer 2, Smith 2.
SECOND GAME
Topeka West (1-8, 1-6) 000 000 -- 0 3 3
Seaman (4-2, 4-2) 210 016 -- 10 7 0
Thompson, Sims (4) and Bell. Burgardt and Addington. WP -- Burgardt. LP -- Thompson. 2B -- Seaman: Dempewolf, Dechand.
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Washburn celebrates a kill from Allison Maxwell during Friday's five-set loss to Northwest Missouri in the MIAA Spring Tournament. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University put itself in position to advance to the MIAA Spring Volleyball Tournament semifinals, but the Ichabods were unable to close things out Friday at Lee Arena, dropping a five-set heartbreaker to Northwest Missouri State .
After dropping a 25-20 first-set decision to the Bearcats, Washburn bounced back to take the next two sets, 26-24 and 28-26, and led 9-5, 12-8, 18-15 and 19-17 in the fourth set before Northwest took control down the stretch for a 25-22 victory.
That set up a fifth and final set and the Bearcats never trailed en route to a 15-12 victory that earned 13-2 Northwest a berth in an 11 a.m. semifinal Saturday against Central Missouri while Washburn finished its season 13-5.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
It hasn't really been five years since Washburn University played a football game. It just seems that way.
The Ichabods' last game was a 57-41 MIAA victory at Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 16, 2019, exactly 17 months as of Friday, before the entire 2020 season wiped out by COVID-19.
Washburn will finally get to line up against another team on Saturday in Golden, Colo., facing the Colorado School of Mines in a 1 p.m. controlled scrimmage.
And while it's not an official game, after more than 500 days of inactivity, the Ichabods are just as excited.
"It's definitely been a long time," Washburn junior defensive back Kevin Neal said. "(We're) 100% approaching it like it's a game. We've been working hard this whole spring, whole winter, two years -- five years it feels like -- so we're definitely treating it like it's a game."
Washburn coach Craig Schurig (left) looks on as the Ichabods go through place-kicking drills Thursday at Yager Stadium. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Since suffering an early-season loss to Centennial League foe Manhattan, Seaman is looking more and more like the program that has won nine Class 5A state championships and made 16 consecutive state appearances.
And Viking coach Trent Oliva said that defeat may have been good for team, which ran its win streak to to seven games with an 11-0, 18-0 league sweep over Topeka West Thursday at Hummer Sports Park, improving to 8-1 on the season.
"It may have gotten our attention a little bit more, it maybe helped us focus a little bit more,'' Oliva said of the Manhattan loss. "We did a good job responding that night, winning the second game of the night and then we've been able now to keep that ball rolling.''
![Seaman baseball coach Trent Oliva (center) talks to his team after the Vikings swept Topeka West Thursday night to improve to 8-1 and increase their win streak to seven games. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]](/images/aa-images/Seamanbaseballgroup.jpg)
Seaman baseball coach Trent Oliva (center) talks to his team after the Vikings swept Topeka West Thursday night to improve to 8-1 and increase their win streak to seven games. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
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Seaman's Gabby Grace won the 100-yard backstroke and the 100 freestyle in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural and Hayden rode their depth to a one-two team finish in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational swimming meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium, while Seaman and West combined for seven individual victories.
Washburn Rural's Ellie Armstrong won the one-meter diving event with a score of 208.50 points and the Junior Blues' Mara Bare, Aubrey Fritsch, Jeisscafaith Ndungu and Makenna Pritchard won the 200-yard free relay in 1 minute, 50.96 seconds, but it was depth that paved the way for a 473-392 team victory over Hayden, with Rural posting top-three finishes in eight of 12 events.
Makenna Pritchard anchored Washburn Rural's 200-yard freestyle relay to a win in the Topeka West Invitational and finished second in the 100 and 200 freestyle. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Hayden, meanwhile, did not post a win, but the Wildcats finished in the top three places in five events, including a second-place finish in diving by Tatum Trent and thirds from Audrey Kuta in the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly, Olivia Kerr in the 200 individual medley and the 400 freestyle relay team of Kuta, Kerr, Alexis Vu and Ainslee Oliver.
Seaman finished fourth as a team, but won a meet-high five events, including a pair of individual wins from both Avery Walz and Gabby Grace and a win from Tauren Walz.
Avery Walz won the 50 freestyle in (25.80) and the 100 breaststroke (1:09.04) while Grace won the 100 free (56.60) and the 100 backstroke (1:03.69) and Tauren Walz won the 200 individual medley (2:17.73).
Topeka West's Kadence Jeffries won the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle in Wednesday's Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka West's Kadence Jeffries was also a double-event winner, taking victories in the 200 free (1:59.07) and the 500 free (5:21.45).
Topeka High was led by Abigail Price's sixth-place finish in the 100 backstroke while Makayla Geil finished seventh in the 50 free and the team of Aubery Zimmerman, Price, Elaine Bunten and Geil finished seventh in the 400 free relay.
Alexis Vu helped Hayden post a third-place finish in the 400-yard free relay and a second-place team finish in the Topeka West Invitational. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
TOPEKA WEST INVITATIONAL
Team scores
