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Created: 14 April 2021

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Topeka High star junior pitcher NiJaree Canady feels like there's still "room for improvement'' for herself and the Trojans' softball team.  .

Given the Trojans' impressive performance Tuesday in a 5-0, 10-0 doubleader road sweep over fellow Class 6A power Washburn Rural, that's a scary thought.

"There's always room for improvement," Canady said after turning in a pair of complete-game pitching performances against . "I felt good out there and coming here and getting a win is always good.

"We knew coming here it would be good games and we had some good practices yesterday. It gives us a lot of confidence."

Topeka High junior NiJaree Canady gave up just five hits while striking out 28 in Tuesday's 5-0, 10-0 doubleheader sweep at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]

Canady gave up two straight hits to Rural junior Campbell Bagshaw and senior Olivia Bruno open the first game, but was in command the rest of the day, twirling a three-hitter with 17 strikeouts in the first game and following that up with a two-hit, 11-strikeout performance in the second game as Topeka High improved to 10-0 on the season.

And as good as Canady was on the mound, the Trojans were just as good at the plate, piling up 24 hits and a whopping six home runs on the day.

"We got production from everybody today," Topeka High coach Shane Miles said. "Everybody got bunts down, we got situational stuff, we got big hits."

Trojan star senior catcher Zoe Caryl connected on home runs in both games while junior Elycia Joyce hit her first two home runs of the season, including a huge three-run shot in a four-run third inning that broke open the first game.

"I was feeling good and I had a 3-1 count so I thought (Bruno) throw me right down the middle and she did," Joyce said. "I was looking for it and I took it.

"Seeing these people like Zoe leading us with six home runs this season, I want to do that. I want to get as many home runs as I can."

Joyce added a two-run homer in the second game as Topeka High also got round-trippers from Caryl, Canady and senior Tatum Wilson in a six-run sixth that enabled the Trojans to end the game after six innings because of the 10-run spread.

Washburn Rural junior Campbell Bagshaw opens the Junior Blues' first at-bat Tuesday against Topeka High with a long single. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN}

Washburn Rural, playing just its second doubleheader of the season, never got untracked against Topeka High, with the 2-2 Junior Blues managing just four singles and Baylee Dial's first-game double in the twinbill.

FIRST GAME

TOPEKA HIGH 5, WASHBURN RURAL 0

Topeka High 004 010 0 -- 5 8 0

Washburn Rural 000 000 0 -- 0 3 0

Canady and Zoe Caryl. Bruno and Louderback. WP -- Canady. LP -- Bruno. 2B -- Topeka High: Zoe Caryl, Canady, Washburn Rural: Dial. HR -- Topeka High: Joyce, Zoe Caryl.

SECOND GAME

TOPEKA HIGH 10, WASHBURN RURAL 0

Topeka High (10-0, 8-0) 000 406 x -- 10 16 4

Washburn Rural (2-2, 2-2) 000 000 x -- 0 2 2

Canady and Zoe Caryl. Cope, Bruno (6) and Louderback. WP -- Canady. LP -- Cope. 2B -- Topeka High: Adysen Caryl. 3B — Topeka High: Wilson. HR -- Topeka High: Z. Caryl, Canady, Joyce, Wilson.

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Created: 12 April 2021

Washburn Rural junior Emma Krueger (left) battles Seaman freshman Marin Schuler for the ball in Tuesday's 3-0 Junior Blues win over the Vikings. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural didn't have much time to dwell on Monday's heartbreaking road loss to three-time defending Class 6A state girls soccer champion Blue Valley West, with the Junior Blues returning to action 24 hours later.

That turned out to a good thing, with Rural bouncing back with a 3-0 Centennial League victory over Seaman Tuesday night at McElroy Field, improving to 6-2-1 on the season. 

"It was probably wasn't real smart with our schedule to play Blue Valley West on a Monday and then come and play a Seaman team that always plays really hard,'' Washburn Rural coach Brian Hensyel said. "That's a tough back to back, but at the end of the year and you get to the playoffs, if you're lucky enough to be one of the last four teams, you do that then, so it's not bad practice for us.''

Washburn Rural, the state runner-up to the Jaguars in the 2018 and '19 state championship games, had Blue Valley West down 2-1 in the closing stages of Monday's game, but West scored twice over the final three minutes to stun the Junior Blues, 3-2.

"We had them and let them off the hook,'' Hensyel said.

Obviously, Rural was still stinging from that defeat, but after a scoreless first half against the 2-2-1 Vikings, the Junior Blues dominated the second half to remain undefeated in league play.

"We had a lot of girls play a lot of minutes last night and it was a really hard, tough, physical game,'' Hensyel said. "Obviously mentally it was tough, too, to flip that switch and come back and play against a team that was really ready to compete today, but I loved the second half.

"We kind of needed the halftime to maybe kind of re-energize and then the second half we controlled the game.''

Washburn Rural got the only goal it would need about 12 minutes into the second half on a shot from senior Joy Ngibuini and the Junior Blues got insurance goals from junior Emma Krueger with 10:55 remaining and from junior Belle Kennedy with just 1:04 left.

Senior Brynn Fitzgibbons and junior Hunter McWilliams were credited with assists while sophomore Hailey Beck picked up the shutout in goal for the Junior Blues.

Seaman will be back in action Wednesday, hosting St. James Academy in a 6:15 p.m. non-league game while Washburn Rural will travel to Bishop Carroll Friday for a 6:30 p.m. non-league contest.

WASHBURN RURAL 3, SEAMAN 0

Seaman (2-2-1) 0 0 -- 0

Washburn Rural (6-2-1) 0 3 -- 3

Washburn Rural -- Goals: Joy Ngibuini, Emma Krueger, Belle Kennedy. Assists: Brynn Fitzgibbons, Hunter McWilliams. Shutout: Hailey Beck.  

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Created: 12 April 2021

Topeka West senior Marque Wilkerson (2) finished the 2020-21 season as the city scoring champion with a 17.1 average. [File photo by Rex Wolf/TWN]

NOTE: Statistics for city Centennial League and United Kansas Conference boys basketball teams were compiled by Seaman girls coach Matt Tinsley, with assistance from Seaman junior Jackson Stuewe.

SCORING

Name, school                    Gms.  Pts.  Avg

Wilkerson, Topeka West        24     410   17.1

Smith, Topeka High               20     340   17.0

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Details

Created: 12 April 2021

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

NiJaree Canady

NiJAREE CANADY, Topeka High

A junior, Canady picked up the pitching wins in both ends of Friday's 6-3, 10-1 doubleheader softball sweep over Seaman, throwing a four-hitter and striking out 13 in the opener and combining with sophomore Quincy Smith for a four-hitter in the second game. Canady pitched the first five innings in the second game, allowing four hits and a run while striking out seven.

Zoe Caryl

ZOE CARYL, Topeka High

Caryl, a senior catcher, had another big day at the plate for 8-0 Topeka High last Friday, going 4 of 5 with three home runs, a triple and seven runs batted in as the Trojans took a 6-3, 10-1 doubleheader sweep over Centennial League rival Seaman. Caryl, an Illinois signee, had a triple and a two-run homer in the opener against the Vikings and hit two-run and three-run homers in the nightcap.

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