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Silver Lake christens new baseball, softball fields against War on 24 rival Rossville
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Silver Lake USD 372 christened new fields for baseball and softball Monday with a ribbon cutting followed by simultaneous doubleheaders with rival Rossville.
Silver Lake USD 372 school board president Jason Seele (second from left) cuts the ribbon dedicating Silver Lake's new baseball and softball complex Tuesday in Silver Lake. [Photo by Todd Fertig/TSN]
The Eagles swept the softball set, highlighted by senior pitcher Kendra Cook’s no-hitter. The baseball teams split their twin bill.
The fields are the latest result of a 2023 $16. million bond issue that is also producing new throwing facilities for track and field and a new weight room as well as a number of other projects within the district.
School children and members of the community – including former players and coaches – were on hand to witness the beginning of a new chapter for Silver Lake baseball and softball.
“Silver Lake has a long and storied tradition of excellence in softball and baseball,” school board president Jason Seele said during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Our programs have built a legacy of hard work, discipline and success, earning championships, developing outstanding student-athletes and instilling values that last far beyond the playing field. This new facility is not just a place to play. It is a testament to that legacy and a promise to that future.”
Situated between the adjoining fields, which lie to the east of the grade school building, are restrooms and a concession stand. The complex – which cost about $4.5 million – was constructed by Meriden-based Mammoth Sports Construction, which installed the Silver Lake turf football field in 2021.
Seele said a committee of about 30 people, including current and former coaches, worked to gather information and help Mammoth design the facility. Design of the complex began in February of 2024. Mammoth broke ground on the fields in April and completed construction in December of last year.
“They had a vision for what they wanted this to look like and they were there every step of the way to bring this to life,” said Connor Harris, Director of Project Management for Mammoth. “I think they’re going to love it. I can’t wait to see what they do to continue the rich traditions that they have with this new facility.”
Throwing out ceremonial first pitches on the softball field were former player and coach Kathy Mohler Harrington and former player Megan Deiter. First pitches on the baseball field were thrown by former player and coach Alan Cunningham and Samuel Burton, representing relative Mike Burton and family.
Silver Lake senior pitcher Logan Cathcart notched a complete-game victory in Monday's 3-0 win over Rossville. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior shortstop and pitcher Logan Cathcart relishes the chance to play on the all-turf surface after spending three seasons on the school’s dirt field.
“This field is just a complete change and it's great,” Cathcart said. “We practiced hard and got in a lot of reps just to get used to (the dirt field) we had before, just to play the best baseball you can with what you’ve got. But it’s awesome to get perfect hops every time and the first baseman can really help you because he gets perfect hops to scoop.”
Cathcart spun a complete-game 3-0 shutout in the opener on the baseball field.
The second game was sent to extra innings when Rossville errors permitted Silver Lake to tie the score at 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Rossville junior Cameron Miller scored the go-ahead run in the Bulldawgs' second-game baseball win over Silver Lake Monday in Silver Lake. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But Rossville junior Cameron Miller picked up the visitors when he reached base on a hit-by-pitch and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the 10th inning.
Washburn softball dominates Jets in MIAA doubleheader sweep
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University softball pounded out 25 hits and scored 15 runs in a doubleheader sweep over Newman on Monday afternoon, wrapping up an eight-game homestand.
The Ichabods, 27-16 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA, did not allow a run on the day, taking the first game 8-0 before completing the sweep with a 7-0 win.
Washburn's Alexis Tanguma pitched a three-hit shutout in Monday's 8-0 first-game win over Newman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
WU coach Brenda Holaday, whose Ichabods pushed their winning streak to three games, said Monday was a good way to cap their homestand.
"We're right in that grind part of the season and every game matters right now,'' Holaday said. "If you look at the MIAA standings people are beating each other up every weekend so it was good to have a day where things weren't so intense.
"But part of that was us taking care of business. We pitched better, we defended better and we hit the ball so when you do that good things happen.''
Washburn will be on the road this weekend with MIAA contests at Missouri Western on Friday and at Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
After a scoreless first inning in Monday's opener, the Ichabods scored three runs in the bottom of the second, capped by Dalaney Anderson's first collegiate home run, a three-run shot that scored Kate Ediger and Danielle Schlader.
In the third, the Ichabods added three more runs on another 3-run homer, this time by Jaden LaBarge that scored Erin Boles and Ashlyn Gaughan.
Washburn's final runs of the run-rule game came in the following inning when Boles connected on a two-out double, sending Ellington Hogle and Makenzie Sais, who both reached on singles.
Alexis Tanguma picked up the pitching win in the opener over the Jets (6-32, 1-13), tossing all five innings while allowing just three hits.
Washburn finished with nine hits, with Hogle, Sais, Boles and LaBarge all recording two hits apiece.
As in the first game, the Ichabods jumped on the board in the bottom of the second inning of the nightcap when LaBarge homered in her third straight game with a shot down the left-field line.
Mariah Wheeler followed with a double, and then with two outs, Hogle doubled to left, scoring Ediger as Washburn went up 2-0.
Washburn plated a solo run in the fourth when Wagner's sac fly scored Hogle, who started the inning with a single.
The Ichabods added three more runs in the fifth inning when Hogle's hit to center was misplayed, scoring both Maddie McGee and Ediger.
Kate Dolan then recorded a pinch-hit double to score Hogle as Washburn went up 7-0.
Washburn's Sadie Walker picked up her 13th win in Monday's 7-0 MIAA win over Newman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sadie Walker moved to 13-6 in the circle, pitching four innings and allowing one hit.
Washburn softball earns MIAA split in marathon slugfest with Jennies
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods and Central Missouri Jennies combined for 40 runs and 47 hits in nearly six hours of softball action Sunday at Gahnstrom Field as the two teams split an MIAA doubleheader.
Central Missouri came from behind 3-0, 5-2 and 7-5 to win Game 1 10-8 before the Ichabods rallied from an early 4-0 deficit and held on late to take the nightcap, 12-10.
Junior Sadie Walker picked up her 12th pitching win of the season in Sunday's 12-10 Washburn win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sunday was somewhat of an up and down day for Washburn at the plate, in the pitcher's circle and defensively, but after dropping its previous twinbill against Nebraska-Kearney and letting Sunday's opener slip away, Ichabod coach Brenda Holaday said it was important to find a way to get the second-game win over the Jennies.
"We lost the last two last weekend and that left a pretty sour taste in our mouth,'' Holaday said. "I think we felt like those were games we should have had and today we had every opportunity to win that first game and our pitching just really let us down and our defense at times.
"We scored enough runs to wins and about let it happen again the second game, so it was big for us to walk away wih a win because we needed to change the course a little bit.''
In the opener, Washburn (25-16 overall, 7-7 MIAA) saw its first three batters reach base as Ellington Hogle singled and Makenzie Sais walked before Alexis Tanguma blasted a three-run homer to left field, staking the Ichabods to an early 3-0 lead.
UCM came back with two runs in the top of the second cutting the lead to 3-2 but WU scored twice in the bottom of the inning to go up 5-2.
The Jennies fought back to tie the game 5-5 in the top of the sixth, but in the bottom half of the sixth the Ichabods recorded their first hit since the first inning, scoring two runs on a two-out, two-strike double from Erin Boles that scored both Sais and Gracie Gallagher.
UCM came back with two runs to tie the score in the top of the seventh, sending the game to extra innings.
In the eighth, Morgan Shields connected on a 3-run homer, putting the Jennies up 10-7.
Washburn was able to get runners to second and third with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, scoring one to cut the final margin to two, but would get no closer.
Tanguma and Boles each drove in three runs for the Ichabods and Sais scored four times and walked four times in the game, tying a school record for the most walks in a game.
