By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The goal for city softball powers Seaman and Washburn Rural is to sweep every doubleheader they play.
But Viking coach Dan Ruda and Junior Blues coach Joy Marie Galliart both found aspects of their team's performance to feel good about after Tuesday's twinbill split at Washburn Rural.
Olivia Koch launches a first-inning home run in Washburn Rural's second-game softball win over Seaman. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Olivia Koch is congratulated by her teammates after a first-inning home run in Washburn Rural's second-game win over Seaman. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Seaman (17-5) took the opener 7-5 after jumping out to a 6-0 lead and holding off the Junior Blues late, while Rural (14-7) followed its Senior Day festivities with a 3-2 win in the nightcap.
Ruda said that facing a quality program like Washburn Rural should help get the Vikings ready for their stretch run.
"We want our kids to see the best pitching they can see and play the best competition they can play so when we get to the postseason nothing's going to surprise them, hopefully,'' Ruda said. "I like the way we're playing.''
"Washburn Rural's a good program and they played clean softball in that second game and we just couldn't get a big hit there. I told our girls it seemed like they had four girls in the outfield. That center-fielder (Layla Collins) was all over. She did a great job, she was fantastic tonight, and they did a good job keeping us off-balance with their pitching.''
Galliart, meanwhile, was happy with how her team bounced back after a disappointing start in the first game.
"I definitely feel like there are some things that had we done more efficiently in the first game and not put ourselves in a six-run deficit in the first two innings then we're not feeling so much pressure the entire game and then the outcome might have been a little bit different, but Seaman is a good program and they came out ready to play the first game and I don't feel like we did,'' Galliart said.
"Of course I would have loved to have had a sweep, but we lost to a good team and a good program and we rebounded and took care of things in the second game and a split is better than getting swept.''
The Vikings jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the first game and made it a 6-0 game with four runs in the top of the second.
Seaman sophomore Acey Thompson doubled and scored in the first inning of the Vikings' 7-5 first-game softball win over Washburn Rural Tuesday. [File photo/TSN[
Right-fielder Acey Thompson led off the game with a double and came around to score while catcher Raegan McConnell walked and scored in the Seaman first.
Seaman junior Aubrey Warren had a home run and a double in the Vikings' twinbill split with Washburn Rural. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman scored four runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batter in the second, including an Aubrey Warren double.
The Vikings only managed a single run in the fifth the rest of the way, but Seaman's pitching tandem of Kaelyn O'Rourke and Lydia Dreher were able to survive Rural's late threats for the win.
Olivia Koch tripled and scored for the Junior Blues while Reagan Chapman doubled and scored.
Koch homered for Rural to lead off the bottom of the first in the second game and Avery Rupp doubled and scored in the second inning before Chapman tripled in Josie Carlgren in the third for the Junior Blues final run.
Warren homered in the top of the first for Seaman and Avery Phelps singled and scored in the fourth, but Chapman came on to pitch in the fourth and blanked the Vikings over the final three innings.
GAME 1
SEAMAN 7, WASHBURN RURAL 5
Seaman 240 010 0 — 7 9 0
Washburn Rural 002 101 1 — 5 8 1
O'Rourke, Dreher (4) and McConnell. Davison, Keys (2) and Rapp. W -- Dreher. L -- Davison. 2B -- Seaman: Thompson, Warren. Washburn Rural: Chapman. 3B -- Washburn Rural: Koch.
GAME 2
WASHBURN RURAL 3, SEAMAN 2
Seaman (17-5) 100 100 0 — 2 4 1
Washburn Rural (14-7) 111 000 x — 3 6 4
Koch, Chapman (4) and Rapp. Kitzman, Dreher and McConnell. W — Chapman. L — Kitzman. 2B -- Washburn Rural: Rupp. 3B -- Washburn Rural: Koch. HR -- Seaman: Warren. Washburn Rural: Koch.
