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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's softball wasn't scheduled to play its first home games of the season until later this week, but last Thursday's snowstorm moved up that timetable.
With Emporia State's field unplayable, the Hornets' tournament was moved to Washburn Sunday and Monday.
It took considerable work to get WU's field ready, but the result was just what Brenda Holaday's team was looking for, with the Ichabods jumpstarting their season with a pair of doubleheader sweeps.
After sweeping Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday, Washburn completed their 4-0 run with 7-2 and 7-6 victories over Quincy Monday at Gahnstrom Field.
"We started off (the season) kind of rough,'' Washburn coach Brenda Holaday said. "We were 3-6 coming into the weekend and 7-6 now with four games on our home field and there were some really good moments and there were some ugly moments, but when you go 4-0 on a weekend you're happy about that.
"Our players and our coaches worked their tails off to get this field ready. We hand-scooped the whole thing and their bodies were sore to start off with yesterday so I was really glad for them to get the wins and the payoff from that.''
As was the case on Sunday, former Shawnee Heights star Jaycee Ginter was the workhorse for Washburn against 0-7 Quincy, picking up the pitching wins in both ends of the doubleheader to give her all four wins in the two-day sweep.
Ginter turned in a complete-game seven-hitter in Monday's opener while recording a career-high 12 strikeouts and allowing just one earned run.
The sophomore standout moved to center field for the second game, but was called on in relief as the Ichabods' third pitcher and worked the final three innings, giving up three hits and striking out four to pick up the victory and improve to 6-1 on the season.
Ginter had to work out of a big jam in the top of the seventh of the second game, with the tying run on third base with no outs, but Ginter proceeded to strike out the side to end the game.
"I wasn't worried,'' Ginter said. "I felt in control. I trusted my defense, I trusted everybody else to do their own job.''
Holaday said she tries to be careful not to over-use her standout right-hander, but knows she can count on Ginter in any situation.
"It is interesting,'' Holaday said. "The conference and D-II sotball in general seems to have gone to bigger pitching staffs but not so long ago there was a lot of one pitcher carried everything for them and she has that kind of heart, she has good stuff and she doesn't give in. Just like that last inning. There's a lot of pitchers in that situation give up and you know she's never going to give up. She's a champion at heart and that's who she's been.
"Our big thing is protecting her from injury. You can over-throw them too much and she missed the first couple of weeks with an injury so she's still getting her stamina back, but if the game's on the line that's who you want on the mound.''
Ginter is happy to be back in action after missing time with a concussion suffered in a practice accident and said she's feeling like her old self
"I feel like last week I kind of struggled to start but this week and during practice this week, I'm back,'' Ginter said.
Ginter said there's no limit to how much she can pitch.
"It gets tiring but you've got to do what you've got to do to help the team,'' she said.
The Ichabods took control of Monday's first game with five runs in the borrom of the first.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (17-1, 13-1) at HIGHLAND PARK (15-3, 12-2)
Highland Park will be looking to pull even with Topeka West in the Centennial League race. Highland Park remained in the league hunt with a home 66-51 romp past Junction City last Friday while Topeka West maintained its one-game lead with an 81-33 win over Emporia. Junior Sincere Austin led Topeka West, which has won 16 straight games, with 20 points against Emporia while Elijah Brooks added 15 points and Xavier Alexander 12. Junior Tre Richardson scored 23 points for Highland Park against Junction City while junior Jahmir Kingcannon added 11 points with three 3-pointers. West took a 79-67 win over Highland Park in the first meeting between the two teams.
HAYDEN (5-13, 3-11) at EMPORIA (3-15, 2-12)
Hayden took a 66-57 Centennial League win over Topeka High last Friday while Emporia is coming off an 81-33 league loss at Topeka West. Senior Trent Duffey scored a career and game-high 32 points for the Wildcats against Topeka High while junior Joe Otting added 16 points. Hayden won two of three games last week, including a non-league win over Tonganoxie, with the Wildcats' lone loss a three-point overtime loss at Topeka West on Tuesday.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TOPEKA WEST (2-16, 2-11) at HIGHLAND PARK (3-15, 1-13)
Highland Park notched its first Centennial League victory of the season last Friday, taking a 45-37 home win over Junction City. Topeka West will be coming off a 60-19 league loss to state-ranked Emporia. Senior Aisya Taylor led Highland Park with 16 points against Junction City while senior Atiya Gonzales added 13 points and freshman Amelia Ramsey 10. Junior Azaryah Duncan scored a team-high eight points for Topeka West against Emporia.
HAYDEN (10-8, 7-7) at EMPORIA (14-4, 10-4)
State-ranked Emporia rolled to a 60-19 Centennial League win at Topeka West last Friday, while Hayden dropped a 63-54 decision to state-ranked Topeka High. Senior Carly Stuke scored a game-high 21 points for Hayden in its loss to Topeka High while senior Macy Smith added 15 points. Hayden won two of three games last week, including a non-league win over Tonganoxie and a league win over Topeka West.
SEAMAN (13-5, 11-4) at MANHATTAN (7-11, 6-8)
Seaman is coming off a huge week, knocking off No. 2 (Class 6A) Topeka High 50-42 last Tuesday in a Centennial League game and taking a 56-46 non-league win over No. 4 (Class 5A) Lansing on Friday. Sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer scored 19 points in both Seaman wins last week while Carstyn Anderson added 13 points and Anna Becker 12 in the Vikings' win over Lansing. Manhattan dropped a 54-17 league decision to Washburn Rural last Friday.
WASHBURN RURAL (16-2, 12-2) at JUNCTION CITY (2-16, 2-13)
Washburn Rural rolled to a 54-17 home Centennial League win over Manhattan last Friday while Junction City is coming offf a 45-37 league loss at Highland Park. Junior Brooklyn DeLeye paced Washburn Rural, ranked No. 3 in last week's Class 6A state rankings by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, against Manhattan with a game-high 17 points.
BISHOP MIEGE (16-2) at TOPEKA HIGH (17-1)
Two of the state's best teams meet for the second straight year in a non-league contest. Topeka High beat Hayden 63-54 last Friday night at Hayden while Bishop Miege is coming off a 52-39 win over defending Class 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas. Junior Kiki Smith paced Topeka High with 20 points against Hayden while senior Tae Thomas added 15 points and Faith Shields 11.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
ETHAN BURNS, Seaman
A junior, Burns bowled a 728 three-game series last Wednesday at West Ridge Lanes to win the Centennial League boys individual title by two pins over Washburn Rural's Josh Hammons and help the Vikings finish second as a team, just four pins behind Rural. Burns finished 13th in the 2021 Class 5A-1A state tournament with a 631 series as the Vikings placed third as a team.
KAITLYN DOYAL, Washburn Rural
Doyal, a senior, won the Centennial League girls individual bowling championship last Wednesday at West Ridge Lanes by a 32-pin margin with a three-game series of 668, leading the Junior Blues to a second-place team finish. Doyal finished seventh in the Class 6A state tournament as a junior, bowling a 631 series as Washburn Rural finished third as a team.
TRENT DUFFEY, Hayden
Duffey, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored 60 points in three games on the week as the Wildcats won two off the three. Duffey scored 19 points in Hayden's 58-35 non-league win over Tonganoxie last Monday, had nine points in Tuesday's 51-48 overtime Centennial League loss to No. 2-ranked (Class 5A) Topeka West and scored a career-high 32 points in Friday's 66-57 league win over Topeka High on Senior Night at Hayden.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman senior Rylee Murray received the outstanding wrestler award in the 2021 Centennial League girls wrestling tournament, probably the biggest highlight of her first season in the sport.
But even then Murray was in nearly constant pain from a condition that doctors still haven't been able to pinpoint more than a year later.
"I was very injured at that point and until I ended (the season) at sub-state, and then this year they still haven't figured it out,'' Murray said.
'"It's something with my muscles and ribs. I'm still taking all my medicine for pain and stuff and they're just trying to maintain it right now. I'm just going doctor to doctor trying to figure it out.''
Murray, who also plays softball for the Vikings, was left with a very important decision to make -- walk away or put up with the pain.
Murray chose to stay and fight.
"If I was younger I probably wouldn't because I don't think I would be able to make it two more years, but since it's my senior year I had to,'' she said. "My doctors told me, 'Not a good idea.' My parents told me, 'Not a good idea,' but they know me and they knew if I wanted to do it I was going to do it.''
Murray's persevance has paid off, with the Vikings' 126-pounder making it back to the Centennial League finals, finishing second, before winning a championship in the Class 6A-5A regional tournament to earn a spot in Wednesday and Thursday's state tournament at Hartman Arena in Park City.
Murray, 19-5 on the season, said she her condition has improved ... slightly ... this season.