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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
Despite suffering a 15-3, run-rule loss to Manhattan in the first game of the twinbill, Topeka High’s softball team had a memorable rally fall just short in a 14-12 extra-inning loss in Game 2 on Friday night at Hummer Sports Park.
Shane Miles is confident his Topeka High sotball team can bounce back fom its recent four-game losing steak, including a pair of losses to Manhattan on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
As usual, the Kansas weather played a factor in Friday night’s Centennial League matchup. With 55 mph winds in effect and an unbeaten rival rolling into the Capital City, it wasn’t going to be an easy matchup for a young, mostly inexperienced Topeka High team.
The two-time defending Class 6A state champions have a lot of new faces in the lineup this season, and the coach that led them to those state championships knows that it’s going to take some repetitions to get fully acclimated to this season.
"We got a target on our back, being the defending 6A state champion the last two years,” Topeka High coach Shane Miles said. “Everybody is going to give us their best shot. We have a lot of new faces, too. We are just trying to find that mix that works for us. We just have to go back to work on Monday and forget about this. We will be a tough team to put out come later this season.”
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Shawnee Heights rolled through a doubleheader with Topeka West Friday at Hummer Sports Park, getting two good starts from its pitchers and extended rallies at the plate to sweep the United Kansas Conference twinbill, 16-1 and 18-2.
Shawnee Heights senior Nic Perez picked up the first-game pitching win in Friday's UKC doubleheader sweep over Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
Shawnee Heights senior Evan Smith had a big day at the plate as the T-Birds posted a 16-1, 18-2 UKC sweep over Topeka West. [File photo/TSN]
T-Bird senior pitcher Nic Perez set the tone, recording all nine outs of a shortened game by strikeout. Perez permitted a walk and a double that produced a run in the first frame, but then struck out the next seven batters he faced.
Shawnee Heights coach Ryan Schmidt said it was good to see Perez, an Emporia State baseball commit, bounce back from a rough first outing against Bishop Miege last week.
“Nic is a senior we’re going to look to as a leader on the mound,” Schmidt said. “He needed to get a good start and we got that out of him today. He needed that for himself to get on a roll.”
“I was struggling to finish guys off,” Perez said of his first start last Tuesday. “It seemed like just about every single one of my counts were 0-2 or 1-2 but then I struggled finishing guys off. Today I think I was just able to command my fastball better.”
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
After rolling to a 17-7 six-inning win over Washburn Rural in the first-game of Friday's non-league twinbill, Seaman's baseball team failed to capitalize on several opportunities to put the nightcap away.
Washburn Rural senior Ty Weber (right) attempts to put a tag on Seaman sophomore Max Huston in Friday's doubleheader. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Seaman senior Kiernan Meredith bunts the ball during Friday's non-league doubleheader against Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after seeing Rural rally from 7-4, 8-5 and 9-6 deficits to tie the game in the top of the seventh, Trent Oliva's Vikings came up with the clincher in the bottom of the seventh, with junior Kaiden Griffin delivering a two-out walkoff single to give Seaman a 10-9 win and a sweep of the home doubleheader.
"We felt like some things weren't going our way,'' Oliva said. "We were ahead after the first inning but it always felt like it was a tie game or we were one down. But we were able to keep the lead the whole time until the seventh and just battled through some adversity the whole game.
"Give credit to Washburn Rural because they put the pressure on us, but we were able to answer the call at the end of the game.''
Washburn Rural was within one strike of forcing extra innings before Griffin put a ball in the hole between first and second to score junior Holden Finley, who walked.
"In that situation (Griffin) has two strikes, with the bases loaded and two outs and the goal there for us is to put the ball in play and see what happens and that's exactly what he did and it went our way that time,'' Oliva said.
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By KYLE MANTHE
Special to TopSports.news
No. 29 Washburn women's tennis (10-5, 4-1) secured a Senior Day sweep Thursday afternoon, taking down conference rival Emporia State (3-9, 1-3) 7-0. The Ichabods get a week off before heading to Edmond to take on No. 28 Central Oklahoma next Friday.
![Sonia Smagina won a pair of Senior Day matches against Emporia State on Thursday as Washburn swept the Hornets, 7-0. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]](/images/2024/08/Sonia_Smagina.JPG)
Sonia Smagina won a pair of Senior Day matches against Emporia State on Thursday as Washburn swept the Hornets, 7-0. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Casie Curry was honored on Senior Day and then helped Washburn's women to a 7-0 sweep over Emporia State on Thursday. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Senior Day for Washburn began with recognizing Sonia Smagina and Casie Curry who each joined the team as graduate transfers for the 2022-23 season.
Once the action on the court began it started in the Ichabods favor and did not sway, first with a 6-1 win at No. 1 singles for the No. 18 ranked partnership of Smagina and Maja Jung. Curry and Marta Torres secured the doubles point for Washburn, winning 6-2 at No. 3. Isabella Martensson and Issabella Pensavalle secured the double sweep with a 6-3 No. 2 victory.
Only two matches in singles play went into a third set. At No. 3 Torres' was not one of them as she began singles action with a 6-1, 6-2 win. No. 24-ranked Jung followed with a 6-2, 6-3 victory on court two. Smagina, ranked No. 2 nationally, won a 6-4, 6-1 match at No. 1 to clinch the match for Washburn.
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By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's girls swimming team rolled up 522 points to take a decisive victory in Thursday's 12-school Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Makenna Pritchard posted a win in the 50-yard freestyle in Thursday's Topeka High Invitational, helping Washburn Rural roll to the team championship. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman's Avery Walz won two individual events and was part of a winning relay team in Thursday's 12-school Topeka High Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
The Junior Blues took the team title by a 220-point margin over runnerup Olathe South while Seaman was third with 270 points and Shawnee Heights fourth with 223 points.
Washburn Rural picked up individual victories from Mara Bare in the 200-yard freestyle (2 minutes, 03.58 seconds), Makenna Pritchard in the 50 free (25.19) and Audrey Appuhn in the 500 freestyle (5:23.57) and posted top-three finishes in nine of 12 events on the day.
Seaman got wins from Avery Walz in the 200 individual medley (2:10.65) and the 100 breaststroke (1:08.45) while the foursome of A. Walz, Megan Strobel, Joslynn Grace and Tauren Walz won the 200 free relay (1:48.59).
Topeka High's Brianna Delvin won the one-meter diving title with a score of 233.10.
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
