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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After the No. 17-ranked Washburn University softball team dropped a tough 3-2 first-game decision to Nebraska-Kearney Saturday at Gahnstrom Field, the Ichabods turned to a freshman pitcher to help get them back on track.
Washburn freshman pitcher Sadie Walker turned in a clutch performance in Saturday's 7-0 win over Nebraska-Kearney, improving to 5-3 on the season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Holton product Sadie Walker was up to the challenge, turning in the best performance of her young college career in a 7-0 win over the Lopers, continuing her progress for the 31-9 Ichabods.
The left-handed Walker, who has settled into a role as the Ichabods' regular second-game starter behind All-American Jaycee Ginter, threw six innings of shutout ball against Nebraska-Kearney to improve to 5-3 while allowing just three hits and one walk and striking out seven. Walker lowered her earned run average to 3.46.
"She did the same thing for us yesterday, which was great,'' Washburn coach Brenda Holaday said of Walker's outing. "And she had a good weekend last weekend for us. We lost the first game at Northwest and won the next. We did win the first game at Mo. West and lost the next one, but she pitched really well and gave us a chance there.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University softball didn't get the weekend it was looking for, needing a pair of second-game victories to earn MIAA splits with Fort Hays State on Friday and Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday.
But No. 17-ranked Washburn ended the homestand with a decisive 7-0 win over the Lopers and the Ichabods, 31-9 overall, 10-6 in the conference, will try to build some momentum off that performance entering an eight-game road trip.
Washburn junior Marrit Mead went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer in Saturday's 7-0 second-game win over Nebraska-Kearney. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
"It's a tough game and a tough conference and when you're not playing your best the teams are just that good and they're going to take advantage of it,'' Washburn coach Brenda Holaday said. "We haven't played good ball the last couple of weekends and because of that we're .500 over that time.
"We realize we've kind of thrown away an opportunity to fight for a conference title and now we've got to fight to get in the tournament and get some things turned around. They're good kids and they're hard-workers but it's kind of like everything else, it's contagious. When we're hitting everybody hits and when we're not nobody hits and it's maddening and frustrating for sure.''
Washburn's rally came up short in Saturday's opener with the Ichabods dropping a 3-2 decision, but the Ichabods led from start to finish in the second game at Gahnstrom Field.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For much of Friday's second game against Fort Hays State, the No. 17-ranked Washburn Ichabods softball team looked as if it might be headed for only its second doubleheader loss of the season.
Washburn freshman Erin Boles hit a walkoff two-out double in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Ichabods a 4-3 second-game win over Fort Hays State Friday. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn center-fielder Paige Robbins makes a diving catch in Friday's twinbill sweep with Fort Hays State at Gahnstrom Field. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics.]
But Washburn, which had dropped a tough 2-1 decision in the opener, rallied in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings and earned an MIAA split when Boles stroked a two-out walkoff double to give the Ichabods a 4-3 win.
Washburn (30-8 overall, 9-5 MIAA), which had dropped three of its previous five games, including Friday's first-game loss, struggled at the plate much of the day and also committed six errors in the twinbill, but came to life when it counted to salvage the split.
"We gave them the first game on errors for sure, but we also didn't hit,'' Washburn coach Brenda Holaday said. "As I told our kids, we were kind of on life support there for awhile and I think we had some kids do some nice things for us and gave us a chance to get back in it and eventually win it.
"And anytime you can get some big performances out of some kids that really need it you hope that builds their confidence and they can move on from there.''
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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
After having a handful of miscues in Friday's 4-1 first-game loss to Wichita Heights, Topeka High's baseball team cleaned its mess up in the second game of the doubleheader, winning 4-2 at Hummer Sports Park.
Topeka High senior Ty Votaw earned the pitching win in the Trojans' 4-2 second-game decision over Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High junior Matt Genrich makes a defensive play in Friday's twinbill against Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Junior Nate Plankinton ducks out of the way of an inside pitch in Friday's Topeka High twinbill against Wichita Heights. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Topeka High’s schedule was tweaked going into the twinbill with Wichita Heights. Initially, the twinbill was scheduled for 4 p.m., but with the upcoming Easter holiday weekend, the doubleheader was bumped up to an early afternoon slot.
Topeka High coach Cody Miller is pleased with how the day ended for his squad but was surprised with the shortage of energy from the day off.
“I don’t know if it was the day off from school, but we weren’t locked in the way we usually are today,” Miller said. “The energy levels throughout the day weren’t great. But Nate (Plankinton) and Ty (Votaw) pitched great today against a good team that can hit it. So hopefully, we will pick it up going forward.”
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
It took less than a minute for the Seaman Vikings girls soccer team to grab an advantage over Shawnee Heights at Bettis Family Sports Complex Thursday.
A second tally early in the second period gave the Vikings a 2-1 United Kansas Conference win and lifted them to a 6-0 mark on the season.
Seaman senior Jaycee Schumann (10) put the Vikings ahead to stay with an early goal in the Vikings' 2-1 UKC win over Shawnee Heights Thursday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Freshman Ava Huston (7) scored Seaman's second goal in Thursday's 2-1 UKC win over Shawnee Heights at Bettis Family Sports Complex. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
After defending their end of the field once, the Vikings scored on their first opportunity at the offensive end. Seaman senior Jaycee Schumann punched a ball inside the left post just 57 seconds into the contest.
“At the beginning of a game, you never know how the other team is at first, so sometimes it just happens,” Schumann said of the early strike. “I don’t think they were quite adjusted to the speed and quite ready for us to come right off like that.
“It’s good (to score early) because it sets the tone for the rest of the game. It pumped us up and we kept it going.”
Freshman Ava Golightley gave the Vikings another goal 10 minutes into the second half, establishing what looked like a comfortable lead. Seaman freshman Ava Huston was credited with an assist on both of the Vikings’ goals.
Shawnee Heights would mount a late charge however.
