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By ISAAC DEER
TopSports.news
The Junior Blues outscored Topeka West 34-0 in a Centennial League doubleheader Wednesday night at Hummer Sports Park and the dominant outing was exactly what Washburn Rural was looking for after taking a pair of losses in Lawrence.
The Junior Blues collected 17 runs in game one and 17 runs in game two within a six-inning span.
“It was good for us to come out early and attack,” Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin said. “I thought we swung the bats well today. Our pitching did a great job for us keeping (West) scoreless. It was a good day for us.”
Washburn Rural coach Jay Mastin talks to his team after Wednesday's 17-0, 17-0 Centennial League doubleheader sweep over Topeka West. [Photo by Isaac Deer/TSN]
Washburn Rural’s most explosive offensive outing of the year didn’t happen by accident.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Kinsey Perine
KINSEY PERINE, Rossville
Perine, a sophomore, hit three home runs in last Monday's 10-1, 9-8 doubleheader softball sweep over rival Silver Lake.
Perine accounted for three of the Bulldawgs' six total homers on the day and also added a double for Rossville.
The Bulldawgs finished the week with a sweep over St. Marys, improving to 12-0 on the season.
Alex Valdivia
ALEX VALDIVIA, Shawnee Heights
A junior, Valdivia captured the individual championship in last Monday's United Kansas Conference tournament at Lake Shawnee, carding an 18-hole score of 69.
Valdivia led the way as Shawnee Heights won the team championship by a 18-stroke margin over runner-up De Soto.
Valdivia is a returning All-Shawnee County pick and Class 5A state medalist, placing sixth as a sophomore.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural senior Giles Frederickson tied the Rural school record with a 4-under-par 68 Wednesday at Village Greens Golf Course, leading the Junior Blues to the team championship by a 14-stroke margin.
Giles Frederickson posted a five-stroke win in Wednesday's Seaman Invitational, shooting a 4-under-par 68 to tie Washburn Rural's school record. [Submitted]
Frederickson, who now shares the Washburn Rural school record with former two-time state champ Parker Beal, won the individual title by five strokes over Seaman senior Gavin Wilhelm and Manhattan senior Jonathan Wefald, while the Junior Blues put four players in the top 10 individually on the way to a 296-310 margin over Manhattan in the team standings.
Centennial League schools claimed the first four spots in the team race, with Emporia finishing third (320) and host Seaman fourth (322).
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake softball rolled to an 11-1, 12-3 Mid-East League sweep over Riley County on Tuesday, getting a one-hit pitching performance and a home run from sophomore Avery Wende in the opener and 13 extra-base hits on the day.
Silver Lake sophomore Avery Wende pitched a one-hitter and hit a home run in the Eagles' 11-1 win over Riley County on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
Wende gave up just one single, struck our seven and did not issue a walk in the first game while hitting a three-run homer, while Kira Lowrey went 2 for 4 with a homer and four runs batter in, Hailey Horton went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and Makenzie McDaniel also went 3 for 4.
Taylor Zordel went 2 for 4 with a double and and a homer while Kaibryn Kruger had a triple and Taryn Burkhardt a double in the first game.
Silver Lake and Riley County were locked in a 1-1 tie before the Eagles exploded for nine runs in the fifth and a run in the sixth to end the contest.
The Eagles never trailed in the second game after scoring four runs in the first inning and added a pair of runs in the second and fourth innings and four runs in the sixth.
Kendra Cook went the distance for the pitching win in the nightcap, allowing eight hits and two earned runs.
Zordel and Lauren Rollenhagen tripled for Silver Lake, while Burkhardt, Horton, Zordel and Lowrey had doubles.
First game
SILVER LAKE 11, RILEY COUNTY 1
Riley County 000 100 -- 1 1 2
Silver Lake 000 191 -- 11 14 1
W -- Wende. L -- Zeller. 2B -- Silver Lake: Horton 2, Burkhardt, Zordel. 3B -- Silver Lake: K. Kruger. HR -- Silver Lake: Lowrey, Wende, Zordel.
Second game
SILVER LAKE 12, RILEY COUNTY 3
Riley County 020 010 0 -- 3 8 5
Silver Lake 420 204 -- 12 14 1
W -- Cook. L -- Jackson. 2B -- Silver Lake: Burkhardt, Horton, Lowrey, Zordel. 3B -- Silver Lake: Rollenhagen, Zordel.
State champ Boline to sign with Lindenwood
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By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings at the mid-month:
• Sorry I am tardy on this dispatch. A Vegas trip wrecked my timing.
• After walking 20,000-plus steps the first day there, fatigue set in a bit.
• Tough to keep up with the Petersons and all the racket they made hitting the machines for big payouts.
• Cheap tendencies left me longing for the faded carpet at Jerry’s Nugget and the faded tile at Ellis Island.
• The allure of a $5 dollar table prompted me to unlock seedy treasure at both casinos.
• Even with higher prices on everything, the trip had its highlights.
• We witnessed the illustrious transformation of Rickie Peterson … from Popgun to Mr. Vegas.
• Money well spent.
• Bill Griffin offered a glowing state of the union on the TopSports website, which received cheers from all sides of the table.
• Happy hour helped set the mood, but I am happy for my friends and this website, which easily tops any traditional media source for Shawnee County sports coverage.
• While waving goodbye to the Strip, the return off the $20 future bet I hit for KU capturing the national title was all that had gone missing.
• The Jayhawks going off at 18:1 seemed like good value last summer, and indeed, they came through.
• Never dismiss a Bill Self team loaded with experience.
• Didn’t see Ochai Agbaji having the kind of season he enjoyed.
• Not sure we would have seen it either had Remy Martin played all year like he did at tournament time.
• Doubt Ochai would have been an All-American under such circumstances, though he made the most of his opportunity to boost himself in the draft.
• Good to see David McCormack go out on top considering his uneven performances and popularity. Big Dave won over everyone’s hearts.
• Not sure why I must inject this reminder on occasion, but Self knows what he’s doing.
• Does a second national title change Self’s legacy?
• Of course. It also changes his stature in real time.
• Sure, the result of the ongoing proceedings for rules infractions could change things too but the best Mark Emmert could do so far is call the university, Kansas City.
• That really inspires confidence in the NCAA chief.
• Count me among those intrigued by what’s happening with the basketball overhaul at K-State.
• Depth could be an issue for Jerome Tang but I’m willing to see everything play out before wondering when on-campus tryouts will be scheduled.
• Look, if your style doesn’t appeal to veteran players, no sense changing yourself.
• Tang got hired based on his approach, energy and intensity. Also, what happened with Baylor in his time as an assistant carries weight too.
• It’s just that we all know K-State is not the easiest place to recruit to at times.
• On that note, RIP to one of K-State’s greatest ambassadors, Jon Wefald.
• His vision and his capacity to interact made him the most personable university administrator I ever met. Hands down.
• We talked boxing one night while attending the same fight card; we talked architecture once while together at the Statehouse; we spoke about Pete Goering’s influence after Pete passed.
• Wefald was into everything because he took a genuine interest in people.
• So much so, one attribute that should never be forgotten was his desire to stage events that brought high school kids to K-State.
• He understood the importance of recruiting and grew K-State like no university president before or since.
• During the time Silver Lake football was part of my beat, an uprising surfaced to boot Santa Fe Trail from the Mid-East League.
• The league got its way but Silver Lake objected, in part because C.J. Hamilton approved of the competition from a larger school.
• Hamilton announced his retirement this week as the state’s all-time winningest prep football coach.
• Systematic tradition is the surest way to win consistently in high school football.
• Few ever sustained a dominant edge and belief quite like C.J.
• To denote what Jerry Farley achieved as Washburn president, just tour the campus.
• If you’re familiar with what WU looked like a quarter-century ago, progress is evident, obvious and vivid.
• It’s time for new ideas and new blood but Ichabods everywhere benefitted from Farley’s oversight.
• I will forever remember his commencement speech at my daughter’s graduation.
• His message touched on empathy, grace, kindness and diplomacy, values that continue to erode in our society.
• This spring I offer my annual public service reminder that I do not receive the Royals as a viewing option on my television subscription service.
• As long as such broadcasts are expressly forbidden by the franchise and by Major League Baseball, I have grown fine with it too.
• I know it doesn’t matter to any baseball executive, but you’ve lost a follower.
