- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 24-ranked Washburn University softball team pushed its win streak to 11 games on Friday with a doubleheader sweep at Fort Hays State, 13-6 and 2-0.
Washburn, 34-10 overall, 15-5 in the MIAA, recorded a season-high 16 hits in the opener, scoring in six of seven innings, while senior Jaycee Ginter twirled a two-hit shutout in the second game.
Washburn senior Jaycee Ginter threw a two-hitter and recorded a fourth straight shutout in the Ichabods' 2-0 win second-game win over Fort Hays State on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Erin Boles went 5 of 6 with four runs scored in Washburn's doubleheader sweep over Fort Hays State on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods got on the board in their first at bat of the day when Erin Boles led off the game with a single and came around to score on Kaylee Wagner's single to left as Washburn took the early 1-0 lead.
In the second frame, Mariah Wheeler started things off with a single and then Gracie Gallagher entered as a pinch runner, moving to second on a sac bunt by Autymn Schreiner. A single from Ellington Hogle, followed by a stolen base from Hogle put runners and second and third. Boles hit a sac fly to score Gallgher as the Ichabods took a 2-0 advantage.
The third inning saw the Ichabods get a two-runner homer by Wagner, her second of the season, scoring Alexis Tanguma, who had reached on a single.
The Tigers scored three runs in the third inning on three hits to get within 4-3, but Washburn came back with two runs of its own in the fourth inning when Hogle was hit by a pictch and then moved to second when Boles singled to center.
A sac bunt from Marrit Mead moved the runners up 60 feet and then Jaycee Ginter's second walk of the game loaded the bases before Tanguma stroked a two-run single.
Washburn added two more in the fifth on Mead's program-best 57th career double which scored Boles and Wheeler as the Ichabods increased their lead to 8-3.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn University football team will hold its annual Spring Game on Saturday inside Yager Stadium, starting with warmups around 9:40 a.m.
Washburn's football team will hold its annual Spring Game Saturday mornng in Yager Stadium. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Following team stretches and special teams drills, a controlled scrimmage will last until approximately 11:45 a.m. going through 20 periods of plays.
Washburn coach Craig Schurig, whose Ichabods are coming off an injury-riddled 2-9 season last fall after three straight winning seasons, said he has been pleased with how the spring has gone. Most all of the players that suffered season-ending injuries last season are back on the field and healthy while a ton of young players who were pressed into duty last season are also making strides according to WU's veteran coach.
"You feel like the team is really coming together,'' Schurig said. "The youth that we had in the fall, the fact that they got all that playing time, you can see their sense of urgency to get better because they've seen what it takes in this conference.
"So they're focused. It's a fun group, a lot of enthusiasm. They go hard and you can see them starting to play together. We've got a ways to go but if we get this group to play with their instinct and their speed, we're good. They're getting more and more like that, where they're just playing.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WAMEGO -- Washburn Rural senior golfer Cam Zimlich didn't get off to the best of starts in Thursday's Washburn Rural Great Plains Classic, carding a triple bogey on his very first hole of the tournament at Wamego Country Club.
But that was one of just a few missteps on the day as Zimlich tied for second individually with a 76 (third on a tiebreaker), leading the host Junior Blues to a second-place team finish with a four-man score of 312, just two strokes behind Manhattan.
Washburn Rural senior Cam Zimlich receives his third-place medal from Rural athletic director Charlie Nimz at Thursday's Great Plains Classic at Wamego Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I started on 18 and I hit it (out of bounds) and I ended up tripling right out of the gate,'' Zimlich said. "I kind of fought back and kept it even until hole 15 was my next bad hole and I made a double, but then 16's a Par 5 and I ended up eagling that one and that got me right back after that. It was kind of an up and down round out there.''
But fortunately for Zimlich, there were a lot more ups than downs.
"That's probably my best tournament round so I was really proud about that one,'' Zimlich said.
- Details
By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
The Shawnee Heights girls soccer team made a first-half goal stand up, preserving the lead to win at Seaman 1-0 Thursday.
Shawnee Heights freshman Morgan Robinson (9) scored the game's only goal in the T-Birds' 1-0 UKC soccer win over Seaman. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Taking a pass from Shawnee Heights junior Isabelle Van Fleet, freshman Morgan Robinson dribbled into the heart of the Seaman defense and punched a shot to the left post with 6:26 remaining in the first half.
Taking a first half lead didn’t immediately affect the T-Birds strategy in the United Kansas Conference.
“It changes things a little bit, but (the goal) came so early that it was still, ‘Ok, we need to still do what we need to do, play our game,’” said Shawnee Heights coach Kellen Griffin. “Then when it gets toward the end it’s like, ‘Now we need to shore up some things defensively to make sure we’re not giving up a late goal.’ ”
T-Bird goalkeeper MacKenzie Mertel headed the effort to hold the lead.
“It felt like a lot of pressure, but I know that we have a good team this year and I felt confident we could (preserve the shutout),” Mertel said.
Numerous yellow cards and spirited play marked the contest. Griffin said that intensity comes with the rivalry.
“The game with Seaman is always close,” Griffin said. “It doesn’t matter if one team is really up or the other one is really down. The game is always going to be close. So many of these girls play together in the offseason. They are all friends, and they want to get one over on their friends.”
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Topeka Tennis Association will induct its 2024 Hall of Fame class on Saturday, April 13, at the Bettis Family Sports Complex in the meeting pavilion, welcoming 10 inductees into the hall.
Doors will open at 6 p.m., with the event to get under way at 7 o'clock.
Mary Brownback and Kent Lammers, former college players and longtime supporters of Topeka tennis, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with eight former city high school stars who all won state championships during their prep careers.
That group includes Cory Buck, Drew Hanson, Trevor Hedberg, Shane Johnston, Branden Joost, Sean McManus, Sumeet Patel and Alex (O'Neal) Trobough.
Hall of Fame capsules:
Mary Brownback
MARY BROWNBACK
Brownback lettered three years in high school tennis (1973-1976), placing second in state doubles 1974-1975 and placing fourth in state singles 1975-1976.
Brownback lettered four years at the University of Kansas (1976-1980), winning the Big 8 No. 3 singles title in 1977 and 1979. Brownback helped Kansas win the Big 8 team title in 1979 (team was made up of all Kansas residents).
Played on the Missouri Valley circuit as a junior and played 4.0 USTA team tennis several years.
Cory Buck
CORY BUCK
Buck was a member of Topeka West's varsity tennis team for three years.
Buck teamed with Shane Johnston to win the Class 5A state doubles championship as a junior in 2005, with Buck and Johnston posting a 34-4 record.
Buck placed 10th in 5A singles as a freshman and fourth as a sophomore.
Drew Hanson
DREW HANSON
Hanson teamed with Sumeet Patel to finish second in Class 6A doubles his freshman year and won the Class 6A state singles championship his senior season.
Hanson was inducted into the Washburn Rural Hall of Fame in 2022.
Hanson was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2005-2006 and was named Washburn's most valuable player in 2006-2007. Hanson was a three-time MIAA team champion and posted 56 singles wins and 60 doubles wins.
