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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Silver Lake's baseball team didn't necessarily make things easy on itself in Tuesday's non-league doubleheader at Hayden, with the Eagles being forced to sweat things out down to the very last pitch in both games while committing seven errors on the day, including five in the second game, and issuing 13 walks, 10 in the opener.
But the Eagles out-weighed the bad with plenty of good, lashing out 21 hits and getting clutch relief pitching in both games while holding on for a 9-8, 8-7 sweep over the Wildcats and extending their win streak to six games.
Junior Logan Cathcart picked up a pitching win and a save in Silver Lake's doubleheader sweep over Hayden on Tuesday at Hayden. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Senior Tanner Martin (16) had four hits and five RBI on the day and also picked up the first-game pitching victory in Silver Lake's twinbill sweep at Hayden on Tuesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"Those are big ones for us,'' Silver Lake coach Tyler Seele said. "We kind of went through a rough patch at the beginning of the year and lost four in a row and we really stressed the next couple of weeks to just get to the next pitch. No matter what mistakes you're making or the pitch before, get to the next pitch, play for the next pitch, play for the next out and play for the one next to you.
"It wasn't pretty but I was really proud of how we responded and we fought for each other and found a way to beat a really good, really well-coached Hayden team both games. This is good for us and a really good learning experience and I thought we did a good job bouncing back.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After having five of its previous nine games and three of its four losses decided by a single goal, Tuesday's 5-3 Centennial League decision at Hayden was a welcome change for Topeka High's girls soccer team.
Topeka High senior Avery Zimmerman (2) is congratulated by teammates after scoring her third goal of the day on a second-half penalty kick in the Trojans' 5-3 win over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The Trojans, now 6-4-0 on the season and 1-1 in the league, got a three-goal hat trick and an assist from senior Avery Zimmerman en route to opening up a 5-2 lead before allowing a late Wildcat goal to account for the final score.
"I was happy with our performance today,'' said Zimmerman, an Emporia State signee. "It's nice getting a win after having so many close games. It was another close one today and I'm just really proud of our team.
"This definitely gives us momentum going forward.''
Hayden (3-5-1, 1-2-0) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal from sophomore Reese Huscher but the Trojans answered with three straight goals, opening up a 3-1 advantage with 14:02 left in the first half on a goal from sophomore Natalie Barnes.
Topeka High sophomore Raelee Shipley (10) had a goal in Tuesday's 5-3 Trojan win at Hayden while Wildcat sophomore Reese Huscher (14) had a pair of goals for Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Huscher scored her second goal of the day with 1:44 remaining in the half to cut the Wildcat deficit to 3-2 but the Trojans scored the first two goals of the second half to take control, with a penalty kick from Zimmerman giving High a 5-2 advantage.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo had a major breakthrough individually in Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club while it was business as usual for Washburn Rural in the team race, with the Junior Blues claiming their 14th straight city title.
Washburn Rural's golf team poses for a picture after winning its 14th straight city championship Monday at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka West senior Myles Alonzo won his first city title Monday with a 27-hole total of 117 strokes. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
After losing the 2023 city title in a playoff, Alonzo got the job done on Monday, finishing with a 27-hole score of 117 to win his first city crown by four strokes while Washburn Rural continued its dominating city run with a 34-stroke team win over Hayden (495-529) in the city event, which was held in conjunction with the 19-school Topeka Country Club Invitational.
Competing in a howling wind that made conditions extremely challenging, Alonzo took the lead with an opening nine-hole score of 37 and held on through an up and down final 18 holes to take the win, while senior Hayden Glynn shot a 121 to lead Washburn Rural.
"It was definitely challenging today with the wind and everything, but it was fun,'' Alonzo said. "I really wanted to do well today but I just want to win the bigger tournaments.
"It was fun, just to put this on my list that I won.''
City champion Myles Alonzo talks with Topeka West coach Richard Mariani during Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Alonzo had a string of holes over his final 18 where he struggled, but the West four-year standout never relinquished the top spot.
"I just couldn't keep my driver in the fairway,'' said Alonzo, who won his second straight tournament. "If anything it was just to try to make par and keep on going.''
Junior Tagen Rodriguez finished third in the city meet with a 122 total to lead runnerup Hayden while Washburn Rural's Tadd Armstrong (126) and Tagan Monasmith (128) rounded out the top five.
The Junior Blues also got 131s from Xoaquin Overbey and Tanner Kasprznk while Camden Zimlich finished at 136.
Senior Hayden Glynn, chipping onto the 18th green, was the city runnerup on Monday, leading Washburn Rural to its 14th straight city team championship. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I'm proud of the guys for accomplishing the goal of being city champions,'' Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring said. "I know that that's always a goal that we set at the beginning of the season and it feels good to be city champions.
"We got off to a great start this morning (three in the 30s over the opening nine holes) and just didn't put it all together this afternoon.''
With the Centennial League meet looming next Monday at Firekeeper and Class 6A regional and state competition on the horizon, Goehring said he's hopeful that his Junior Blues can use Monday's tournament as a lesson for how to compete in unfavorable conditions.
"It's springtime in Kansas and high school golf for these guys can be a little bit unfair, especially with the weather conditions,'' Goehring said. "But the mindset that they have to have is that's something that they cannot control so hopefully they use this as great experience moving forward.''
Ayden Valdivia led third-place Shawnee Heights with a sixth-place finish at 130 while Kaleb Mack paced Seaman with a tie for seventh place (131) and Hayden's James Kuta rounded out the top 10 (132).
Topeka High/Cair Paravel Latin did not compete in the city meet due to the fact that the bulk of the team's golfers were gone on a school-related trip.
Blue Valley North won the team championship in the Topeka Country Club Invitational with a four-person score of 308, one stroke ahead of Olathe West.
Blue Valley's Chase Rinkol shot an even-par 71 to claim the individual title while Free State's Jack Randall finished second with a 73 and Shawnee Mission East's Stuart Boulware third with a 74.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
TopSports.News, in partnership with A-1 Lock and Key, Washburn University, Capital Label, Peggy's Tax and Accounting and the Jamie Hornbaker State Farm Insurance Agency, will host the 19th annual Topeka Shawnee County Sports Awards/Hall of Fame induction ceremony on June 26, 2024 at Washburn's Memorial Union.
For the fourth straight year TopSports.news will serve as host for the Sports Awards/Hall of Fame banquet, a longstanding tradition for the Topeka and Shawnee County sports community.
The ceremony will highlight Shawnee County high school senior student-athletes’ achievements throughout the 2023-2024 school year along with the induction of the 2024 Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame class.
Schools have been asked to submit nominees with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average for both female and male candidates for the fall, winter and spring seasons as well as nominees for most inspirational athlete. Overall outstanding male and female athletes for 2023-2024 will also be named.
Also recognized will be an outstanding female and male athlete from Washburn University.
The four-member 2024 Hall of Fame class and the '24 Washburn University Athletes of the Year will be announced on TopSports.news in the coming days.
The high school nominees for the 10 Shawnee County high schools will be announced in June after the conclusion of the spring sports season.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn put up back-to-back five-runs innings and Seaman product Gavin Wilhelm notched his first career pitching win as the Ichabods took an 11-9 Senior Day decision over No. 21-ranked Central Oklahoma Sunday at Falley Field.
Washburn baseball honored its 12 seniors prior to Sunday's 11-9 MIAA win over No. 21 Central Oklahoma. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Before Sunday's first pitch was thrown, Washburn (24-19 overall, 18-12 MIAA) recognized its 12 seniors -- Teagan Tamiya, Trey Adams, Cal Watkins, Cole Warner, Jake Schroeder, Shane Morrow, Cale Savage, Otto Jones, Seger Holman, Ike Book, Jayden Payne and Charlie Kiefer.
The first two innings of the game were scoreless for both teams before the Bronchos (34-11, 20-10) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on a wild pitch.
In the home half of the third Savage led off the inning with a home run to left field to tie the game.
Walks to Payton McHarg and Jett Buck and a single from Hayden Priest loaded the bases before Connor Scott singled in two runs and Grant Jones singled in another run. With two outs Watkins singled to score Scott to complete the five-run inning
One inning later Buck hit a three-run homer and WU scored a run on a bases-loaded walk and Savage plated a run with a sacrifice fly to make it back-to-back five-run innings for Washburn.
The next half inning the Central Oklahoma led off with a hit batter and two walks to load the bases. An RBI grounder scored one run and the next batter walked to re-load the bases. Two straight singles scored three runs to make it a 10-5 game and with two outs the Bronchos hit a three-run homer to right field to pull within two 10-8 with the seven-run fifth.
Gavin Wilhelm
Wilhelm came on to pitch with two outs in the top of the fifth and turned in a sterling relief effort, pitching the final 4.1 innings while allowing just one unearned run and striking out seven.
