By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural softball team was anxious to get some time on the field after playing just one doubleheader in the last 13 days. They found their groove at the plate at Hayden, scoring two Centennial League wins Tuesday at Hayden.
Sophomore Oliva Koch blasts a home run in Washburn Rural's 13-5 second-game softball win over Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Oliva Koch (1) is mobbed by her teammates after hitting a home run in Washburn Rural's 13-5 second-game softball win over Hayden. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
“Our schedule has been pretty inconsistent,” Washburn Rural coach Joy Marie Galliart said. “We’ve only been able to play once a week for the four weeks of the season, so it’s hard when you only see live pitching and are in game situations only once a week. You try to simulate it as best you can in practice, but there’s really no replacing a game. We talk about that we have to control what we can control.”
The Junior Blues got solid pitching and produced some big rallies in the sweep of the Wildcats.
Washburn Rural junior Reagan Chapman slides into home plate Tuesday as Hayden senior Keira Carswell applies the tag. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Reagan Chapman threw the first four innings of the opener and bashed a home run in an 11-5 victory. The junior homered again in the second game.
Pitcher Olivia Koch went the distance in the second game and belted a homer of her own in a 13-5 victory.
“I think the day went really good,” Koch said. “Our energy was up for a lot of the game. We did have some little mistakes, but we picked each other up as a team. I think today can help get us on the right track.”
The Junior Blues are looking at several challenges looming on the schedule. They are scheduled to face four different opponents in Kansas City later this week.
“We’re going to face some really tough competition on Thursday and Saturday in Kansas City so we’re going to have to make sure that we have the little things taken care of, because they can make the difference in a close game,” Galliart said. “We talk a lot about how little things become big things, so my takeaway from today is what can we do to improve on the little things?”
Washburn Rural senior Layla Collins had two doubles and a triple in Rural's 13-5 second-game win over Hayden. {Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Galliart praised senior outfielder Layla Collins as a catalyst of the offense Tuesday. In the second game, Collins slapped two doubles and a triple.
“She smoked the ball today,” Galliart said of Collins. “She had a great day at the plate, and she’s a kid who sometimes gets overshadowed by some of the other big bats. But Layla hits the ball hard and she gets the ball in the gap and has a lot of extra base hits for us and drives in a lot of runs.”
GAME 1
WASHBURN RURAL 11, HAYDEN 5
Washburn Rural 120 070 1— 11 11 3
Hayden 012 101 0 — 5 9 3
Chapman, Davidson (5) and Rapp. Jeffers, Walter (5), Jeffers (5) Valdivia (5) and Connell. W — Chapman. L — Walter. 2B — Hayden: Dennis 2. HR —Washburn Rural: Chapman.
GAME 2
WASHBURN RURAL 13, HAYDEN 5
Washburn Rural (6-2) 021 603 1— 13 15 2
Hayden (6-4) 000 210 2 — 5 13 3
Koch and Rapp. Kennedy, Walter (4), Jeffers (7) and Carswell, Rose (6), Carswell (7). W — Koch. L — Kennedy. 2B — Washburn Rural: Collins 2, Rapp, Koch. 3B — Washburn Rural: Collins, Williams. HR —Washburn Rural: Chapman, Koch. Hayden: Carswell.
