By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Shawnee Heights came up short in its bid for the T-Birds' first Class 5A state baseball championship in 15 years Saturday at Eck Stadium, with St. Thomas Aquinas taking a 4-0 victory to capture its third straight title.
Shawnee Heights senior Cambren Floberg throws a pitch in Saturday's Class 5A state championship game against St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But Brown had nothing but praise for his team, which completed a 21-10 campaign.
"Like I told the guys, it just wasn't our day,'' Shawnee Heights coach Jason Brown said. "We hit some balls hard. We just couldn't find holes, and they did, and I mean that's the way baseball works sometimes.
"But win or lose it doesn't matter, this is a special class. It's been a long time since Shawnee Heights has been in this game and I'm so proud of them.''
Aquinas (23-8) scored the only run it would need in the bottom of the first on three hits, including an RBI single from junior Thomas Costello.
The Saints then opened up a 3-0 lead with a pair of runs in the fourth and tacked on an insurance run in the sixth.
Aquinas senior Lincoln Boyle didn't allow a Shawnee Heights hit until the fourth inning and recorded seven strikeouts before turning things over to senior James Forgy in the fifth to finish out the game.
Shawnee Heights managed just two hits off the Saints' duo, with T-Bird senior Cayden Lindsay doubling in the sixth after senior Jackson Hayes picked up Heights' first hit in the fourth.
Shawnee Heights senior Michael Lilly makes contact in Saturday's Class 5A state championship game against St. Thomas Aquinas. [Photo by Selena Rivas Favela/TSN]
Two batters after Lindsay's double Heights senior Michael Lilly hit a shot to deep left field, but Aquinas senior William Ray made an oustanding catch while crashing into the wall.
"They made some good plays and it's one of those things,'' Brown said. "If he hits that ball five feet to the left or whatever, it's a basehit. Same thing with some linedrives we hit today.
"We hit it 10 feet to the right or left those are gap hit and it just wasn't our day. We were just a little unlucky today but they played hard.''
T-Bird senior Cambren Floberg was solid on the mound before Lindsay came on in relief in the sixth.
"Flo was really good on the mound today and our defense, like always, it's been solid all season long,'' Brown said. "That's one thing we've always counted on and we were good today.''
CLASS 5A CHAMPIONSHIP
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 4, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS 0
Shawnee Heights (21-10) 000 000 0 -- 0 2 1
Aquinas (23-8) 010 201 x -- 4 8 1
Floberg and Purvis. Boyle, Forgy (5) and Bernhardt, Kitts. W -- Boyle. L -- Floberg. 2B -- Shawnee Heights: Lindsay. Aquinas: Boyle.
