By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
The Washburn Rural softball team surrendered what appeared to be a commanding lead in the opening round of the Class 6A State Tournament Thursday.
Instead of panicking, they built another one in the final inning to advance to the semifinals with a 9-6 win at Arrocha Ball Park.
Washburn Rural softball celebrates Thursday's 9-6 Class 6A state tournament win over No. 3 seed Garden City. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural softball coach Joy Marie Galliart celebrates Thursday's 9-6 Class 6A state tournament win over No. 3 seed Garden City with her Junior Blues. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural led 6-0 in the middle of the fourth inning, with starting pitcher Madi Davison cruising. As the sixth seed in the field, the Junior Blues looked on their way to upsetting third-seeded Garden City.
But the Buffaloes stormed back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and three more in the sixth to tie the game.
The Junior Blues were watching their dreams of the school’s fourth state title evaporate. But they had one more rally left in them.
“(Garden City) threw a shot at us a couple of innings after we had a big lead, and you could sense the momentum shifting a little bit,” Washburn Rural coach Joy Marie Galliart said. “I told my kids going into the seventh inning that (Garden City) had all the momentum. I said, ‘You need to take it right back.’ ”
Having not scored for two frames, the Junior Blues found themselves in a 6-6 tie in the seventh inning.
Washburn Rural got two runners on base to lead off the top of the seventh. Next up was sophomore Olivia Koch, who had come on to pitch the previous inning to stem the Garden City rally. Having done her job on the mound, Koch laced a double to drive in the go-ahead run. Addalyn Boleski followed Koch with a two-run single, putting the Junior Blues back in front by three runs.
“I told our kids, that was a true testament – an example of resilience and of teamwork and of not panicking,” Galliart said. “Offensively, we didn’t go into coast mode. We had runners on almost every inning, but we just didn’t produce for a couple of innings in a row when we had runners in scoring position. I knew we can’t just score in one or two innings and expect to win a seven-inning game. You have to keep scoring inning after inning.”
Freshman second baseman Addalyn Boleski pulled off an unassisted double play in Washburn Rural's 9-6 Class 6A state tournament win over No. 3 seed Garden City. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Sophomore Olivia Koch starred in the pitching circle and at the plate in Washburn Rural's 9-6 Class 6A state tournament win over No. 3 seed Garden City. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Koch held off the Buffaloes in the final inning, capitalizing on an unassisted double play by second baseman Boleski.
Koch rapped a triple and a double and Boleski drove in four runs on three singles to lead the Junior Blues.
Washburn Rural forced Garden City pitcher Kyleigh Whitehurst to throw 149 pitches and may have worn her down enough by the seventh inning for the Junior Blues to capitalize. But Galliart didn’t attribute the Junior Blues’ win to Whitehurst’s fatigue.
“(Whitehurst) is a great pitcher and she is their pitcher. They’re going to ride her until she can’t do it anymore, and she’s going to give them everything she has,” Galliart said. “I don’t think it necessarily had anything to do with her fatiguing. I think our kids hit well.”
While Garden City relied solely upon Whitehurst, the Junior Blues utilized three pitchers – Davison, Addie Keys and Koch – to get through.
“We’re in a little bit different situation. We don’t have a dominant ace. We have a staff,” Galliart said. “I knew this whole tournament, we’re going to have to use our staff and we’re going to make changes when we feel like it’s necessary.”
Thursday’s contest didn’t conclude until 8 p.m. The Junior Blues have a quick turnaround with little time to prepare for their next game, a 1 p.m. semifinal match with seventh-seeded Mill Valley. The Jaguars knocked off second-seeded Olathe North to advance.
“We are completely unfamiliar with (Mill Valley),” Galliart said. “Watching them today before our game was the first time that I’ve had a chance to watch them. They’re obviously a talented club or they wouldn’t be playing tomorrow. We’ll have to show up and give them our best and hope things go our way.”
WASHBURN RURAL 9, GARDEN CITY 6
Washburn Rural (21-7) 050 100 3 — 9 15 2
Garden City (19-6) 000 303 0 — 6 7 0
Davison, Keys (4), Koch (6) and Rapp. Whitehurst and Peck. W — Koch. L — Whitehurst. 2B — Washburn Rural: Rapp, McBurney, Chapman, Koch. Garden City: Angeles. 3B — Washburn Rural: Koch
