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Tadd Armstrong, Washburn Rural claim city boys golf championships
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Anyone who has followed local high school golf this spring probably expected Monday's City Golf Championship at Topeka Country Club to be a down-to-the-wire battle between Washburn Rural and Hayden.
Washburn Rural golf poses for a team picture Monday after winning its 15th straight city team title by a single stroke over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
And things couldn't haven't been any closer, with the Junior Blues winning the team championship by a single stroke over the Wildcats to claim their 15th straight city title while Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong and Hayden senior James Kuta took the race for the individual crown to a playoff before Armstrong won with a par putt on the extra hole.
Armstrong and Kuta both finished the 27-hole city event with scores of 118 in extremely windy conditions to force the playoff while Washburn Rural continued its dominating city run by the slimmest of margins, winning 489-490 in the city event, which was held in conjunction with the 20-school Topeka Country Club Invitational.
"This is a goal that we set out at the beginning of the year to accomplish and we had some guys step up this afternoon when some guys didn't have their best stuff,'' Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring said. "Tadd and Higgins Hawks stepped up this afternoon for us, so I couldn't be more proud of this team win.
"We're definitely headed in the right direction going into the home stretch.''
Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong won his first city individual title in a playoff Monday while Rural won its 15th straight city team title by a stroke over Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Armstrong achieved his goal of winning the city championship after finishing fourth in the as a junior.
"I wanted to come out and win this today,'' Armstrong said. "I felt pretty good. I just kept battling and persevering through the tough holes.''
Hayden senior James Kuta finished as the city runnerup Monday after placing 10th as a junior. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Tagen Rodriguez finished third in the city meet with a 120 for runnerup Hayden while Washburn Rural's Michael Wilson placed fourth (123) and Rural's Hawks and Tagan Monasmith and Seaman's Alex Flanagan tied for fifth (124).
Hayden's Nick Gorman and Seaman's Bradley Williamson tied for eighth (125) while Hayden's Austin Bean (127) rounded out the city's top 10.
Olathe Northwest won the team title in the Topeka Country Club Invitational by a stroke over Blue Valley West (302-303).
Nick VanWyngardner of Olathe Northwest claimed the individual title with a 70.
TOPEKA CITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Washburn baseball honors Steve Anson, clinches series win with 4-3 decision over Newman
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball used the long ball and small ball to win 4-3 over Newman Saturday on the day that the WU stadium was named Steve Anson Stadium in honor of the late, longtime Ichabod coach.
Washburn renamed its stadium Steve Anson Stadium on Saturday before notching a 4-3 win over Newman. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods' regular season will wrap up on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. after ceremonies begin at 12 p.m. for Senior Day.
The Jets (10-32 overall, 6-26 MIAA) led off the game with a pair of hits that would come around to score on an RBI groundout and sacrifice fly to lead 2-0.
But Washburn's Caden Bressler settled in on the mound, throwing scoreless innings in the second, third and fourth.
With the score still 2-0 in the fifth, Washburn (25-24, 17-18) got out of the top of the inning with a 6-4-3 double play. In the bottom of the inning Owen Laessig led off with a home run to cut the Newman lead to one.
After two batters reached in the top of the sixth inning the Ichabods went to the bullpen. Newman got one hit to score one but that is all they would score as Kai Bennett left the bases loaded.
Junior Jackson Mervosh had a pair of hits with a home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over Newman. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
For a second straight inning Washburn got a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth, this time from Jackson Mervosh.
Washburn baseball rallies for 4-3 Senior Day victory over Newman
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball scored three runs in the eighth inning Sunday to take a 4-3 MIAA comeback Senior Day victory over Newman, completing a series sweep in the regular-season finale.
Washburn baseball honored its 19 seniors prior to Sunday's 4-3 MIAA win over Newman. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods, 26-24 overall and 18-18 in the MIAA, will now await their seeding for the MIAA Tournament, which will begin in Joplin, Mo. on Wednesday, May 7.
Before Sunday's game Washburn recognized its 19-player senior class on the field.
Just like the day before the Jets offense got started early, loading the bases with no outs after an error, walk and a single.
One run came in to score on a groundout double play before Washburn starting pitcher Caleb Lunnon escaped the jam with a strikeout to keep the score at 1-0.
The next three innings were all scoreless ones on the mound for the junior Lunnon and he struck out the side in the fourth.
The Ichabod offense was finally able to pick up its first hit off the bat of Hayden Priest with one out in the home half of the fourth. Jackson Mervosh followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position and the Ichabods would load the bases but were unable to tie the game.
Next time up for Newman (10-33, 6-27), the Jets got three straight hits with one out, a single followed by a pair of ground-rule doubles, with each producing a run to put the Jets up 3-0.
Lunnon exited the game in the sixth inning and was replaced by Logan Bartlett. The bases were loaded by Newman before the senior escaped the jam.
Washburn was able to get on the board in the bottom of the inning after a one-out single by Jett Buck, followed by a two-out double into the left-field corner to score him.
