- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WAMEGO -- Just two tournaments into the 2025 high school boys golf season, Washburn Rural coach Jared Goehring knows his Junior Blues still have a lot of work left to do.
But Goehring likes what he's seen so far, including a solid performance in Thursday's 15-school Washburn Rural Great Plains Classic at Wamego Country Club.
The Junior Blues finished ninth as a team in the top-heavy field, but were just three strokes out of a top-five finish.
Washburn Rural senior Tadd Armstrong, lining up a chip, shot a 79 for the Junior Blues in Thursday's Great Plains Classic. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Tadd Armstrong led Rural's top team with a 79, while freshman Wyatt Dean also carded a 79 while playing for the Junior Blues' Gray team.
Juniors Michael Wilson and Higgins Hawks added 81s for Rural while sophomore Camden Ismert shot an 82.
"We're off to a good start,'' Goehring said. "Spring golf in the state of Kansas for boys, it's tough, and the guys have got to be able to handle conditions like today (heavy winds) and they've got to be able to handle their emotions.
"I like our lineup. I think our lineup has a lot of potential. We've got four seniors on our team who have all played in some big tournaments before, so we're going to rely on them for their leadership and experience, but we've also got some young players as evident of a freshman (Dean) today with a 79.''
Hayden senior James Kuta shot an 81 in Thursday's Great Plains Classic. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hayden senior James Kuta shot an 81 and Wildcat senior Nick Gorman an 85 while junior Ayden Valdivia led Shawnee Heights with an 83.
Manhattan won the team title by a 303-309 margin over Shawnee Mission South while Blue Valley Northwest was third at 316.
Manhattan freshman Charlie Haney was the individual medalist with a 73.
Washburn Rural Great Plains Classic
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball used a pair of big innings to down No. 2-ranked Central Missouri 14-7 on Wednesday night.
Jett Buck hit two home runs and drove in four runs in Washburn's 14-7 win over No. 2-ranked Central Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods hit the road to face Emporia State for three games beginning Friday at 5 p.m.
Neither Central Missouri or Washburn got on the board in a scoreless first inning, but it was the Mules (25-9 overall, 16-6 MIAA) that struck first in the second, with a home run following a two-out walk to make it 2-0.
Washburn (19-19, 12-13) responded right away as Jett Buck led off the home half of the second with a home run to left.
An error in the field and a hit batter extended the inning, allowing Blake Scott to plate one run with a single to left before Jackson Mervosh hit the second Ichabod home run over the wall in left field to make it 5-2 after two.
A leadoff walk for the Mules in the top of the third came around to score on a double. Central Missouri pulled within one as a wild pitch plated another run.
After a scoreless top of the fourth by Griffin Huiatt the Ichabods loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning on a single from B. Scott, a double from Connor Scott and a walk by Mervosh.
Hayden Priest brought one run in with a fielder's choice grounder to go up 6-4.
In the sixth inning, three walks along with a double scored a pair of runs for the Mules, tying the game.
Washburn answered right away, with five of the first six hitters all reaching base, scoring two runs on doubles from Priest and C. Scott. One run scored on a wild pitch before Buck blasted his second home run of the game, breaking the game open with a 12-6 lead.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
With each and every game, Brian Hensyel's Washburn Rural's girls soccer team seems to pick up more and more confidence.
Washburn Rural sophomore Maile Eldridge (11), who had two goals and an assist, celebrates a goal with senior teammate Kate Hinck, who had a goal and an assist, in Wednesday's 8-1 win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
And that could spell bad news for future Junior Blue opponents.
Washburn Rural rolled to an 8-1 Centennial League win over Manhattan Wednesday night at McElroy Field, improving to 6-1-0 overall and 2-0 in the league with its fourth straight win.
The Junior Blues have now outscored their opponents 29-3, with their lone loss coming against undefeated Blue Valley North, 1-0.
"We've had a great start to the season,'' Hensyel said. "We've played a tough schedule and I think playing some of those teams last week in the tournament in Kansas City and winning some games against good teams has just given this team a lot of confidence.''
Washburn Rural senior Zahra Friess had a goal and an assist in Wednesday's 8-1 win over Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural needed just 11 minutes, 5 seconds to take the lead against the Indians with a goal from senior Kate Hinck and the Junior Blues added goals from senior Zahra Friess and sophomore Maile Eldridge to take a commanding 3-0 advantage with 8:12 left in the opening half.
"What we talked about tonight was getting off to a fast start and really try to put them on their heels a little bit and see if we could get an early lead because we play great with a lead because people just get more and more aggressive,'' Hensyel said.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Obviously, Seaman baseball coach Trent Oliva would have preferred a sweep in Tuesday's home non-league doubleheader against city rival Washburn Rural.
Junior Cooper Hayes was the second-game starting pitcher and drove in the winning run in Tuesday's 3-2 Seaman win over Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But after the Vikings fell to the Junior Blues in the opener and trailed with just two at bats remaining in the nightcap, a split looked pretty good to the Seaman coach.
Washburn Rural never trailed in the first game en route to an 8-4 win and led 2-1 through five and a half innings before Seaman tied the game with a run in the sixth and took a walkoff 3-2 win in the seventh.
The Vikings knotted the game on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt from junior Caeden Cooper in the sixth and then ended the game in the seventh on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from junior Cooper Hayes.
Max Huston was hit by a pitch to open the seventh before David Dobbs moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. After Axton Brewer was walked intentionally, Cale Rosenberger singled to load the bases before Hayes got the winning run home with a fly to center.
"We found a way to win and did some good things late -- Caeden Cooper getting the suicide squeeze down in the sixth and then in the seventh inning Max did a good job as the leadoff man getting on for us and then Dobbs getting a bunt down and forcing their hand to put Brewer on,'' Oliva said.
"Cale Rosenberger has two strikes and hits the ball hard up the middle and then Cooper Hayes has two strikes and battles and fouls three or four pitches off and is able to hit one deep enough to score Max from third. We did just enough and it's better than losing.''
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University softball pounded out 25 hits and scored 15 runs in a doubleheader sweep over Newman on Monday afternoon, wrapping up an eight-game homestand.
The Ichabods, 27-16 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA, did not allow a run on the day, taking the first game 8-0 before completing the sweep with a 7-0 win.
Washburn's Alexis Tanguma pitched a three-hit shutout in Monday's 8-0 first-game win over Newman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
WU coach Brenda Holaday, whose Ichabods pushed their winning streak to three games, said Monday was a good way to cap their homestand.
"We're right in that grind part of the season and every game matters right now,'' Holaday said. "If you look at the MIAA standings people are beating each other up every weekend so it was good to have a day where things weren't so intense.
"But part of that was us taking care of business. We pitched better, we defended better and we hit the ball so when you do that good things happen.''
Washburn will be on the road this weekend with MIAA contests at Missouri Western on Friday and at Northwest Missouri on Saturday.
After a scoreless first inning in Monday's opener, the Ichabods scored three runs in the bottom of the second, capped by Dalaney Anderson's first collegiate home run, a three-run shot that scored Kate Ediger and Danielle Schlader.
In the third, the Ichabods added three more runs on another 3-run homer, this time by Jaden LaBarge that scored Erin Boles and Ashlyn Gaughan.
Washburn's final runs of the run-rule game came in the following inning when Boles connected on a two-out double, sending Ellington Hogle and Makenzie Sais, who both reached on singles.
Alexis Tanguma picked up the pitching win in the opener over the Jets (6-32, 1-13), tossing all five innings while allowing just three hits.
Washburn finished with nine hits, with Hogle, Sais, Boles and LaBarge all recording two hits apiece.
As in the first game, the Ichabods jumped on the board in the bottom of the second inning of the nightcap when LaBarge homered in her third straight game with a shot down the left-field line.
Mariah Wheeler followed with a double, and then with two outs, Hogle doubled to left, scoring Ediger as Washburn went up 2-0.
Washburn plated a solo run in the fourth when Wagner's sac fly scored Hogle, who started the inning with a single.
The Ichabods added three more runs in the fifth inning when Hogle's hit to center was misplayed, scoring both Maddie McGee and Ediger.
Kate Dolan then recorded a pinch-hit double to score Hogle as Washburn went up 7-0.
Washburn's Sadie Walker picked up her 13th win in Monday's 7-0 MIAA win over Newman. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sadie Walker moved to 13-6 in the circle, pitching four innings and allowing one hit.
