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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 7 seed Hayden completed its Cinderella run to the Class 3A state baseball championship Friday night, taking a 5-3 win over top seed Wichita Trinity at Tointon Family Stadium.
Hayden hoists the Class 3A championship trophy after Friday's 5-3 win over Wichita Trinity. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hayden celebrates with the Class 3A trophy in hand after earning the state title with a 5-3 win over Wichita Trinity. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
Hayden junior pitcher Liam Annand went 6.2 innings, picking up the win while allowing three runs on just four hits before sophomore Aiden Roberts closed out the victory with an inning of relief as the Wildcats picked up their first state title since 2015.
You look across our roster, we don’t have many seniors, almost everyone is coming back,” Hayden coach Bill Arnold told KSHSAA Covered. “It means a lot just for the growth they made throughout the year. I’m very proud of them.”
Hayden junior Liam Annand picked up the pitching win in Friday's 5-3 win over Wichita Trinity in the Class 3A state title game. [Photo by Jesse Bruner/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats, who finished an 18-12 season, pushed three runs across in the first inning to take control.
After singles by Mason Becker and Brady Heinen, a fielder's choice by Cooper Grace and a single by Evan Lenherr produced the first run.
Sophomore Kade Mitchell then doubled in two runs to make it a 3-0 Hayden lead.
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By KYLE MANTHE
TopSports.news
LAWRENCE -- For a third straight season Washburn Rural softball is coming back with hardware to end its season after a 6-4 win over Olathe South (15-16) in the third-place game of the Class 6A tournament Friday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark.
Washburn Rural's softball team poses for a team picture after finishing third in the Class 6A state tournament. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural softball accepts its third-place trophy Friday at the Class 6A state tournament at Arrocha Ballpark. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
The No. 6 seeded Junior Blues came back on three separate occasions after the No. 8 seeded Falcons took the lead to wrap up a 20-8 season, the first under Joy Marie Galliart.
“I’m super proud of this group, they have come so far from when we started together as a group to where we are now.” Galliart said. “These kids worked hard and they bought into a new way of doing things and some new philosophies … we definitely saw tremendous growth from the beginning of the season to where we are today and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Junior Blues also bounced back from a 10-0 loss to No. 2 seed, and eventual champion, Olathe Northwest earlier in the day.
“Once that game was over the only thing we could do was learn from it and there was no sense of stewing on it. We had another one that we wanted to take care of and we wanted to leave here with a win, so I’m proud of how they responded after this morning,” Galliart said.
The first lead for Olathe South, which lost to No. 5 Campus 2-1 in the semifinals, came in the top of the first after an RBI groundout scored the first run of the game for the Falcons.
Ava Fowler led off the home half of the second with a single and moved to third on a pair of productive outs. Sophomore Josie Carlgren set down a bunt for a single while also driving in Fowler to tie the game.
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By Todd Fertig
TopSports.news
Silver Lake stormed through the first two rounds of the Class 3A state softball tournament, but the Eagles ran into powerhouse Frontenac in the championship game Friday.
A dejected Silver Lake softball team lines up to congratulate Frontenac after the Raiders' 3-0 win in the Class 3A championship game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Silver Lake softball coach Nick Hamilton talks to Eagles pitcher Kendra Cook during Friday's 3-0 loss to Frontenac in the Class 3A title game. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The bats that produced 22 runs in the first two games went silent in the finale as the Eagles fell to Frontenac 3-0, silenced by the Raiders’ defense behind star pitcher Avery Johnson.
In their semifinal game, the Eagles blasted top-seeded Holcomb 12-2.
Silver Lake capitalized on three Longhorn errors to plate three runs in the second inning. Senior Makenzie McDaniel blasted her second home run of the tournament in the fifth inning. The Eagles continued to add on. They scored in every inning of the game except the first.
Silver Lake junior pitcher Kendra Cook turned in a dominating performance in the Eagles' 12-2 semifinal win. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Pitcher Kendra Cook cruised through the first six innings against Holcomb, striking out seven and surrendering just one run.
But in the championship game, Silver Lake managed just six singles and no walks against Johnson, who benefitted from brilliant defensive plays behind her.
“They made the plays,” said Silver Lake coach Nick Hamilton. “Their shortstop (senior Annie Lee) made a lot of good plays. We just had trouble finding the gaps. We got a little antsy there trying to make some plays. That’s just part of the game. But I won’t ever fault anyone for trying hard.”
Frontenac claimed its fourth state title, finishing the season 28-2, losing only to rival Columbus and a team from Bentonville, Ark.
“They play in a good league down there and they play in a good regionals,” Hamilton said of Frontenac. “That’s what happens. When you play the best, you’re going to get better. They definitely brought it today.”
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- No track athlete ever goes into a state meet knowing exactly what is going to happen.
Shawnee Heights senior Jackson Esquibel (2) clocked a time of 9:21.31 Friday morning to win his second straight Class 5A 3,200 meters state title. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But Shawnee Heights senior distance star Jackson Esquibel knew one thing for sure about Friday morning's Class 5A 3,200 meters -- that he wasn't going to make it easy for any of the other 15 competitors.
"I always say, if someone wants to beat me they've got to beat my best because it's not going to be given, you've got to earn it,'' said Esquibel after he captured his second straight 3,200 championship in a time of 9 minutes, 21.31 seconds at Cessna Stadium.
"That's one thing about this sport that I find really true is that everything is earned, nothing is given, so going out today was about trying to start the weekend off strong and I'm just glad I got the victory.''
Esquibel, who also won the 5A state cross country title last fall, said he decided before the race, run about 8:30 a.m. in windy conditions, that he wasn't going to press the issue before it was 'go time.'
"Coming here to Wichita yesterday I kind of saw the weather was going to be a little windy,'' said the Kansas State signee. "So today I was just trying to tell myself to be patient and then Lap 5 I kind of decided, 'Alright, I can make a gap.' And then Lap 7 was just guts and Lap 8 was just finish through whatever I had.''
Although his 9:21 wasn't a personal record, Esquibel had no complaints after winning by just under five seconds over De Soto junior Vance Krudwig (9:26.22) while Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior Daniel Enriquez was third (9:27.21).
"Of course you want to run in the 19s because that's what I did last year and I've done it two or three times, but I think today, knowing that the pace went out a little slower than 4:40 I was pretty happy with the effort at the end of it,'' he said. "And down the home stretch I gave a little smile and that was nice.''
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Right up until the final out at first base, retiring Shawnee Heights baseball coach Ryan Schmidt believed he and his T-Birds could find a way to play another day.
Shawnee Heights senior Jayden Holly (right) celebrates with sophomore teammate Cam Floberg after scoring the tying run in Thursday's Class 5A quarterfinal against Spring Hill. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
But Shawnee Heights couldn't quite complete their late-game rally, dropping a 5-2 Class 5A quarterfinal decision to Spring Hill Thursday at Wichita State's Eck Stadium, officially ending Schmidt's 25-year run as the T-Birds' head coach.
"I'm very proud of them and all Shawnee Heights baseball players for that matter,'' said Schmidt, who was a part of four state titles at Heights (two as head coach, two as an assistant). "It's been a really special career and I'm just proud of everybody.''
No. 5 seed Shawnee Heights, which finished its season 13-12, fought back from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the first to tie the game in the second.
Senior Jacob Malcom tripled and scored before senior Joe Reynolds singled into right field and went all the way to third on a Spring Hill error, allowing senior Jayden Holly, who had reached on a fielder's choice, score the tying run.
