Washburn University softball Ichabods boosted its win streak to four games Friday with a 12-1, 6-0 sweep at Fort Hays State.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
The Ichabods followed up Thursday's 9-1, 4-0 sweep at Nebraska-Kearney with Friday's routs, outscoring the two MIAA foes by a 31-2 margin.
Freshman Taylor Brees went 5 for 6 with five RBI and four runs scored in Friday's twinbill sweep at Fort Hays State. [File photo/TSN] Washburn out-hit the Tigers 27-6 and outscored the host squad 18-1 on Friday.
With the wins, Washburn improved to 28-15 overall and 5-9 in MIAA play, while Fort Hays State dropped to 17-20 and 3-9 in the conference.
The Washburn offense erupted early and often in the first game Friday afternoon, plating 10 runs across the second and third innings on the way to a 12-1, five-inning victory.
The Ichabods finished with 14 hits, six walks and 12 RBI.
After a scoreless first inning, Washburn broke the game open with a five-run second.
Following a walk to Danielle Schlader and singles from Kate Ediger and Makenzie Sais, Shawnee Heights product Taylor Brees delivered a two-out, three-run double to left-center, scoring Sais, Maddie McGee and former Heights standout Karlyn Bowman.
Dalaney Anderson followed with an RBI double to plate Brees and former Seaman standout Aspen Burgardt capped the inning with an RBI single to left as Washburn jumped out to a 5 0 lead.
The Ichabods continued to pile on runs in the third, scoring five runs on four hits. Sais drove in Schlader with a single and Brees knocked in another run with a base hit to center.
With runners on, Burgardt came through for the second time, ripping a three-run double to left-center that pushed the advantage to 10-0.
Washburn added two more runs in the fourth inning.
Madi Moore doubled to start the frame and later scored on an Ediger double to right-center.
Ediger then crossed the plate on a McGee RBI groundout, extending the lead to 12-0.
Fort Hays State broke up the shutout in the bottom of the fourth when Lilly Mohr doubled to right center to score Abbey Duarte, but it would be the Tigers' lone run of the contest.
Washburn's Sadie Walker limited Fort Hays State to one run on one hit, walking two and striking out two while needing just 70 pitches to complete the five-inning win.
Sais paced the Washburn offense with a perfect 3 for 3 game that included two runs scored, an RBI and a walk. Brees was also 3 for 3, scoring twice and driving in a four runs, while Ediger finished 3 for 3 with two runs and an RBI.
Burgardt had four RBI on two hits and Anderson went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Washburn completed the sweep of Fort Hays State with a 6-0 shutout victory over the Tigers, winning its eighth in a row over the host squad.
The Ichabods scored the only run it would need in the top of the first inning.
After Brees singled with one out, Anderson doubled to left-center, driving in Brees.
Anderson advanced to third on a fielding error as Washburn took a 1-0 lead.
Washburn added to its lead in the third inning with a pair of runs.
With two outs, Anderson singled to keep the inning alive before Burgardt singled to left field, scoring McGee.
Moments later, Moore worked a bases-loaded walk to bring home Anderson, extending the WU lead to 3-0.
The Ichabods manufactured another run in the fourth.
Singles from Ediger and Sais put runners in scoring position before Brees lifted a sacrifice fly to left, allowing Ediger to score for a 4-0 Washburn advantage.
Washburn put the game away in the sixth inning.
Sais singled and Brees followed with a base hit before both runners advanced on a double steal.
Anderson delivered again, ripping a two-run double to left center that scored Brees and Sais to wrap up the scoring.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Seaman junior baseball star Axton Brewer and Hayden junior track and field standout Sofia Harper have been selected by the Dan Key Farmers Insurance Agency as the Rising Stars of the Week.
The Dan Key Agency will recognize top Shawnee County underclassmen throughout the bulk of the 2025-2026 school year.
Here's a brief look at the recent accomplishments of Brewer and Harper.
Axton Brewer, Seaman
AXTON BREWER, Seaman
Brewer, an All-Shawnee County and Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches All-Class 5A first-team pick last spring, is off to a hot start for 6-2 Seaman in the 2026 season.
Brewer had a big day at the plate on Wednesday as the Vikings pushed their winning streak to five games with a home 12-0, 20-0 United Kansas Conference doubleheader sweep over city rival Topeka West.
Brewer hit a home run in the first game against the Chargers and had a three-run double in the second game to help power the Vikings' offensive attack.
Sofia Harper, Hayden
SOFIA HARPER, Hayden
Harper, a three-time first-team All-Shawnee County pick in cross country, received all-county honorable in track last spring.
Harper posted a seventh-place individual finish in the city cross country championships last fall, placed 16th in the Centennial League meet, 12th in Class 4A regional competition and was 44th at state.
Harper opened her 2026 track season in last Friday's Topeka High Invitational with wins in the 200-meter dash (27.00) and 400 (62.39).
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
The Washburn Ichabod softball team snapped a seven-game losing streak in dominant fashion on Thursday, rolling to a 9-1, 4-0 MIAA road sweep over Nebraska-Kearney.
Senior Sadie Walker threw a two-hitter in an 9-1 first-game win as Washburn snapped a seven-game losing streak with a twinbill sweep at Nebraska-Kearney. [File photo/TSN] The Ichabods, now 26-15 overall and 3-9 in the MIAA, will be back in action at 2 p.m. on Friday at Fort Hays State.
The Ichabods collected 14 hits in the opener, backed by a strong outing in the circle from senior pitcher Sadie Walker, who went the distance in the eight-run win.
Washburn struck first in the opening inning when Makenzie Sais reached base and eventually crossed the plate when Erin Boles drew a bases-loaded walk, putting the Ichabods ahead 1-0.
In the second inning Kate Ediger doubled to right-center and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Sais.
Moments later, Boles ripped a three-run double to right-center, plating Dalaney Anderson, Taylor Brees and Maddie McGee, extending the Ichabod lead to 5-0.
Nebraska-Kearney answered with a single run in the bottom of the second, but that would be all the offense the Lopers could manage against Walker.
Washburn continued to apply pressure in the third inning when Brees reached on a fielder's choice to bring home Ediger, pushing the lead to 6-1.
The Ichabods put the game away late, scoring three runs in the seventh inning.
Pinch-hitter Kierra Goos drove in Ediger on a fielder's choice before Anderson delivered a two-run single to center, scoring Goos and McGee to cap the scoring.
Walker earned the win, improving to 13-7 on the season after tossing a two-hitter over seven innings and striking out seven.
Sais finished 3 for 3 with a walk, RBI, run scored, and a stolen base. Ediger went 3 for 4 and crossed the plate three times, while McGee also posted three hits and scored twice.
Boles drove in a career-high four runs and Anderson added two RBI as Washburn drew five walks and struck out just once.
Jenna Sprague tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout in the nightcap as the Ichabods earned the 4-0 victory.
Washburn scored all four of its runs in the second and fourth innings.
- Details
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After fighting through a lingering leg injury for nearly nine months, Seaman senior track superstar Ryin Miller chalked up Thursday as a win as soon as she stepped on the Washburn Rural track.
Seaman five-time state champion Ryin Miller (right) returned from an injury Thursday to win the girls 800 meters in the Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The fact that she took control on the final lap to win the girls 800-meter run in the Jerry Beardslee Invitational was a bonus.
"I felt good,'' said Miller, a five-time Class 5A state champion. "This injury (IT band) is kind of weird. If I get some speed it doesn't seem to bother me too much and I'm just tired of not racing, so I was like, 'You know what, I'm just going to jump in here, I'm not going to warm up, I'll just do some strides and try to warm my body up without taking a warmup jog and step in and see what happens.' ''
The Arkansas signee ran with Mill Valley junior Audrey Howard through much of the race before taking the lead down the home stretch and pulling away for the win in 2 minutes, 23.65 seconds while Howard was second in 2:25.17.
"I feel really good about it,'' Miller said. "It was a good race. Obviously, eventually I want a lot, lot more of myself, but you have to learn to celebrate the small wins along the way and I've been working so hard this winter and year in just different ways, so I have to come out here and even just toeing the line, I have to be proud of that.''
Just being on track marked a return to Miller's happy place.
"It means everything to me,'' she said. "I was definitely nervous, but I was kind of reminding myself that it is such a gift to be nervous and it's way better than not being nervous and watching other people be nervous, so I was trying to embrace it and take the load off.
"I was like, 'I have literally nothing to lose, everything to gain. If I start, that's a win,' so I tried to take all the pressure out of it and run and enjoy it.''
Senior Brody Anderson shattered the Seaman school record in the 1,600-meter run by nearly six seconds in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Anderson shatters school record
After flirting with the Seaman school record in the 1,600-meter run in the season-opening Topeka High Invitational, Viking distance star Brody Anderson knew that the record was there for the taking in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational.
And Anderson left no doubt about who is the best metric miler in school history, shattering the previous record by right at six seconds in a winning time of 4:11.94 while winning by nearly 14 seconds.
"I went into today knowing that it was very possible and was there,'' Anderson said. "I didn't know it was going to happen, I didn't want to force anything, but it came natural and felt really smooth and I just shattered it.
"I definitely didn't think it was going to happen by six seconds at this point in the year, but it was a fun jump to take for sure.''
Anderson came back later in the evening to post a second impressive performance, winning the 800 meters by more than three seconds in a time of 1:56.49 and is now a perfect four for four on the season.
Other meet highlights:
• Washburn Rural senior multi-time Class 6A state champion Liam Morrison opened his 2026 season with a sweep in the hurdles races on Thursday.
Washburn Rural senior state champion Liam Morrison (right) won the 110 and 300-meter hurdles in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Morrison won the 110-meter highs in 14.43 seconds before coming back later to take a win in the 300s in 38.74.
The Junior Blues also got boys wins from junior Christian Hartman-Babb in the 200-meter dash (22.78) and from the 4x800 relay team (8:38.13).
• Washburn Rural's girls posted wins in two of the three throws in Thursday's meet while also adding a pair of runnerup finishes.
Rural junior Kailyn Petersen won the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 11 inches and finished second in the discus (121-2) while junior Morgan Ray won the javelin with a throw of 144-4 while her Junior Blue teammate, Katie Smith, was second (120-5).
Washburn Rural senior Emily Graf cruised to a victory in the girls 3,200 meters in Thursday's Jerry Beardslee Invitational at Washburn Rural. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Washburn Rural also got a win from senior Emily Graf, who won the girls 3,200 in 11:25.73 while Seaman's boys won the 4x100 relay in 43.84.
JERRY BEARDSLEE INVITATIONAL
At Washburn Rural
- Details
By VINCE LOVERGINE
TopSports.news
After falling 6-5 in game one, Silver Lake baseball responded in game two with a 13-12 victory over Big East League foe Nemaha Central Thursday at Silver Lake.
Eagle sophomore Jaxton Ross secured the win with a throw from left field to gun down the runner from second, halting a potential tie game in the nightcap.
“Jax is one of the hardest workers that we have,” Silver Lake coach Tyler Seele said. “He gets to practice early, stays late, he does all the right things and funny how it works, we had one of our starting outfielders out of town and this was his chance tonight. I'm very proud of him.
"Not even just the throw, all night he had good at bats, a couple RBI base hits and made a couple great plays in that first game in the outfield, a couple plays here in the outfield in that second game and then the throw was on the money. I'm super happy for him because he's earned that moment. I’m very proud of him.”
“When I saw the ball coming towards me, I knew it was my one time to make a play and I made it,” Ross said. “It felt really great, celebrated with all my teammates, it felt really good.”
Silver Lake jumped out to a 6-1 lead after three innings in game two. Dayne Johnson had a two RBI double in the bottom half of the first and the Eagles scratched across four more via the sac fly or scoring on passed balls.
But then the Thunder roared back to reclaim the lead 7-6 after a six-run fourth inning where Silver Lake made a pitching change to hopefully stop the bleeding a little bit, bringing in Miles Kibbe replacing starter Rylan Young.
Seele then made two pitching changes in the fifth but Nemaha Central mustered just one run, as Silver Lake struggled finding the strike zone in both games.
The Eagles rallied themselves in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs as senior Drew Womack brought in three of those five runs on a three-run double.
The Thunder wouldn’t go away, trimming their deficit to just one after a two-RBI double from Charlie Rottinghaus.
The Eagles responded and got those two runs back, Womack again in the clutch with a two-RBI double, pushing the score to 13-10. He also homered in game one to start the scoring for Silver Lake in that eventual loss. He finished with six RBI in game two.
Nemaha Central made it interesting again in the top of the seventh, scoring a run on a sac fly after beginning the inning with two singles.
With two outs, Kendal Berman, shot one into left field, one run scores making it 13-12 but Ross jumped to play the hop on the turf and threw a rocket to home plate on a bounce in time to tag the runner out at home to secure the win.
His teammates mobbed him by third base afterwards.
“Making the biggest play so far for our team and there’s nothing much that I could ask for except that big win,” Ross said.
“That game right there has kind of been a microcosm of our season so far,'' Seele said. "Our guys have been resilient all year. I think we have five wins now and all five of our wins we've been down at some point in the game. Our fight is great right now, we compete at the plate, we're very aggressive at the plate, we're going to get up there and swing it.
"There are a lot of things we have to clean up defensively so we don't get ourselves into those situations, but the one thing I am proud of was how we continue to battle in those up and down games. Really proud of how we battled and ultimately found a way to win.''
GAME 1
NEMAHA CENTRAL 6, SILVER LAKE 5
Nemaha Central 014 010 0 -- 6 7 1
Silver Lake 100 300 1 -- 5 4 1
W -- Macke L -- Ki. Kruger 2B – Nemaha Central: Haverkamp, Heinen. Silver Lake: Johnson
HR – Silver Lake: Womack.
GAME 2
SILVER LAKE 13, NEMAHA CENTRAL 12
Nemaha Central (4-2) 100 612 2 -- 12 9 1
Silver Lake (5-2) 231 052 x -- 13 15 1
W -- Womack L -- Rottinghaus. 2B -- Nemaha Central: Rottinghaus. Silver Lake: Johnson, Womack 2.
