By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
More times than not over the last several years, the Centennial League softball title race has come down to the early-season doubleheader between Washburn Rural and Topeka High.
And while Washburn Rural coach Joy Marie Galliart would rather play the showdown against High later in the season than in the Junior Blues' Centennial League openers, Friday's 11-1, 7-3 wins at Hummer Sports Park gave Rural an early leg up in its quest for another league crown.
Washburn Rural softball celebrates after closing out a Centennial League sweep over Topeka High Friday night at Hummer Sports Park. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"I actually talked to (Washburn Rural athletic director Charlie Nimz) about trying to get this later in the year and it just wouldn't work from their end,'' Galliart said. "I'm not a fan of playing league games the first week you start playing, just because you're not sure of where you're going to be.
"But when you come out and you're able to get two wins it does give you a lot of confidence and a little bit of momentum rolling into the rest of your season.'
Washburn Rural, now 4-0 overall, jumped out in front 3-0 in the top of the first in the opener and added a run in the third, two in the fourth and and five in the top of the fifth en route to a five-inning win via the 10-run rule.
Senior Reagan Chapman pitched a five-inning four-hitter in Washburn Rural's 11-1 first-game win over Topeka High Friday. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Senior Reagan Chapman pitched a complete-game four-hitter for the Junior Blues while senior catcher Henley Rapp and sophomore Emma Duran both tripled and Duran also had a double.
Junior Campbell Dawson drove in the Trojans' lone run in the opener with a fourth-inning double.
The nightcap was tied 1-1 after the first inning and stayed that way through three innings before the Junior Blues scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth and three in the fifth to go up 6-1.
Topeka High (2-2) got back in the hunt with a pair of runs in the sixth, but Rural added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring single from sophomore Adda Boleski and Junior Blue junior pitcher Oliva Koch ended the game with a one-two-three seventh.
Koch allowed seven hits while recording eight strikeouts and went 2 of 3 at the plate with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI. Boleski went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI.
"I told our kids that I felt like we were in some late-season situations early in the season,'' Galliart said. "We had some pressure on us defensively and we made some plays. We needed some quality at bats to produce with some runs and we had some kids do that.
"We had pitchers that were in tough situations and they were able to pitch out of them, so I felt like we had some tough situations early in the season and we were able to handle them.''
Topeka High sophomore Adrianna Adame and senior Taimane Isaia both tripled in the game while Dawson and Isaia both doubled.
Adame and Isaia both went 2 for 3 with RBIs.
Like Galliart, Topeka High coach Shane Miles would have preferred to play Rural later in the year, but he said the Trojans will learn from Friday's games.
"It is what it is and it's the way it's scheduled,'' Miles said. "Do I like playing them early? No, but they probably don't like playing us early either. It's two teams battling against each other and we see what we need to work on.
"When we come to the end of the year it will show up.''
GAME 1
WASHBURN RURAL 11, TOPEKA HIGH 1
Washburn Rural 301 25 -- 11 11 1
Topeka High 000 10 -- 1 4 0
Chapman and Rapp. Young, Dawson (5) and Gateley. W -- Chapman. L -- Young. 2B -- Washburn Rural: McBurney, Duran. Topeka High: Dawson. 3B -- Washburn Rural: Rapp, Duran.
GAME 2
WASHBURN RURAL 7, TOPEKA HIGH 3
Washburn Rural 100 230 1 -- 7 7 0
Topeka High 100 002 0 -- 3 7 1
Koch and Rapp. Dawson, Young (7) and Chard. W -- Koch. L -- Dawson. 2B -- Topeka High: Dawson, Isaia. 3B -- Washburn Rural: Koch. Topeka High: Adame, Isaia.
