By Dean Backes
MaxPreps.com
As each baseball season approaches at Kansas City Bishop Ward, the pressure of winning another 4A state baseball championship begins to build.
After Saturday’s 2-1 title win over Andale, the Cyclones can breathe a little easier, at least for another season. The one run triumph over the Indians sealed the school’s sixth straight state title.
“It’s incredible,” Ward head baseball coach Dennis Hurla told the Kansas City Star. “I’ve been so fortunate to have so many different young kids and their families that come through here and they keep it going. There’s people that don’t even know people that started this. But once they get in here, they figure it out.”
Bishop Ward’s six straight titles is a Kansas high school record regardless of class. It’s not the only record the Cyclones secured during the 2008 season, however.
Following a 6-3 loss to Rockhurst on April 22, 2006, Ward won the final nine games of the season and battled through an undefeated season in 2007. This season the Cyclones won their first four games and secured the record with an 8-3 win over Piper. Ward ran the winning streak to 45 games before Rockhurst again defeated the Cyclones by an 8-2 count April 12.
Bishop Ward (22-4) began Regional play with a 4-3 win over Eudora. The Cyclones then defeated Piper 11-7 and Spring Hill 5-1 to secure a berth in the playoffs. Ward knocked off Ottawa and Topeka-Hayden by 4-3 and 3-2 scores, respectively, before securing the 2-1 championship win.
Softball: Holub Notches 21 Ks
Thomas More Prep pitcher Maddie Holub struck out 21 batters in seven innings to lead the Monarchs past Silver Lake 4-1 in 3A state softball quarterfinal action last weekend.
Holub was in the midst of a perfect game when Britney Workman played the role of spoiler for Silver Lake with a leadoff single in the top of the fourth inning. Jamie Lockwood then foiled a shut out in the seventh inning when her two-out RBI scored Whitney Gillman.
The Monarchs then got the final out to move on to the semifinals with the 3-run triumph.
Softball: Another Gem
McLouth’s Lulu Lawson pitched a perfect game in a 1-0 win over Herington last weekend during 3A quarterfinal action. The ace threw 52 strikes in 70 pitches and struck out 17 batters to secure the perfect game and move her team into the semifinals against Thomas More Prep.
“I’ve pitched perfect games before, but this was my first one this year,” Lawson told the Topeka Capital Journal. “To do it at state, it’s nice.”
Lawson helped herself out by driving in the only run in the game.
State Baseball Team Champions
Blue Valley (6A), Topeka Seaman (5A), Kansas City-Bishop Ward (4A), Silver Lake (3A), Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan (2-1A).
State Baseball Playoff Results
Class 6A
Quarterfinals
Lawrence 4, Lawrence Free State 3
Blue Valley 9, Wichita North 2
Goddard 6, Shawnee Mission South 2
Shawnee Mission West 4, Maize 3
Semifinals
Blue Valley 2, Lawrence 0
Goddard 2, Shawnee Mission West 1 (8 innings)
Championship
Blue Valley 4, Goddard 0
Class 5A
Quarterfinals
Topeka Seaman 5, Newton 4
St. Thomas Aquinas 10, Valley Center 0
Wichita-Kapaun 6, Pittsburg 1
Shawnee Heights 3, McPherson 2
Semifinals
Topeka Seaman 11, St. Thomas Aquinas 1
Wichita-Kapaun 18, Shawnee Heights 2
Championship
Topeka Seaman 8, Wichita-Kapaun 1
Consolation
St. Thomas Aquinas 3, Shawnee Heights 1
Class 4A
Quarterfinals
Russell 8, Rose Hill 3
Andale/Garden Plain 2, Wamego 1
Kansas City-Bishop Ward 4, Ottawa 3
Topeka-Hayden 10, Parsons 0
Semifinals
Andale/Garden Plain 7, Russell 1
Kansas City-Bishop Ward 3, Topeka-Hayden 2
Championship
Kansas City-Bishop Ward 2, Andale/Garden Plain 1
Consolation
Topeka-Hayden 18, Russell 7
Class 3A
Quarterfinals
Wichita-Independent 12, Caney Valley 2
Salina Sacred Heart 5, Galena 4
Silver Lake 5, Lakin 2
Richmond-Central Heights 4, Doniphan County 2
Semifinals
Wichita-Independent 10, Salina Sacred Heart 5
Silver Lake 4, Richmond-Central Heights 3
Championship
Silver Lake 7, Wichita-Independent 5
Consolation
Salina Sacred Heart 9, Richmond-Central Heights 2
Class 2-1A
Quarterfinals
Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 12, Spearville 0
Sedan 5, Plainville 4 (8 innings)
St. Marys 9, Cottonwood Falls-CC 7
Moscow 7, Canton-Galva 2
Semifinals
Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 11, Sedan 0
St. Marys 10, Moscow 3
Championship
Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 10, St. Marys 0
State Softball Team Champions
Topeka-Washburn Rural (6A), St. Thomas Aquinas (5A), Andale/Garden Plain (4A), Hays-TMP-Marian (3A), St. Marys (2-1A).
State Softball Playoff Results
Class 6A
Quarterfinals
Topeka-Washburn Rural 2, Blue Valley 0
Goddard 3, Olathe East 2
Olathe North 10, Wichita Heights 3
Olathe Northwest 1, Wichita Northwest 0
Semifinals
Topeka-Washburn Rural 1, Goddard 0
Olathe Northwest 3, Olathe North 2 (9 innings)
Championship
Topeka-Washburn Rural 2, Olathe Northwest 1
Consolation
Goddard 3, Olathe North 2
Class 5A
Quarterfinals
Arkansas City 10, Mill Valley2
Bishop Carroll 2, Topeka Seaman 0
Shawnee Heights 17, Great Bend 3
St. Thomas Aquinas 2, Salina South 1
Semifinals
Bishop Carroll 1, Arkansas City 0 (9 innings)
St. Thomas Aquinas 5, Shawnee Heights 0
Championship
St. Thomas Aquinas 3, Bishop Carroll 0
Consolation
Arkansas City 4, Shawnee Heights 3
Class 4A
Quarterfinals
Girard 6, Santa Fe Trail 1
Colby 3, Perry-Lecompton 2
Andover Central 2, Clay Center 0
Andale/Garden Plain 3, Paola 2
Semifinals
Girard 7, Colby 0
Andale/Garden Plain 1, Andover Central 0
Championship
Andale/Garden Plain 5, Girard 4
Consolation
Andover Central 9, Colby 0
Class 3A
Quarterfinals
Wichita Independent 3, Belle Plaine 2
Riverton 4, Salina Sacred Heart 0
McLouth 1, Herington/White City 0
Hays-TMP-Marian 5, Silver Lake 1
Semifinals
Wichita Independent 6, Riverton 2
Hays-TMP-Marian 5, McLouth 0
Championship
Hays-TMP-Marian 2, Wichita Independent 0
Consolation
McLouth 1, Riverton 0
Class 2-1A
Quarterfinals
Sedan 4, Sylvan Unified/Lucas Luray 0 (8 innings)
St. Marys 4, Spearville 0
Udall 10, Southwestern Heights 0
Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 2, Humboldt 1
Semifinals
St. Marys 14, Sedan 3
Udall 6, Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 0
Championship
St. Marys 6, Udall 1
Consolation
Pittsburg-St. Mary’s Colgan 7, Sedan 1
