Goddard redeems itself in state softball quarterfinals behind fun, energetic style
Exactly 364 days ago, Goddard coach Rita Smith hugged her seniors; few Lions were without tears.
Thursday, Goddard players strapped their visors upside down, wore gloves on their heads and beat Wichita Northwest 11-8 in its 2019 Class 5A state softball quarterfinal. The Lions showed to have had more fun than any team in the 5A field.
“Everyone is close with everyone,” senior Gentry Shepherd said. “I don’t think there has ever been a bad day or a team fight. We are always picking each other up.”
The fun-loving attitude starts with the Lions’ coach. Smith is loud during the game. She cheers like a player and reacts like a fan. After Goddard won its regional championship last week, she was the first one the field to celebrate with sophomore pitcher Kendal LeGrand. Afterward she asked whether she looked fast.
Thursday, when LeGrand struck out the game’s final batter, Smith gave a 180-degree fist pump and a yell. But it was for good reason; the win marked Goddard’s first appearance in the state softball semifinals since 2013.
“All three of our coaches are just like that,” Shepherd said. “Smith knows how to get us pumped up and never lets us get down on ourselves.”
Shepherd was the game’s most lethal offensive option. Early on, after a 30-minute lightning delay, Shepherd brought the thunder back with two-run home run to crack open the scoring.
And when Goddard needed a spark in the bottom of the fourth, she came through again.
Goddard had gotten out to a six-run lead over Northwest. But the Grizzlies put together a run similar to their regional championship comeback and scored six of their own in the top of the fourth. Momentum was with them.
Then Shepherd stepped up with an RBI double that sparked a tide-changing two-run inning. After the game, the Goddard coaches said that half inning showed what the group was about.
“We could have just laid over and let them take over the game, but for us to come back, it showed that we have a fight in us,” Shepherd said. “We’re not just going to let someone control us.”
But even during Northwest’s six-run rally, Goddard’s non-starters stood on a bench in the dugout. Two girls wore their gloves as hats. Another had her batting helmet turned backward, and two others turned their visors bottom up.
Last year, Goddard struggled to get batters out in the first inning of its 7-4 first round loss to Mill Valley. The Lions committed two errors against the first two batter they faced.
Thursday, they clinched a date against No. 2 seed Bishop Carroll for the right to play for a state championship.
Goddard already made history with its first state win in six years. The Lions will look to make more Friday morning at Maize High.
“Everyone needs to just do their job and play our game,” Shepherd said. “And we know we can do that.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2019 at 12:05 AM.