Kansas high school softball scores: The 10 regional title games you need to know
Regional championships and tickets to the Kansas high school softball state tournament were punched on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here are the 10 softball game scores to know from this week.
1. Goddard outlasts Andover in 5A title thriller
In a thriller fit for two of the top teams in Class 5A battling for one berth to the state tournament, Goddard pulled out a 3-1 win over Andover in 10 innings on Wednesday night in Andover.
After each team scored a run in the third inning, the game remained tied until Goddard plated two in the top of the 10th inning. Laci Dryden provided the game-winning hit, a RBI triple to left field that plated Emma Johnson. Dryden, who finished with a game-high four hits, scored the insurance run on a squeeze bunt.
Andover (17-5) had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, but Goddard (16-6) ace Kendal LeGrand struck out the hitter to end the game. LeGrand earned the victory with a complete-game performance in 10 innings with a career-high 18 strikeouts.
Kylie Forney delivered the RBI hit for Andover in the third inning, while lead-off hitter Bailey Way added four hits and Alyssa Evans had three hits. Senior ace Tess Eubank also threw a 10-inning complete game, striking out 11 hitters.
2. Skyora Smith’s blast sends Valley Center to state
In another close championship battle between two top 5A teams, Valley Center sophomore Skyora Smith hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a tie game and send the Hornets to the state tournament with a 7-4 win over Maize in a game played at Valley Center on Tuesday.
Maize (15-7) scored four runs, highlighted by a 2-RBI hit from Kennedy Topping, in the fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead. But Maci George finished with two runs batted in for Valley Center (17-5), while Smith earned the victory in the circle with a complete game performance and 11 strikeouts. Maize ace Riley Wertz struck out 14 hitters in six innings.
The undefeated season continued for Bishop Carroll, which didn’t have much of an issue defeating Salina South, 8-1, in the regional title game on Wednesday played at Valley Center.
3. Andale-Garden Plain overcomes rocky start to top Circle for title
Andale-Garden Plain survived an early scare to rally back for a 14-11 victory over Circle in a regional championship game played in Goddard on Wednesday.
It was a rocky start for Andale-Garden Plain (19-13), as Circle (13-9) took a 9-4 lead after a seven-run third inning that saw five of the runs scored on bases-loaded walks. But that’s when Andale-Garden Plain started chipping away at the lead.
The hosts plated two runs in the third and fourth innings, to close the gap to 9-8, then exploded for five runs in the fifth inning to take a 13-9 lead. Brady Schwartz and Anna Berblinger each drove in three runs, while Madison Nightengale, Jaysa Anderson and Hannah Decker all finished with two RBI’s.
Circle tried to rally in the seventh inning, as Adie White delivered an RBI double to trim the deficit to 14-11 but was ultimately stranded on second base, as Hannah Decker pitched five innings of relief for Andale-Garden Plain to close out the game.
4. Eisenhower rallies to secure come-from-behind 5A state berth
In a regional championship hosted at Eisenhower, the host Tigers rallied from a deficit for a 5-3 victory over Newton in the title game on Tuesday.
Newton (11-11) took a 3-0 lead, highlighted by a RBI single from Kenzi Cusiak, after four innings. That’s when Eisenhower (18-4) pulled off a two-out rally in the fifth inning to plate four runs, as Lauren McNaught, Audry Rumsey and Calli McConnell all delivered RBI hits to give Eisenhower the lead. Allyson Montgomery closed out the complete-game win for the Tigers, as she allowed just one earned run and struck out 11 hitters.
5. Bishop Carroll will enter state tournament with undefeated record
Carroll (20-0) jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a five-run second inning highlighted by Eve Morris’ three-run home run. Kiley Brewster finished with a game-high three hits, while Kendall Forbes also drove in two runs with Kadence Brewster throwing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts to earn the win in the circle.
6. Cheney secures top seed at 3A state tournament with late win
Cheney (22-1) advanced to the 3A state tournament with the best record, following a dramatic 5-2 victory over Kingman-Norwich in a regional championship game on Wednesday played at Cheney Sports Complex.
With the game tied 2-2 between the top two seeds in the fifth inning, Cheney’s Elina Bartlett delivered a go-ahead, 2-RBI double and the Cardinals never looked back. Korri Lies earned the win in the circle for Cheney, scattering two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.
7. Tessa Irwin’s game-winning homer finishes Winfield’s upset win
In the Clearwater regional championship game, Winfield junior Tessa Irwin smashed a two-run home run in the sixth inning for what proved to be the game-winning hit in Winfield’s 4-3 upset victory over Clearwater in the title game.
Clearwater (16-6) was led by three hits from Briona Woods, while Irwin had two of five hits for Winfield (14-8).
8. Belle Plaine knocks off top seed to win 2-1A regional title
Belle Plaine knocked off top seed Dexter-Cedar Vale, 8-5, in a 2-1A regional championship game at Sedan on Wednesday to advance to the state tournament.
Belle Plaine (19-4) has won 15 of its last 16 games entering the postseason, while Dexter-Cedar Vale saw a 19-3 season come to an end.
9. Northwest drops close, high-scoring title game in Garden City
In a regional championship in Garden City, Northwest finished with 19 hits but couldn’t come up with the win in a 14-12 loss to the host Buffaloes. Northwest ended its season with a 17-5 record.
10. Augusta loses a pitchers’ duel in 4A regional title game
Augusta out-hit Pratt, 12-5, in a regional championship game in Pratt, but the Orioles could never score on Pratt ace Kami Theis in a 2-0 win for the Greenbacks to advance to the state tournament.
Augusta (13-9) ace Morgan Pennycuff allowed two runs in the third inning, but was otherwise spectacular, finishing the game with nine strikeouts. The Orioles had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh inning, but were thrown out at home twice to end the game.
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