5A State Softball Quarterfinal Results

WICHITA, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - Quarterfinal contests are in the books, here is who from 5A softball will be playing on Friday in hopes of securing a state championship

LeGrand shines for Goddard

Senior pitcher Kendal LeGrand has done it all for Goddard this year. She pitched 10 innings, striking out 18 in the regional final contest to defeat Andover. Thursday she was back in the circle and picked up right where she left off, tossing a one hitter to lead the Lions past Spring Hill.

The lone run for the Broncos came on a big fly from pitcher Vanessa Murray, a solo shot that gave Spring Hill a 1-0 advantage. Murray and LeGrand then took the pitcher’s dual with no budging either way until the 5th inning when Laci Dryden slapped a bases loaded single to tie things up. Natalie Klenda-Lopez followed that up reaching on a run scoring error to put the Lions up 2-1--but Murray ended the threat with back to back strikeouts.

Unfortunately for the Spring Hill offense, nothing went their way against the pitching of LeGrand the rest of the way. The Goddard senior struck out the side in the 6th, then in the 7th she was intentionally walked following a pair of singles to load the bases, and Goddard added an insurance run on a passed ball to win it 3-1. LeGrand struck out 11 for the game, walking one and allowing just the one hit on the home run

Basehor-Linwood walks it off

The second quarterfinal between jumped out to a quick start offensively, with Valley Center scoring three first inning runs, but it was Basehor-Linwood that got the last laugh, winning in walk-off fashion 5-4.

Kennedy Johnson hit a two run triple, then Cheyenne Blackwood brought her home with a double to the wall for an early Hornet lead. The Bobcats got a pair of those back in the bottom half, with Bella Rollo hitting an RBI triple of her won and adding one more on a sacrifice bunt. Jessica Lutgen then tied it at 3 on an RBI double in the second.

The Bobcats took their first lead of the game on a Rollo solo shot in the third, but that lead was short lived with Ainsley Kraus plating a run on a single, but then the two pitchers settled in to keep things scoreless until the final inning. Taylor Cruse came to bat and backed up her pitching performance in a big way, walking it off with a solo homer in the bottom of the 7th and sending Basehor-Linwood to the semifinal round.

The Bobcats will meet Goddard with a spot in the state title game on the line Friday at 11am.

Carroll’s unbeaten run continues

A strong pitching performance backed up early runs and Bishop Carroll blanked St. Thomas Aquinas to improve to 21-0 and reach the semifinal round.

Kadence Brewster went four innings allowing just one hit, then Anna Stephen took over in the circle to complete the 4-0 win for the Golden Eagles. Stephen was also responsible for starting the scoring for Carroll, plating a run on an RBI single in the second. Three more Golden Eagle runs came across in the third, starting on a Kendall Forbes sac fly and then Brewster smacking a two run double to provide all of the game’s scoring.

Ike eliminates defending champs

In the final game of the night, Eisenhower jumped out to a 2-0 second inning lead and didn’t look back in knocking off three-time defending champion Shawnee Heights and send both USD 265 schools to the state semifinals.

Tiger starter Allyson Montgomery found herself in early trouble, when a pair of HBP’s and a single loaded the bases in the first inning. But she settled in, striking out the next three batters to get out unscathed. Mykala Johnico matched her for the T-Birds, striking out the side in the first for a scoreless inning.

But the Tigers got to her in the second, loading the bases for Carsyn McCue who started things with an RBI single. Grace Sykora would later get hit by a pitch with the bags still full to make it 2-0 Eisenhower. Heights got one back in the third, but Sykora hit a 4th inning RBI single to get the spread right back to two runs.

From there it was all pitching, with the Montgomery going the distance in allowing only four hits and striking out 11 in the win. Ike will take on Bishop Carroll in Friday’s semifinal round, a rematch from two weeks prior that saw the Golden Eagles win 3-1--their closest game of the season.

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