Top seed Olathe NW and Olathe West reach Kansas softball semis: State scores, schedule
Unbeaten and top-seeded Olathe Northwest put on a softball clinic at the Kansas Class 6A tournament in Lawrence on Thursday. Later, Olathe West rallied to advance past Olathe North.
The Ravens of Northwest beat No. 8 seed Lawrence Free State 9-1 at the University of Kansas’ Arrocha Ballpark, advancing to the Friday semifinals, where an 11 a.m. matchup with fourth-seeded Washburn Rural (20-3) awaits.
Washburn Rural advanced by beating fifth-seeded Shawnee Mission North (18-5) 5-3 in Thursday’s KSHSAA quarterfinals.
Florida Gators pledge Kendall Yarnell had a monster day at the plate for Olathe Northwest, belting a home run and two doubles and driving in five runs. Junior Ashlyn Gaughan added a three-run triple.
Later in the day, seventh-seeded Olathe North used a four-run sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead against No. 2 seed Olathe West, but it would not last. The Owls rallied with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to win 7-6.
Olathe West senior Madison Walker drove in two to make it 6-5. Sophomore Brevyn Kellepouris followed with an RBI single. And then, with runners at first and third and one away, senior Rori Hornung won it with a sacrifice fly.
Olathe West will meet No. 3 seed Derby (22-1) in the semifinal round (1 p.m., Friday) after the No. 3 seed took down sixth-seeded Manhattan (17-6) 3-2 in a game that ended with a walk-off single in the eighth inning.
The state championship games for all classifications will be held Friday afternoon following earlier semifinals.
Here’s a look at the other state softball tournaments around Kansas:
Class 5A
One of Friday’s semifinals will feature upset winner Shawnee Heights vs. Eisenhower of Goddard.
Eighth-seeded Shawnee Heights pulled a stunner Thursday, ousting top-seeded Bishop Carroll 4-2 at Wilkins Stadium on the Wichita State campus. Carroll fell to 21-2 while Shawnee Heights improved to 16-7.
No. 4 seed Eisenhower (18-5) advanced by beating fifth-seeded Spring Hill 4-0. Spring Hill finished its season 17-6. Eisenhower will meet Shawnee Heights at 11 a.m. Friday.
In another afternoon upset, No. 2 seed Basehor Linwood (20-3) fell 2-1 to Salina South (16-7). No. 3 seed Valley Center (21-2) impressed in an 11-1 win over No. 6 seed Pittsburg HS (16-7) to advance into the semifinal round. The 2-3 semifinal will be at 1 p.m.
Class 4A
In Class 4A action, from Salina South High, No. 1 seed Wamego (18-1) defeated Rock Creek (11-12) 4-0, advancing to face Eudora (16-5) on Friday. No. 4 seed Eudora will meet Class 4A’s top seed after defeating fifth-seeded Garden Plain (15-8) 12-2.
Also advancing to Friday’s semifinal round was No. 2 seed McPherson (20-3), which outlasted Fort Scott (13-9) in a 12-inning battle that ended 3-2. McPherson will meet No. 6 seed Clearwater (15-8), which earned a 5-0 win over No. 3 seed Mulvane (17-6) late Thursday evening.
Class 3A
At Manhattan’s Twin Oaks Complex, Haven (23-1) delivered a statement to the rest of the field with a 17-2 win over eighth-seeded Scott Community (16-8). Another offensive eruption came as No. 6 seed Rossville (18-4) took down third-seeded Columbus 19-7. Columbus finished the year 21-3.
Haven will advance to face Santa Fe Trail (20-3) after the No. 5 seed took down No. 4 seed Beloit (20-4) 5-0.
The other semifinal will pit Rossville against Southeast of Saline (22-2), which won 1-0 over No. 7 seed Burlington (15-7) on Thursday. Both semifinals will be played at 11 a.m. on Friday.
Class 2-1A
No. 1 seed McLouth continued its pursuit of a perfect season in the Class 2-1A tournament at the Green Sports Complex in Pratt. Now 24-0, the top seed defeated Hillsboro (8-14) 9-2 and will face No. 4 seed Eli Saline (19-3), which earned a 3-2 win over No. 5 seed Jayhawk Linn (16-4)
The other semifinal will see No. 2 seed Bluestem (23-1), which defeated No. 7 seed Medicine Lodge (9-15) 10-0, face No. 6 seed St. Marys (19-5), which earned a 12-0 win over No. 3 seed Central Heights (20-2) on Thursday.
