Varsity Kansas - The Blog

Post by Jordan Bass

Rea is still perfect through 3 with five strikeouts.

Kapaun escapes of another potential big inning for the Vikings. Seaman put runners on 1st and 3rd with no out but a groundball to 3rd was thrown home and beat the runner to the plate. Kapaun then forced two groundballs to get out of the inning.

3-0 Seaman after 3

Post by Jordan Bass

Vikings pitcher Robbie Rea is perfect through two innings while Kapaun’s Micheal Reynolds settled in and worked a perfect bottom of the 2nd.

3-0 Seaman after 2

Post by Jordan Bass

Not exactly the start Kapaun was looking for in their bid to upset the top-seeded Vikings. 

Seaman’s Robbie Rea strikes out two and gets the other to groundout in the top half of the 1st inning for the Seaman.

Kapaun ran into some trouble in the bottom of the 1st. A four-pitch walk and a single were followed by a popout for the first out. Reynolds hit Rea on the next pitch before Marcus Peavier drove in the first two runs of a game with a single up the chute. Kapaun then gave up the run at home for a try at a double play that only gets the runner out at second. Kapaun finally retires the side on a groundball to the shortstop.

3-0 Seaman after 1

by joanna

I’m a little behind on this, but Matt Browning called to tell me that Carroll fell in the 5A softball championship game. I believe he said it was 3-0 and the third straight year that Carroll lost in the championship.

Tough, tough finish, especially for a team that I didn’t think would get to the second day. But then again, what the heck do I know about predictions. I’m well aware that I stink at them.

by joanna

I know I’m going to take heat for writing about another favorite athlete, which will only solidify my viewpoint that people prefer you to hate on someone rather than praise someone. Go figure.

Anyway, my new favorite is Andale’s Brett Moeder. At the state track meet, you rely on a lot on athletes. They help you find other athletes, teammates or not. They’re primarily the ones you interview because the coaches are somewhere in the stands.

Today I spent time talking to Moeder, who was a part of Andale’s winning 400  relay team. He talked so fondly of his friend, Ethan Ungles, who won the 100, the 200 and anchored the 400 relay. He smiled the whole time. And when I needed to find coach Greg Smarsh to talk about Andale tying for the team title, he walked me to where he thought Smarsh was. When he wasn’t there, Moeder passed my phone number on to his coach.

Maybe you think this isn’t that big of a deal, but think about it. When was the last time someone did something truly thoughtful for you — without them somehow getting something for it? This is obviously a nice kid. A good quote, too.

Post by Jordan Bass

Couple minutes from the first pitch. Kapaun will be the visiting team. The seventh-seeded Crusaders will start freshman Michael Reynolds. Reynolds hasn’t seen the field yet in this state tournament.

The top-seeded Vikings look like they are going to start Robbie Rea. Rea pitched five innings of five-hit ball in the first semifinal that ended three or so hours ago.

Starters are being announced. No big changes in the lineup for Kapaun.

Be back after the first.

Some heavy rain in town last night pushed things back an hour today, but Independent wasn’t fazed, beating Sacred Heart 10-5 in the semis. We’re about halfway home in the consolation game, which is setting us up for Independent and Silver Lake in the nightcap.

Post by Jordan Bass

David Baska throws a gem to lead Aquinas to win.

First pitch for Kapaun and Seaman will be around 6 o’clock as all the players are getting their medals for third and fourth place.

by joanna

Yep, it’s true. The state track meet is running a bit ahead of schedule (can’t tell you how happy that makes me). Yes, there’s still plenty of time left, plenty of races — we’re finishing the 800 boys and then we have the 200 and the 4 by 4.

You can tell everyone’s pretty tired, though. I saw three kids clad in red sweat pants and hoodies asleep face down in the grass. There’s lots of milling around, but there’s a lot of smiles. Hey, when you win, you should smile.

Post by Jordan Bass

Kapaun and Topeka-Seaman may be playing sooner than I thought.

After Heights and Aquinas both gave up double-digit runs in the semifinals they are locked in a pitchers battle, 1-1 in the sixth.

At this pace we may see a championship game by 6 o’clock. I’ll get back to you when this ends.