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Senior Night sweep for THS softball

By Benton Smith - | May 7, 2009

Benton Smith

Senior Tonganoxie High right fielder Emily Gripka runs in after catching a fly ball on Thursday during the Chieftains' Senior Night sweep of Bishop Ward.

The Tonganoxie High softball team got just what it needed on Senior Night — a pair of wins.

The Chieftains swept visiting Bishop Ward on Thursday with victories of 2-1 and 4-1.

Senior center fielder Lauren Himpel was a big part of Tonganoxie’s success, going five for six at the plate with two triples, a double and three runs scored in the sweep. But pitching and defense were just as crucial.

Junior Angela Jacobs threw a complete game in the 2-1 win and her younger sister, sophomore Tiffany Jacobs, pitched five innings of relief in the 4-1 win after Nikki Pennington started the game with two shutout innings.

Brooklyn Kerbaugh scored the first run of the night for THS (5-9) in the second inning of the one-run squeaker. Himpel then scored in the third when Kaitlyn Wolken drove her home.

In the second game, Himpel led off the first inning with a single. After stealing second and advancing to third on a passed ball, Wolken scored her again with a single to center field.

In the third inning, the Chieftains tripled for their second run. First, with one out, Himpel tripled down the right-field line. Then, with two down, Wolken knocked a triple to the left-field gap to give THS a 2-0 lead.

Tonganoxie added two more in the fourth, when Tiffany Jacobs led off the inning with a bloop single to center field. Kerbaugh followed with a bunt single. After Ward recorded two outs, the second on a grounder to third that advanced the runners to scoring position, a wild pitch allowed THS to tack on two. Kailan Kuzmic (pinch running for the pitcher Jacobs) scored on a wild pitch to Emily Gripka, and when the Cyclones’ catcher threw to the pitcher covering home, the ball got away, allowing Kerbaugh to score as well.

The fifth inning began to look like a chance for Ward to get back in the ballgame as its first two hitters singled. However, a fly out caught by left fielder McKenzie Knight followed by a line out to third baseman Makayla Leslie, who forced a double play with a throw to second, put an end to that.

Tonganoxie plays host to Perry-Lecompton at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.