The Perry-Lecompton Kaws softball team entered its 4A regional tournament at Basehor with the proverbial top-seed target on its back. Two shutout wins and a semifinal squeaker later, the Kaws were bound for Salina.
That’s where the Kaws will be the fourth seed in the 4A state softball tournament, which starts Friday at Bill Burke Complex, after capturing the regional title May 13.
The Kaws’ run to state started with the top seed and a 17-2 record, as their only losses were to Bishop Ward and Basehor-Linwood this year. Their first round game in the regional was May 12 versus 5-13 Atchison and, behind the pitching of standout junior Courtney Kasson, the Kaws won, 11-0, to advance to the semifinals.
That set up a chance to avenge a loss as fifth-seeded Basehor-Linwood had defeated fourth-seeded Piper in the first round to move into the semifinals. The Bobcats had defeated the Kaws, 10-5, in early season play.
Kasson, who entered the tournament with a 16-0 record, took the mound against the Bobcats in the semifinals May 13 and held them to 4 hits. The Kaw offense was slow to get going as single runs in the fourth and fifth gave Basehor-Linwood a 2-0 lead late in the game. Kasson doubled home a run in the sixth and, two batters later, sophomore Shelby Erickson hammered a 2-run home run to turn the tables and give Perry-Lecompton a 3-2 lead. The Bobcats got a runner to third in the seventh but Kasson got two crucial strikeouts to end the game.
In the other semifinal, second-seeded Holton had to go nine innings to overcome third-seeded Royal Valley, which had ended Jefferson West’s season in the first round. That gave the Kaws a chance at some more revenge as Holton knocked Perry-Lecompton out of the regional last season and coach Jill Bradney said the Wildcats have ended the team’s season several times over its 15-season history.
This time, Kasson left no doubt with a 3-hit shutout and the Kaws jumped on Holton pitcher Elizabeth Dunn. Junior Emily Huerter scored on a wild pitch and junior catcher LeeAnne Pringle singled home a run in the first to make it 2-0 Kaws, and junior Chelsea Williams made it 3-0 with a run-scoring single in the second. Pringle added another RBI single in the fifth and two runs in the sixth padded the lead. It came down to Kasson, then, who closed the door to improve to 19-0.
The win marked a third milestone for the program this season. The Kaws won their first Kaw Valley League title this year and marked their first regional top seed, and, now, their first state tournament berth. What makes the feat more remarkable is the fact the team has only one senior.
Bradney, who has led the team through the ups and downs of each of its 15 seasons of play, said the team’s hallmarks this season have been solid fundamental play on both sides of the ball. The team has featured a balanced offensive attack and, in a rarity, Bradney allows catcher Pringle to call the pitches in most cases.
“I’m really happy for the kids,” Bradney said. “We’ve had times this year when our seven, eight, or nine hitters have gotten the game-tying or game-winning hits. You never know who’s gonna step up. We had all the same starters from last year’s team and six starters from two seasons ago were still in place. The girls’ ability to get on base and our speed have really made a difference.”
Kasson’s standout pitching has also given Bradney a chance to work freshman Olivia Breitenbach in as the number two pitcher to get some experience that should come in handy next season, if not before. She said the benefits of having so many underclassmen with a great deal of varsity experience have been noticeable.
“The girls have really come together this season,” she said. “A lot of times in the past we’d be down 4 runs and the kids would think, ‘I’ve gotta hit a homer here’ to get us one run. Now they understand what they need to do to come back. Courtney has been our go-to girl this season, but Olivia is coming along. She’s our only freshman on varsity.”
Bradney said the team showed its nerves going into the first-round game against Atchison but she could tell the feel was different going into the semifinals and championship May 13.
“That first game, I saw the girls more nervous than I’d ever seen them this season,” she said. “During warmups I could also tell from how they looked, but they got the job done. The next day, on the bus there, they were laughing and calm and I could just tell they knew what they had to do. We worked on a lot of different styles of pitching this year in practice because we see a lot of high-quality pitchers in our league. The girls just rose to the occasion. That maturity plus working on different pitch locations paid off. Offensively and defensively we’ve been solid overall.”
The Kaws will take on fifth-seeded Colby (18-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in the first round of state at the Burke complex in Salina. The winner of that game will face the winner of the game between top-seeded Girard (21-0) and eighth-seeded Santa Fe Trail (10-12) at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Bradney said the Kaws plan on keeping it business-as-usual in practice as she wants to rely on the tenets that got them this far this season.
“We’re planning on carrying on like we have,” she said. “If we do the things we have done and can do, I don’t see any reason why we can’t make a run at state.”
