Olathe South captures Kansas 6A softball crown

Happiness looks like big smiles in the home dugout, a fanbase going crazy and a coach screaming and pumping his arms as his player circles the bases in celebration of a home run.

Bailey Boxberger smacked a solo shot in the fifth-inning, the perfect punctuation for her team’s run to a Kansas 6A softball state championship. Boxberger and the Olathe South Falcons backed up their No. 1 seed and beat cross-town rival Olathe Northwest 7-3 for the title Friday evening at Rock Chalk Park.

“Freakin’ heck yes,” Boxberger said when asked what went through her mind as she rounded the bases. “I can’t even put it into words, this feeling. I love it.”

Olathe South capped its season with a 23-2 record, and beat the other three Olathe softball teams on the way to the title. In Thursday’s quarterfinals, the Falcons topped Olathe East 2-1 in extra innings. Then, in Friday’s semifinals — after a 5-hour, 11-minute rain delay — they defeated Olathe North 12-2 in five innings.

Olathe South continued its hot hitting against the second-seeded Ravens, jumping to a 6-2 lead after three innings. Boxberger added her bases-empty shot in the fifth before Olathe Northwest tacked on a run in the top of the seventh.

“It just seemed to hang up there forever. It was like a slow-motion home run,” Olathe South coach Michael Allen said of Boxberger’s home run.

“Olathe Northwest — you know, we’re the best team today, but I don’t know if we’re the best team in Kansas, because ONW is (darn) good. But we just made a few more plays.”

The Falcons had two pitchers handle Olathe Northwest on Friday night, which was no small task. The Ravens also won their semifinal in mercy-rule fashion, a 12-0 drubbing of No. 3 Wichita Northwest. But starter Lexie Storrer and reliever Maryssa Rollin combined to give up just five hits in seven innings.

At one point, both pitchers escaped bases-loaded jams — Storrer in the top of the third, with back-to-back strikeouts; Rollin in the top of the fourth by way of a grounder and another strikeout.

“I’m really proud of both of them,” Allen said. “Lexie was our best pitcher all year, playing the big games and what not. … And Maryssa, she hasn’t pitched very many varsity games this year, she went out there, and oh my God, it was insane.”

On Thursday, Allen said his team had come here on a mission to “win the whole thing.” He was reminded of that line Friday night under the lights, just after his team gave him a Gatorade bath, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Is this a dream? Are you kidding me?” he said and smiled. “It’s insane.”

Olathe South 12, Olathe North 2

Olathe South, the No. 1 seed in the Kansas Class 6A softball state tournament, notched its second straight victory over a rival Olathe area high school on Friday afternoon.

The Falcons needed just 4 1/3 innings to defeat No. 4 seed Olathe North, 12-2, in Friday;s first semifinal at Rock Chalk Park. Kala Holder’s two-RBI double in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Olathe South its mercy-rule victory and a spot in the state championship game.

Olathe North finished its season 19-5 and in third place at the 6A state tournament after Kansas State High School Activities Association officials decided to cancel the third-place game due to a weather delay that lasted 5 hours, 11 minutes.

Olathe South, which defeated Olathe East on Thursday in a quarterfinal game, improved its record to 22-2.

Olathe Northwest 12, Wichita Northwest 0

Just a couple of hours after top-seeded Olathe South won in mercy-rule fashion to reach the Kansas Class 6A softball state title game on Friday, Olathe Northwest repeated the feat. The No. 2 seeded Ravens pummeled No. 3 Wichita-Northwest 12-0.

Olathe Northwest, 22-2, raced out to a 7-0 lead after the first inning. The early bomb was a three-run home run by Olathe Northwest catcher Reagan Hathaway. The Ravens added three more runs in the second inning, and two more in the third for insurance.

Wichita Northwest wound up tied with Olathe North for third place after KSHSAA cancelled the third-place game.

This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Olathe South captures Kansas 6A softball crown."