St. Thomas Aquinas beats Goddard in quarterfinals of Kansas Class 5A state softball tourney

The St. Thomas Aquinas softball team had a very specific gameplan when dealing with Goddard star pitcher Julisa Ortega.

Don’t let her feel comfortable.

Time after time in the Saints’ four-run first inning, Aquinas swung at very few borderline pitches — most of which were called balls.

This led to four walks, two hit batters and just one hit.

Aquinas defeated Goddard 11-4 and will play Topeka Seamen on Friday in the semifinals of the Kansas Class 5A Tournament in Wichita.

“We wanted to make her (Ortega) work,” Aquinas coach Chris Orel said. “We took control of the game after the first inning.”

Kat Lane went 2 for 2 with two walks and was hit by pitch. She scored twice.

Paige Wallace was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

▪ Shawnee Heights defeated Blue Valley Southwest 6-3.

The Thunderbirds’ Payton Reynolds hit a grand slam in the second inning to blow the game open.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 11:07 PM with the headline "St. Thomas Aquinas beats Goddard in quarterfinals of Kansas Class 5A state softball tourney."