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Braves, Pirates feature in 5A regional softball tourney

Piper senior catcher Kaitlyn Bradbury applied a tag at the plate to Bonner Springs senior shortstop Emily Ashford. Bradbury and Ashford will be teammates next year on the KCKCC softball team. Bonner Springs won the 5A regional semi-final 10-7 over Piper. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Bonner Springs and Piper high school softball teams competed in the KSHSAA 5A regional tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Basehor-Linwood high school. The host Lady Bobcats won the tournament and will advance as one of eight teams to the state tournament.

Basehor-Linwood defeated St. James Academy 14-4 in the first semi-final game of the afternoon.

Bonner Springs and Piper matched up in the second semi-final, which was delayed in the first inning for a brief but intense rain shower.

Bonner Springs got on the board first in the bottom of the 1st inning with a double by Teelie Super bringing home Carley Billings. Piper answered back in the top of the 2nd with Kaia Cordill’s double to left bringing in Gabrielle Salazar.

The Lady Pirates went ahead 3-1 in the top of the 3rd with doubles from Kaitlyn Bradbury and Shalom Searcy. The Lady Braves responded with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 3.

In the top of the 4th, Piper scored 3 to go up 6-3, with runs batted in from Grace Rome, Sage Grann and Bradbury. Once again Bonner Springs answered back in the bottom of the inning, scoring runs from Meghan Billings, Autumn Ashford and Carley Billings. A tag at the plate by Piper catcher Bradbury ended the inning with the scored tied at 6.

Lady Braves reliever Carley Billings notched 4 strikeouts in the 5th and 6th innings to cool the Piper offense.

In the bottom of the 6th, Bonner Springs put up 4 runs for a 10-6 lead. A series of singles kept the Lady Braves line moving, and earned them the victory. Piper’s comeback attempt in the top of the 7th fell short, but earned them a run on Searcy’s 2nd RBI of the game.

The regional championship followed immediately the semi-final contest, so the Lady Braves had little time to catch their breath.

Starting pitcher Carley Billings held Basehor scoreless through four innings, working out of trouble in most of them, while the Bonner Springs offense had trouble finding traction against Lady Bobcats pitcher Taylor Cruse. In the bottom of the 5th, a double, followed by a misplayed bunt, opened the floodgates for Basehor, which put up 5 runs in the inning.

Bonner Springs got on the board in the 6th and 7th, but as dusk closed in on the field, the final margin stood at 5-2.

Both teams have a bright future next year. Coach Rachel Milnark will have all her starters returning, except senior Kaitlyn Bradbury. Bonner Springs head coach David Blazevic is in a similar spot, returning all his starters except senior Emily Ashford.

Ashford and Bradbury will switch from opponents to teammates next season, both committed to play for the KCKCC Lady Blue Devils.

Bonner Springs freshman Mariah Herrera hit a single to deep left field in the regional final. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper freshman third baseman Grace Rome threw to first on a grounder, while Bonner Springs freshman Autumn Ashford looked for the chance to dash home from third. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner Springs junior second baseman Carley Billings settled under a pop-up to short right field. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper freshman second baseman Sage Grann threw home on a grounder. Grann was the Lady Pirates’ leading hitter this season with a .507 batting average. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner Springs junior pitcher Carley Billings came on in relief in the 5th inning of the semi-final game. She also started in the championship game. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper senior catcher Kaitlyn Bradbury upended Bonner Springs senior Emily Ashford with a tag at the plate. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner Springs sophomore third baseman Wren VanCleave secured a pop-up near home plate. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper sophomore outfielder Shalom Searcy dove and rolled to come up with an out in left field. Searcy hit 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs in the game. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner Springs freshman outfielder Emmalee Foya charged in to catch a fly ball to short right field. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper freshman Grace Rome slid in to second base just ahead of the throw. Rome was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the game. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper sophomore Alyssa McClanahan was the Lady Pirates’ starting pitcher in the semi-final game. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper sophomore Kylie Brockman watched a high pitch sail past on her way to earning a first inning walk. Brockman hit .411 on the season with 7 home runs. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Piper freshman Emma Moppin, on as a relief pitcher, threw to first on a grounder. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Bonner Springs freshman Autumn Ashford rounded third base. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

The Bonner Springs Lady Braves softball team posed together after the tournament. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Pulido scores brace, Melia shuts out Whitecaps

Goalkeeper Tim Melia notched his first save of the year in the first half of Sporting Kansas City’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Kansas City won 3-0. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia returned to the starting lineup in time to help his team post its first shutout of the 2021 season, a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Melia had been out of action with a chest injury since the start of the season.

Kansas City’s prolific offense and stingy defense made Melia’s task lighter, holding the ball for 67% of the match and allowing only 2 shots on frame, both handled deftly by the goalkeeper.

Daniel Salloi opened the scoring for Kansas City in the 28th minute. Alan Pulido lost the ball in a challenge near the Vancouver goal, but the ball rolled to Salloi on the left side. Salloi played the ball back across goal and inside the far post for the score.

Salloi and Pulido combined in a different way for Kansas City’s second goal just four minutes later. Salloi was brought down in the penalty area by midfielder Ryan Raposo to earn a penalty kick, which Pulido converted for Kansas City’s 2-0 halftime margin.

Sporting’s offensive pressure continued after the break, and Pulido notched his second goal in the 58th minute. From the left sideline Gadi Kinda fed the ball to Pulido near the 18-yard stripe. Pulido cut quickly to his right to earn some space, and then fired a shot that beat Vancouver’s lunging goalkeeper to the near post.

The defensive lineup featured Ilie Sanchez continuing at center back, away from his usual midfield position, while Gianluca Busio slotted in as the holding midfielder. After the match, head coach Peter Vermes praised his defense’s contribution to the result.

“When you look at the back four and Busio, and the way that those guys all played together, I thought it was excellent,” Vermes said.

“They allowed for the front five to get in good spots. The front five’s movement off the ball was rewarded because of the possession that we were able to keep in the back and in the way that we were building the field up.”

The victory pushes Sporting to third place in the MLS Western conference. They will play next Saturday at San Jose, and then return home for a match against the Houston Dynamo at 7:30 p.m. May 29.

Forward Alan Pulido scored his second goal of the match from just inside the 18-yard box. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Pulido celebrated after scoring his second goal of the match. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Forward Daniel Salloi pushed the ball in toward the Vancouver goal. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Defender Ilie Sanchez won a ball in the air over Vancouver forward Lucas Cavellini. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Midfielder Remi Walter launched a shot on goal in the second half. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Forward Khiry Shelton settled a pass before driving in to the Vancouver goal. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Defender Jaylin Lindsey headed the ball over Vancouver midfielder Deiber Caicido. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Forward Wilson Harris, on as a late substitute, got out on a breakaway, but was reeled in by the Vancouver defense before he could pull the trigger. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Defender Graham Zusi juked defender Cristian Gutierrez near the Vancouver goal. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Goalkeeper Tim Melia gave his practice jersey to a young fan shaken by a couple of errant shots into the stands. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Lady Braves celebrate soccer seniors

Bonner Springs senior goalkeeper Alex Rivers pounced on a rebound to prevent a Piper goal. Piper won the match 6-1. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

The Bonner Springs Lady Braves celebrated their soccer seniors Tuesday evening. The warm glow of affection from their teammates was dimmed just slightly by a 6-1 defeat from the Piper Lady Pirates.

Other than the halftime ceremony, the Lady Pirates controlled most of the proceedings on the field. Piper’s speed up front gave them an advantage in playing over the top, and they ran out to a 4-0 halftime lead.

Bonner’s speedy striker Jenna Knight attracted multiple defenders when she got into an attacking space, but finally broke through with a second-half goal to get the Lady Braves on the board.

Piper’s over-anxious forwards got pulled back for offsides several times early in the second half, slowing their attack. Lady Braves goalkeeper Alex Rivers also recorded some timely saves to limit Piper to 2 goals in the half.

Piper’s Morgan Parker scored 2 goals in the match, the first of her varsity career. Brylie Reece also opened her scoring account with a first-half goal. Ryann Clark added two goals, and Sierra Montez one in the first half. Samantha Trumbo earned two assists.

Piper’s record improves to 11-3. They’re currently ranked fourth in the 5A East Region schools. The Pirates will play at Eudora on Thursday in their last regular season game. Bonner Springs finishes its regular season at 6-10. Both teams will be getting ready for the regional playoffs starting May 17.