FALL SPORTS NOTES: Three Northland softball teams advance to sectionals

Source: The Star

CHRIS OBERHOLTZ | The Kansas City Star

Haley Pypes, seen here in last year’s state tournament, helped Platte County get past Lawson 1-0 in a district championship game.

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Talk about a close call.

After defeating St. Pius X 10-0 in the semifinals of the Missouri Class 3, District 15 softball tournament last Saturday, Platte County followed with a 1-0 victory over Lawson in the championship game.

The Pirates, 22-7, got their lone run against Lawson in the first inning when second baseman Cacy Williams singled to lead off the game, stole second and scored on a single by catcher Brianna Corwin.

From there, Platte coach Rob Davenport said his team managed only one more hit. Luckily that’s all they needed, because pitcher Haley Pypes was dominant. Pypes allowed one hit and struck out 10 to hold the Cardinals scoreless and send the Pirates to sectional competition where they are scheduled to face Chillicothe at 5:30 p.m. today.

Davenport said his team is well-aware that a loss will end its season, but he is confident in a group that has found a way to win more often than not this season.

“We’re playing a lot better than we did early in the year,” he said. “Our young players are stepping up and playing more relaxed. Our hitting is still sporadic, but we’re finding a way to get it done.”

Kearney and Staley also won their district tournaments and will face off at 5 p.m. today at Adair Park in a sectional game.

GIRLS TENNISPark Hill girls tennis coach Tim Kalis can’t help but be optimistic about the state of his team.

And perhaps the biggest reason for that is the improvement he has seen recently. According to Kalis, the Trojans won their 26th consecutive conference dual match against Park Hill South on Sept. 30, then went to a tournament at Columbia Rock Bridge on Oct. 3 and finished second.

Kalis was particularly happy with the Trojans’ 7-4 loss to Rock Bridge, a team that had defeated them handily earlier in the season. “Before when we played them, we were down 5-1 after singles,” Kalis said. “This time we were tied 3-3 after singles, so it was kind of nice to see how far we’ve come.”

Kalis said a big reason for the Trojans’ success has been their solid play in singles. Suzanne Barth has been a consistent force at No. 1 singles, and sisters Alison and Kate Skorija have provided steady play at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

Kalis said a pleasant surprise has been Anna Karasiewicz, the No. 6 player.

“She’s won a lot of big matches for us,” Kalis said.

VOLLEYBALLNorth Kansas City’s volleyball team did not lack for motivation entering its match against Staley on Oct. 5.

After losing to the Falcons in three games when the two teams met earlier in the season, North Kansas City coach Katie Dowden said the Hornets were fired up throughout its 25-16, 25-16 victory

“They played with a lot more heart and passion because they wanted to avenge that loss,” said Dowden, whose team had a 12-7-3 record entering a dual Tuesday against Lee’s Summit West. “We definitely think it boosted our confidence,” she said.

The match was a part of the second annual Dig for the Cure event held at North Kansas City fieldhouse. It was originally planned to be held outside like last season, but it got pushed indoors because of the weather.

Dowden said the event, which also included Winnetonka and Oak Park’s volleyball teams, raised around $2,000 for breast cancer awareness.

BOYS SOCCERNot a bad weekend for a couple of boys soccer teams in the Northland.

St. Pius X won the Northmen Classic last Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Staley, then followed with a 3-0 win over Sedalia Smith-Cotton on Monday. Grant Geary led the way in both victories, scoring the game-winning goal against Staley and two goals against Smith-Cotton.

• Park Hill’s boys soccer team emerged as the winner of the Panther Classic last Saturday, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Park Hill South. The Trojans then followed that up with a 2-1 win over Oak Park on Monday to improve to 13-4 on the season.

submitted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR - 2009-10-13 14:17:01