Even with a State Championship to their credit, the players aren't taking anything for granted.  They began the season with a theme; "Never let your past success overshadow the hard work yet to be done"  The Saints know all to well that they can lose if they are not focused, but they have also learned that the can beat anyone they face if they put it all together.

5A State is turning out to be a very tight grouping of talented teams this year.  Lansing takes the top seed with just one loss for the season.  The next four spots came down to a coin flip, since Aquinas, Bishop Carroll, Andale/Garden Plain and Andover-Central are all going into the post-season 20-2.  Dispite being the defending State Champions, Aquinas didn't fair well in the coin toss event, drawing the number 5 seed and being paired with Andover-Central in the first round.

The Saints will be back in action next Friday (May 29th) at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka, KS.

Saint Thomas Aquinas - Regular Season Wrap-up

The Saints won the Kansas 5A State Championship in 2008 and look to be a genuine challenger for the title again this year.  They return with last year’s All-State pitcher Kellie White and All-State Outfielder Janessa Swinney.  Add to that, returning starters Cayce Jacquinot, Ashley Dobbie, Ellen Drummond, Lauren Thimmesch, Andrea Piezuch and Katelyn Nill, and a Saints defense that has frustrated team after team throughout the season, and you have a dangerous combination.

White and Nill have proven to be to be a deadly duo from the circle and the stingy Saints defense has made it difficult for even the best hitting teams to find a hole.  Saint Thomas Aquinas has out-scored their opponents 138-40 and they have 9 players hitting above .300 for the season.

Game 1

Saint Thomas Aquinas scored a run in the bottom of the first inning on a single by Jenna Boutte, a single by Janessa Swinney and an RBI single by Cayce Jacquinot.

The Saints scored another two runs in the second inning on a single by Kellie White, a Sacrifice bunt by Halie Horn, a single by Ellen Drummond and a 2 RBI double by Boutte.

The Jaguars scored a run in the top of the third inning on a single by Bell, a single by Scopp and an RBI single by Buck.

The Saints came right back to score three more runs in the bottom of the third inning on a walk by Dobbie, a single by Thimmesch, an RBI single by White and a 2 RBI double by Drummond.

The Saints scored another two runs in the fourth inning on a two-out single by Jacquinot, a single by Dobbie and a Jaguars error.

 White & Drummond were 2 for 3.

Game 2

The Saints scored a run in the bottom of the first inning on a single by Boutte, a sacrifice bunt by Swinney and an RBI single by Jacquinot.

Saint Thomas Aquinas broke it open in the fourth inning scoring five runs on a walk by Jacquinot (Paige Mason ran for Jacquinot), a bunt by Dobbie, an RBI single by Thimmesch, a 2 RBI double by Halie Horn, a 2 RBI single by Drummond and an RBI single by Swinney.

The Saints added another run in the fifth inning on a single by Dobbie, a sacrifice bunt by Thimmesch and a Jaguars error.

Blue Valley West scored a run in the sixth inning on a single by Oberdorfer and an RBI single by Lybarger.

The Saints responded with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out walk by Boutte, a single by Swinney, a Jaguars error and an RBI single by Dobbie.

 Ashley Dobbie was 3 for 4.

Saint Thomas Aquinas - Regular Season Wrap-up

The Saints won the Kansas 5A State Championship in 2008 and look to be a genuine challenger for the title again this year.  They return with last year’s All-State pitcher Kellie White and All-State Outfielder Janessa Swinney.  Add to that, returning starters Cayce Jacquinot, Ashley Dobbie, Ellen Drummond, Lauren Thimmesch, Andrea Piezuch and Katelyn Nill, and a Saints defense that has frustrated team after team throughout the season, and you have a dangerous combination.

White and Nill have proven to be to be a deadly duo from the circle and the Saints defense has made it difficult for even the best hitting teams to find a hole.  Saint Thomas Aquinas has out-scored their opponents 128-39 and they have 9 players hitting above .300 for the season.

The Saints hosted the Emporia Spartans at Lone Elm Park on Friday, and won the double header 8-1 and 6-0.

Junior Kellie White started for the Saints.  Saint Thomas Aquinas scored a run in the bottom of the second inning on a fielder’s choice by White (Katy Pascuzzi ran for White) and an RBI double by Halie Horn.

The Saints scored another two runs in the third inning on a triple by Andrea Piezuch, a bunt by Jenna Boutte.  Piezuch scored when Boutte drew a throw to second on her attempted steal.  Swinney doubled and was batted home on a Jacquinot double.

The fourth inning brought in another three runs on a walk by Horn, a bunt single by Ellen Drummond and a sequence of errors by the Spartans.  Piezuch singled, stole second and scored on a Jacquinot RBI single.

The Saints added two more runs in the fifth inning after Dobbie reached on an error, White sacrifice bunted her to second, Paige Mason walked, Dobbie stole home and Piezuch singled to score Mason.

Thimmesch came in to pitch for the Saints to start the sixth inning.  Emporia scored one run on a double by Hileman and an RBI single by Bohrer.

Horn was one for one, while Piezuch was three for four, Swinney and Jacquinot were two for four.

White gave up two hits and two walks while striking out six in five innings.

Junior Katelyn Nill took the circle for the Saints in game two.  The Saints scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a single by Swinney, an RBI single by Dobbie, a single by Jacquinot and an Emporia error.

Saint Thomas Aquinas scored two more runs in the second inning on a single by Piezuch, a Spartan error that allowed Dobbie to reach base, and an RBI single by Jacquinot.

The Saints scored another two runs in the sixth inning on a single by Mason, a walk by Boutte, an RBI single by Piezuch and an RBI single by Dobbie.

Swinney, Jacquinot, Dobbie and Piezuch were all two for four in game two.

Nill gave up four hits and two walks while fanning five for her shutout win in six innings.

The Saints are scheduled to take on league rival Blue Valley West on Monday for, what may well determine, the East Kansas League championship.  BV West squeezed by the Saints in their last match 6-5.

The Saints opened it up in the top of the first inning scoring 5 runs on walks by Andrea Piezuch and Jenna Boutte, an RBI single by Janessa Swinney, and RBI single by Ashley Dobbie, a single by Lauren Thimmesch, a single by Kellie White, and two Miege errors.

Aquinas scored again in the top of the third inning on a triple down the right field line by Thimmesch and an RBI sacrifice fly by White.

The Saints put up the 10 spot in the top of the sixth inning, scoring another 4 runs on a walk by Paige Mason, a sacrifice bunt by Dani Pfeifer, an RBI single by Ellen Drummond, a single by Piezuch, and RBI single by Boutte, and an RBI single by Dobbie.

Thimmesch came in to close out the bottom of the sixth inning for the Saints.

Thimmesch and Piezuch were 2 for 3, while White, Boutte, Swinney and Dobbie all hit .500 in this game.

White allowed just 3 hits and no walks while striking out 5 in her 5 innings, and Thimmesch allowed no hits and 1 walk in their combined shutout of the Stags.

The second game played out a little different, but the results were the same. The Saints scored 2 runs in the top of the fourth inning on a single by Swinney, an RBI single by Cayce Jacquinot and an RBI single by Thimmesch.

Miege answered in the bottom of the inning with a run on a single by C. Gemmill and an RBI double by B Gemmill.

Aquinas put up 2 more runs in the top of the fifth inning on a 2-out single by Swinney and a 2-run home run by Jacquinot.

Swinney led the Saints going 3 for 4 at the plate, while Jacquinot was 2 for 3 with a home run.

Katelyn Nill allowed 4 hits and no walks, while striking out 9 (including 5 of the final 6 batters faced)

The Saints won the opener 1-0 in a pitching and defensive dual between the Saints junior Kellie White and MU bound Blue Valley pitcher Lindsey Muller. 

The games only score came in the top of the third inning when Saints junior Ellen Drummond singled to short right field.  Junior Andrea Piezuch sacrificed Drummond to second base, and senior Janessa Swinney singled to score Drummond. 

White scattered 6 hits and one walk, while fanning 6, and the Saints defense took care of the rest to earn the shutout. 

Muller allowed just 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5. 

Saints 1^st baseman Lauren Thimmesch went 2 for 3 to lead both teams at the plate.

The Saints won the nightcap 4-2 in what proved to be another tight game between these two teams with their sights set on the state tournament.  Saints junior pitcher Katelyn Nill took the circle for Aquinas, while Heather Gruber got the nod for Blue Valley. 

The Saints drew first blood, scoring a run in the first inning on a single by Piezuch and an RBI ground out by Swinney. 

Aquinas scored another run in the top of the fifth inning on a single by Nill (Katy Pascuzzi ran for Nill), a single by Halie Horn, a sacrifice bunt by Drummond and an RBI ground out by Piezuch. 

The Tigers tied it up in the bottom of the fifth on an STA error, a single by Goodwin, an RBI single by Muller, and an RBI single by Scarlett.

Aquinas came back to take the lead in the top of the seventh inning on a walk by Horn and an RBI triple by Drummond.

The Saints defense took care of the top of the lady Tigers lineup to finish out the game.

Nill gave up 7 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4 for the win.

Gruber allowed just 5 hits and 2 walks, with 5 strike outs and took the loss.

Tigers Muller, Goodwin, Scarlett were all hitting .500 in the game, along with Saints Drummond and Horn.

The Saints are now 12-2 for the season and lead the East Kansas League standings (6-0 league).

Game 1

Saints 9  -  Blue Valley North 3

Saints pitcher Katelyn Nill only gave up 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7 in her 7 innings.  Jenna Boutte led the offense going 2 for 3, while Lauren Thimmesch, Janessa Swinney and Cayce Jacquinot were each 2 for 4.

Game 2

Saints 7  - Blue Valley North 6 (8 innings)

Saints pitcher Lauren Thimmesch gave up 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 5 in her 8 innings.  Thimmesch and Katelyn Nill were 3 for 4 and Jenna Boutte was 2 for 3.

The Saints are now 10-2 for the season.  They are scheduled to face Blue Valley on Friday.

Go Saints!

Saints Softball

Scores summary:

Aquinas lost to Marysville 12-7  

BV West lost to BV Northwest 4-0  

Aquinas defeated BV Northwest 3-1

Aquinas defeated Holton 3-1

Marysville lost to Holton 10-9   

BV West defeated Holton 12-2

BV Northwest defeated Marysville 13-7

BV West shut out Marysville 10-0

Aquinas lost to BV West 6-5

BV Northwest shut out Holton 12-0

1st Place BV Northwest

2nd Place BV West

3rd Place STA

All Tournament Team Selections:

Katelyn Frerking  and Shaylynn Roady - Marysville

Nicole Bell and Jackie Lybarger - Blue Valley West

Brooke Thomason and Nicole Peterson - Blue Valley Northwest

Brooke Haverkamp and Carlene McMaugal - Holton

Ashley Dobbie and Lauren Thimmesch - Saint Thomas Aquinas 

Saints Offensive Highlights:

Senior DP, Cayce Jacquinot led the Saints offense hitting 6 of 10 including a home run.  Senior 3B, Ashley Dobbie (All-Tournament Selection) went 3 for 9 with 5 walks and 3 RBI’s.  Sophomore 1B,  Lauren Thimmesch (All-Tournament Selection) was 5 for 12 with 5 RBI’s.  The team batting average was .314 for the 4 games.  Along with Jacquinot, Dobbie and Thimmesch, Seniors Dani Pfeifer and Colleen Beasley, and juniors Katelyn Nill and Ellen Drummond all batted above the team average.

Saints Defensive Highlights:

Junior pitcher Katelyn Nill led the pitching squad with a 0.70 ERA and 1 win, allowing 9 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 10 in her 10 innings of work.  Junior pitcher Kellie White gave up 13 hits and 3 walks, while striking out 20 in her 16 innings for 1 win and 1 loss.  The team ERA was 2.75 for the day. 

Seniors Janessa Swinney, Dani Pfeifer and Ashley Dobbie, along with junior Katelyn Nill and sophomore Lauren Thimmesch, were error free in the field for the day.

The Saints are now 8-2 for the season.

The Huskies stranded two runners in the first inning on two hits by Koziol and Brooke Thomason.  The Saints countered by stranding two runners of their own on two walks by Ellen Drummond and Ashley Dobbie in the bottom of the inning. 

The second and third innings were 3 and out for both teams.  Saints pitcher Kellie White struck out two and got a pop up out to end the top of the fourth inning.  The Saints stranded another two runners in the bottom of the fourth on walks by Dobbie and Hailie Horn. 

The Huskies stranded Kaylee Jones after a single in the top of the fifth inning.  The Saints matched that, stranding Dobbie (HBP) in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

The Huskies threatened in the top of the seventh inning when Kelsey Horton hit a triple down the right field line.  Once again, they failed to plate a runner, as the Saints defense fielded two infield groundouts, holding Horton at third, and White fanned the final batter of the inning.  The Saints had another scoring opportunity after Lauren Thimmesch walked (Colleen Beasley-substitution) and moved to scoring position on a single by Jenna Boutte.  The Huskies defense ended the inning on an infield ground out.

Now in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Saints took advantage of a Husky error as Drummond reach first base.  Janessa Swinney sacrifice bunted Drummond to second.  Dobbie grounded out, advancing Drummond to third base.  Horn walked and advanced to second on defensive indifference.  Nicole Peterson fanned the final batter to preserve the 0-0 score.

Northwest’s Thomason started the ninth inning with a double down the left field line.  White stuck out the next batter and the Saints defense took care of the final two outs, stranding Thomason at third base.

Joes singled for the Huskies to start the tenth inning, but was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice.  White got out number two with another strike out, and the Saints defense got a ground out to close out the side.  The Saints’ Andrea Piezuch singled to start of the bottom of the inning.  She stole second base, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Drummond.  Swinney hit a shot to the short stop and was thrown out at first, but that was enough for speedster Piezuch as she scored on the throw, to claim the shutout win for the Saints.

Saint Thomas Aquinas Saints

White / Horn - 6 H, 9 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER, 10 IP  White-W

Dobbie .750 OBP, Swinney 1 RBI

Blue Valley Northwest Huskies

Peterson / Rudolph – 2 H, 5 SO, 6 BB, 1 ER, 9.67 IP  Peterson – L

Jones and Thomason 2 for 4

Game 2

The Huskies stranded two runners in the top of the first inning on singles by Koziol and Thomason.  The Saints scored in the bottom of the inning on a walk by Drummond and an RBI double by Swinney.

The Saints stranded two runners in the bottom of the second inning on walks by White and Jacquinot.

Aquinas scored another run in the bottom of the fourth inning on a walk by Horn, a Sacrifice bunt by White, a passed ball, and a defensive error.

The Saints scored another two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a single by Boutte, walks by Piezuch and Drummond, a wild pitch and an RBI ground out by Dobbie.

Northwest scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning when Thomason reach on an error and K Horton tripled into left-center for the RBI.  Horton scored on a misplayed pop up from Rudolph.

The Saints’ Katelyn Nill struck out the first batter in the top of the seventh inning, and the Saints defense took care of the remaining two outs as the Saints completed the sweep.

Saint Thomas Aquinas Saints

Nill / Horn - 4 H, 4 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER, 7 IP  Nill-W

Boutte and Swinney 1 for 2, Drummond .667 OBP

Blue Valley Northwest Huskies

Koziol / Rudolph – 2 H, 0 SO, 7 BB, 3 ER, 4.00 IP  Koziol – L

Peterson / Rudolph - 0 H, 3 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2.00 IP 

The Saints move to 6-0 for the season.  Saint Thomas Aquinas will host thier annual Saints Classic softball tournament on Friday, April 24th at Mid America West.

Junior pitcher Kellie White struck out 13 and walked 1 in her 7 innings of work in the first game.  Senior Janessa Swinney and White went 2 for 3 at the plate.  Sophomore Jenna Boutte was 1 for 2.

Junior pitcher Katelyn Nill struck out 4 and allowed only 1 hit in her 3 inning start in game 2.  Sophomore pitcher Lauren Thimmesch struck out 2 in her 2 innings of relief to close out the game.  Nill went 2 for 2 at the plate, while senior Janessa Swinney and junior Andrea Piezuch went 2 for 3.  Senior Ashley Dobbie had 3 RBI’s.  Senior Dani Pfeifer was 1 for 1 with an RBI double.

Aquinas won game one 13-0 in 5 innings by rune rule.  Saints junior pitcher Kellie White pitched a 1-hit shutout, striking out 8 and walking 2 in 5 innings.  Senior outfielder Janessa Swinney and Freshman catcher Halie Horn both had home runs in the game. 

White W – Leffert L

Aquinas won game two 9-0 in 7 innings.  Saints junior pitcher Katelyn Nill pitched a no-hit shutout, striking out 15 and walking 4 in 7 innings. 

Nill W – Plank L

The Saints batted .357 as a team in the double-header.  Seniors Ashley Dobbie, Janessa Swinney and Cayce Jacquinot, junior Andrea Piezuch, and freshman Halie Horn all batted above the team average.