BONNER SPRINGS — The road was kind to the Louisburg softball team Tuesday as the Wildcats earned a sweep over Bonner Springs.

However, the Wildcats won each game in vastly different ways.

Louisburg won the opener, 4-1, behind a complete game effort from Izzy Moreland on the mound and got a 2-run home run from Megan Quinn.

The nightcap provided more of a fireworks show as the Wildcats scored eight early runs and held on for a 13-10 victory over the Braves. It marked the fourth straight victory for Louisburg, which is now 5-4 on the season.

“We came out and played our best game of the season in that first game,” Louisburg coach Nick Chapman said. “After that first inning, our bats got going, which gave us confidence in the field and played our best defense. Everyone was making plays. Everyone was hitting. 

“We keep a ‘Quality At-Bat’ chart and at one point, going through our whole lineup, everyone had a quality at bat. I’m so proud of them. This is our first time beating Bonner Springs in my tenure. That’s an awesome feeling, let alone we swept them and it was a league opponent. It was a fun night for us and the credit goes to the girls for coming together and playing great team softball.”

Moreland kept the Braves offense off-balance in the first game as she pitched seven innings and struck out six. She also allowed just the one run on four hits.

Bonner Springs took a 1-0 lead early, but the Wildcats came back to tie it in the second on an RBI bunt single from Shyloh Waite.

Louisburg took the lead in the third as Quinn hit a 2-run home run to put the Wildcats up for good. Senior Ashley Moreau added an insurance run with an RBI single in the fourth.

“As always Megan and Izzy were huge for us,” Chapman sad. “Izzy on the mound, pitching all of game 1 and then closing out game 2, plus had some great hits. Then Megan hit that home run and continued to do good things at the plate. However, it was the things that don’t always get recorded in the stat book. Before Megan hit that home run, Shyloh put a bunt to move her baserunner and sprinted her butt off to get down the line to beat the throw which led us to a run. 

“Then in the same inning as Megan’s home run, Ashley and Rylee (Hickey) both put great bunts down. Rylee’s was a sacrifice bunt. Jenna (Cauthon) moved Ashley to third and then Megan finished the job. It was a great team inning. Sometimes people don’t realize the sacrifices that happen before the big play that makes the big play happen and I hope the girls realize that those little things matter the most. That’s what really got us going.”

The bats came alive for both teams in the second game. Louisburg jumped out to an early 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning. Bonner Springs cut the lead to two with a 5-run inning, but the Wildcats scored five times in the next three innings to hold on for the win.

Several Wildcats had big days at the plate. Moreland and junior Brynley Bauer each had a team-high three hits, while Moreland had 3 RBIs and a triple.

Senior Rylee Hickey had one of her better hitting nights of the season with two hits, including a double and also had 3 RBIs. She also just missed a home run.

Senior Jenna Cauthon had two hits, that included a double, and 3 RBIs. Moreau, Hickey, Cauthon and Bauer each scored three times.

“Rylee had a huge game two,” Chapman said. “She has worked her tail off to get better at the plate and it’s starting to pay off. She does a lot of the behind the scenes stuff for us. She’s a solid wall as a catcher and does a great job keeping baserunners honest. She does a great job of moving baserunners by her swing or her bunts. She’s doing some great things.

“Jenna is just constantly hitting the ball hard somewhere. She was frustrated because it was directly to someone every time but she is seeing the ball really well and finding the barrel of the bat consistently.  Brynley got her bat going also and made a couple huge plays in the outfield.”

Quinn started the game for the Wildcats and sophomore Raeya Keagle came in for relief. Moreland then pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and got three strikeouts to close the game out.

Louisburg will try and keep its winning streak going as the Wildcats travel to Tonganoxie for one game. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

BONNER SPRINGS — Louisburg couldn’t have asked for a much better start to its season as the Wildcats won seven of their first eight games.

Nothing much changed on the road Tuesday at Bonner Springs. 

The Wildcats cruised to a pair of 7-0 and 5-1 victories over the Braves. Louisburg has now won seven straight games and are now 9-1 on the season.

“It’s always great to go on the road and get a sweep,” Louisburg coach Kade Larson said. “We played really well on defense and had some timely hitting.”

Louisburg’s pitching staff held the Braves’ offense to just one run on seven hits over two games and the Wildcats got it started in game one.

Junior Meade Rutherford started the opener and allowed no runs on three hits. Junior Jayce Toms came on in relief and dominated the Bonner lineup.

Toms breezed through four innings of work as he gave up just one hit and struck out seven. 

“Jayce came in and gave us some great innings on the mound,” Larson said. “He really shut the door and didn’t give Bonner Springs a chance to come back.”

Louisburg scored a run in the first, fourth and fifth innings, but broke the game open with four runs in the sixth.

With the bases loaded, Brody McGreer scored on a balk and Declan Battle went home on a passed ball. Sophomore Danny Napier followed up with a double that scored Luke Schultz, while senior Jackson Howard ended the inning with an RBI single.

Napier led the Wildcat offense with a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs and both hits just missed being home runs.

“Danny swung it really well,” Larson said. “He’s had a great approach at the plate and it is showing.”

Senior Nathaniel Lamm had three hits, including a double and Schultz had two hits with a triple and an RBI.

In the nightcap, Schultz got the start for Louisburg and pitched five innings gave up just two hits and struck out four. Battle came in and pitched the final two innings to preserve the win.

One inning was all it took for the Wildcats to seal the win as they scored five runs in the fourth inning.

Senior Conner Heston got the scoring started with an RBI single. Bristol Barbour scored on a passed ball, then Battle singled home Heston and Rylan Carty. Battle went on to score on a wild pitch to complete the inning.

“The fourth inning of that second game was huge for us,” Larson said. “We found a way to put some runs on the board and our defense played really well to shut them down from there.”

Battle led the Wildcat bats with two hits and 2 RBIs, while Napier had his third double of the night.

Louisburg will try and keep its winning streak going Thursday when it travels to Tonganoxie for a single game. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

PAOLA — Although neither finished in the top three of the team standings, both the Louisburg boys and girls track and field teams had plenty of highlights during last Thursday’s Paola Invitational. 

The boys had eight top three finishes and racked up 89.5 points, which was good for fourth place overall. The girls also finished fourth as they won one event and had seven top three medalists to earn 79 points.

The Louisburg girls scored some big points in the field events and it started with pole vault. Senior Maddy Carpenter-Ross continued her strong start to the season as she cleared 11 feet to win the event.

Senior Katie Elpers also had her best performance this season in the javelin as she recorded a mark of 121 feet, 4 inches to finish second.

“The girls performed well at Paola,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Katie threw great. Throwing over 120 feet early in the season is awesome and gives her a mark to strive for each meet.”

The Lady Cats also racked up a lot points in the sprints as sophomore Kendall Crossley led the way in a pair of events. Crossley took third in the 200 dash in 27.88 seconds and later finished third in the 400 dash in 1:05.

Sophomore Suzanna Dansel took third in the 100 dash in 13.04 seconds and was fifth in the 200 dash in 28.34.

Senior Emma Vohs (1:06) and junior Presley Yows (1:07) took fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 400 dash. 

Crossley, Vohs, Yows and Dansel then went on to record a season-best time in the 4×100-meter relay as they finished second in 52.14 seconds.

“Due to some aches and pains, the 4×1 was a wee bit different, which did not matter as we ran a better time than at Ottawa,” Reece said. “They had good hand-offs and posted a solid time. Expect the order and athletes to change over the next few weeks as we look to get the right girls on the right leg to be even better. We continue to improve in the sprints and look to continue the success we had at Paola.”

Also on the track, senior Maddy Rhamy had a top-3 finish in the 3,200 run as she was third in 13:02. She also finished fifth the 1,600 run in 5:55.

Freshman Adelyn Moore took fifth in the 800 run in 2:40 and senior Erin Apple was right behind her in sixth in 2:41.

In the hurdles, freshman Caroline Apple was fifth in the 100 hurdles in 18.29 and senior Kate Frederick was eighth in 19.41.

In the throws, sophomore McKenna Lohse was eighth in the shot put with a season best toss of 34-8.

On the boys side, the Wildcats didn’t win any golds, but they still scored points in 15 events.

“We haven’t been able to figure out who we are yet as a team, as we have yet to have a full squad as we are combating injuries,” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “It was great to see some of our athletes tested with some competition, and we found out where we need to put in some work. We were able to score points in most events, but I look for us to work to improve our marks and times.”

The Wildcats finished in the top three in all three relays and it started with a season best performance in the 4×100. Caden Caplinger, Gavin Lohse, Hunter Heinrich and Caleb Feldkamp took second in a season-best 44.06 seconds.

Blaise Vohs, Emmett White, Aiden Meyer and Heinrich ended the meet on a good note as they were second in the 4×400 in 3:35, while the 4×800 team of Jerynce Brings Plenty, Myles Vohs, Blaise Vohs and Grant Cannon took third in 8:50.

Louisburg scored several points in the sprints as Lohse took fourth in the 100 dash in 11.40 seconds and Gage Feldkamp was seventh at 11.58. Caleb Feldkamp was fifth in the 200 dash in 23.50.

White went on to take fourth in the 400 dash in a season-best time of 52.99 and Heinrich was sixth in 53.85. Blaise Vohs ran well in the open 800 as he took third in 2:07.

Junior Jay McCaskill scored points in the 300 hurdles as he took eighth in a season-best time of 45.91 seconds.

Field events were also kind to the Wildcats as junior Jacob Brown had his best day in the pole vault as he cleared 12-6 to take second overall.

“Jacob continues to improve every week,” Wright said. “The most exciting part to watch will be that he still has more in him. With the work he is putting in, he has the potential to be a 13-6 or 14-foot or more vaulter by the end of the season.”

Lohse, who is in his first year of high school track, had a big day in the long jump. He finished third with a personal-best jump of 21-1 and took third overall.

“Gavin is a nice addition to our team this year,” Wright aid. “We will be working on technique, as he is just raw in his first year. It is exciting that he is already going over 21 after just his second meet.”

Sophomore Evan McKitrick scored points in a couple of events as he was third in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 39-11, and took fifth in the high jump at 5-8.

In the throws, senior Ben O’Bryan had his best day in the shot put as he recorded mark of 48-1 to take third. O’Bryan also finished fourth in the discus at 127-2.

Sophomore Tasen Ellison was fourth in the javelin with a throw of 141-10, while senior Lane Cunningham was eighth at 130-4. Ellison was also eighth in the high jump at 5-6.

Senior Jaymes Melton scored points in the shot put with a toss of 44 feet to take eighth. 

“I saw some of our kids experience some adversity, and as a coach I want that early in the season,” Wright said. “It’s going to help our athletes develop not only physically, but mentally. We want to peak at the end of May, not the beginning of April.”

Louisburg is back in action this Thursday as it travels to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational. 

Other results are: 

GIRLS

100 dash: Taylor O’Connor, 17th, 14.18; Maliya Collins, 18th, 14.28

1,600 run: Erin Apple, 14th, 6:32

300 hurdles: Caroline Apple, 9th, 54.56; Kate Frederick, 11th, 58.03

High Jump: Annmarie Walton, 11th, 4-4

Long Jump: Walton, 17th, 12-11.75; Jocelyn Burk, 18th, 12-9.75; Hanna Veres, 19th, 12-7.25

Triple Jump: Veres, 11th, 28-7; Burk, 14th, 27-10; Walton, 15th, 26-11.25

Shot Put: Kinley Scott, 11th, 31-0; Maddie Yoder, 14th, 28-10

Discus: McKenna Lohse, 13th, 85-0; Cora Wulfkuhle, 20th, 67-0; Yoder, 21st, 61-8

Javelin: Adelyn Moore, 9th, 101-6; Lohse, 15th, 90-3

BOYS

100 dash: Josiah McCaskill, 17th, 11.96

200 dash: Gage Feldkamp, 11th, 24.28

400 dash: Aidan Meyer, 9th, 55.11

800 run: Grant Cannon, 11th, 2:23

1,600 run: Spencer Mattison, 10th, 5:24

3,200 run: Truman Ellison, 10th, 11:17

Long Jump: Wyatt Holland, 10th, 19-6; Myles Vohs, 12th, 19-4.5

Triple Jump: Tasen Ellison, 9th, 36-7; Brock McEwen, 15th, 29-0.5

Shot Put: Miles Meek, 12th, 41-11

Discus: Johnny Hendrickson, 15th, 110-0; Jaymes Melton, 24th, 91-8

Javelin: Brayden Yoder, 10th, 128-9

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week three of the spring sports season, sponsored by Craig Holtzen-Edward Jones.

DEREK FREDERICK, SOPHOMORE, GOLF

Louisburg sophomore Derek Frederick had a memorable start to his high school golf season last week at the Burlington Invitational. Frederick, in his first varsity meet, captured the Burlington individual title with a 78. He also helped the Wildcats to a first place team finish as they won the tournament by 10 strokes.

Frederick garnered two more medals this week as he finished third Tuesday with a 79 at the Piper Invitational. He also medaled 11th at the Paola Invitational on Monday as the Wildcats finished second as a team.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the spring season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous Winners:

Week 1: Jack Anderson

Week 2: Nathaniel Lamm

The Louisburg girls soccer team wanted to see how it stacked up against one of the top teams in the Frontier League — Spring Hill.

It has been a few years since the Wildcats came away with a win over the Broncos and they were hoping this time would be different.

For most of the match, Louisburg answered Spring Hill at every turn during its Thursday home game and eventually forced overtime.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Spring Hill had a little more left in the tank as the Broncos scored late in the first overtime period and handed Louisburg a 3-2 setback.

“It was just a middle of the season game, but the girls really built this one up, especially after they beat us pretty good last year,” Louisburg coach Ben York said. “This group of seniors have never beaten Spring Hill. One of our goals was to be competitive against good teams and we definitely were. We are still working on getting in better shape and that will come with time. It would have been a pretty big victory, but it was a super competitive game.”

Spring Hill scored first midway through the first half to take the early lead, but the Wildcats were able to respond late in the half and get some momentum going into halftime.

With about minute remaining, Louisburg junior Rowan Yows took a quick shot from about 25 yards out to even the match at 1-all. The shot sailed over the keepers head and into the corner of the net.

“We have been taking shots all season like that and I want the girls to take those opportunities,” York said. “I encourage our girls to take shots from distance and quick shots that were just like that. She, Hailey (Sword), Lola (Edwards) and Lexi (Hampton) are all capable of hitting shots like that. It was a really nice shot from Rowan.”

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Spring Hill took the lead again on a shot just inside the 18 that found the corner of the net.

It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to respond as senior Lexi Hampton scored two minutes later to tie it at 2-all. It stayed that way until the overtime period.

“We fought back every time Spring Hill scored and I am proud of them for that,” York said. “That is what I tried to emphasize the girls all season. Last year once a team scored, we couldn’t find ways to make things happen. We had an answer at two different times in the game to come back from being down. We talk about not getting too up or too down and just riding that wave and the girls showed a good attitude and a lot of fight.”

The Wildcat defense put together a strong showing all night as the back line of Hailey Sword, Jaden Bentz, Lila Edwards and Faith Sewell limited Spring Hill’s shots on goal.

However, Louisburg had a bit of tired legs as Spring Hill controlled the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime before getting the game-winning score.

Although the Wildcats have now suffered back-to-back losses, they will try and get back on track today as they travel to Tonganoxie for a Frontier League matchup.

It was another day and another sweep for the Louisburg baseball team.

The Wildcats hosted Wellsville last Thursday for a doubleheader and cruised to a 14-1 and 10-2 victory over the Eagles at Lewis-Young Park. 

Those victories improved the team’s winning streak to five straight games and the Wildcats are now 7-1 on the season. The hot start has seen their stock skyrocket as Louisburg is currently ranked No. 6 in Class 4A by the Kansas Baseball Coaches Association.

“The guys played well all night,” Louisburg coach Kade Larson said. “We stayed focused throughout the doubleheader and it’s great to walk away with two wins.”

Pitching was a big part of the successful night for Louisburg and it started in the opener with Meade Rutherford. The Wildcat junior pitched a complete game and gave up just one earned run on three hits and struck out three.

Senior Declan Battle pitched five innings in the nightcap as he struck out eight batters and gave up just three hits. Christian Owens and Luke Schultz each pitched an inning and gave up a run.

“Meade and Declan threw really well for us,” Larson said. “They kept hitters off balance all night and got us back in to hit quickly.”

Louisburg struck early in the opener as it scored six runs in the first inning and then answered with an 8-run fourth to all but seal the win.

Sophomore Danny Napier led the Wildcat bats with two doubles and 3 RBIs, while senior Brody McGreer drove home four runs and also recorded two hits and a double.

Battle and Jackson Howard each added a pair of hits, while Jack Anderson finished with a double. Battle, Schultz, Howard, Anderson and Bristol Barbour each had an RBI in the win.

“We had some great team at bats throughout the night,” Larson said. “The guys saw the ball well and hit the ball hard. Usually good things happen when we do that.”

More good things happened in the second game. Louisburg had a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning, where it scored six runs in the frame to pull away.

Howard led Louisburg with two hits, a double and 4 RBIs. His bases loaded double in the sixth got the Wildcat offense off and running.

Schultz had two hits and 2 RBIs for the Wildcats, while Napier and Nathaniel Lamm each had two hits and a run batted in. Barbour also had two hits, including a double, while Battle and Anderson each had RBI base hits.

Louisburg will try for another sweep today as the Wildcats travel to Bonner Springs for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

After losing a pair of games to one of the top teams in the Frontier League in Spring Hill earlier in the week, the Louisburg softball team needed to get back on the winning side of things.

The Wildcats did that in a big way Thursday during a home doubleheader against Wellsville. Louisburg got out to big leads in both games and were able to hold on for 4-3 and 7-6 victories over the Eagles.

“It’s always great to win two games and sweep a team,” Louisburg coach Nick Chapman said. “We needed that after playing Frontenac, Ottawa and Spring Hill to start our season. I’m proud of how hard our girls fought to win those two games. It came down to us playing great defense in top of the 7th, in both games, to win those. 

“Wellsville is young but they have some girls that are going to do some good things as they get older. The top of their lineup can swing it pretty well. They had more hits than us in the second game and we had really had to dig deep to go get those wins. I’m so proud of our girls for how they battled, came together, and pulled it off.”

Louisburg pitcher Izzy Moreland gave the Wildcats some good innings on the mound in the both games — one as a starter and one in relief. 

Moreland started the opener and got the complete game victory as she allowed three earned runs on five hits and struck out five. 

Then, after senior Megan Quinn gave the Wildcats a four-inning, seven strikeout performance in the second game, Moreland came on in relief and pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to preserve the win.

Ahead by just a run, and runners on second and third with no outs, Moreland struck out the next three batters to help the Wildcats secure the sweep.

“Izzy was huge for us on the mound,” Chapman said. “She threw the whole first game with 99 pitches, and the second game our whole pitching staff worked as a team and got the job done. Megan started for us and did a fantastic job as always. They figured her out about the fifth inning, then Raeya (Keagle) came in and threw really well. She does a great job of getting weak contact for our defense to make plays. She did her job and then Izzy came in and finished it up on the mound.” 

In the opener, Louisburg jumped out to a a 4-0 lead into the top of the fourth inning thanks to an RBI double from junior Addy Stohs in the second. Quinn then followed it up with another RBI double in the third.

It would be all the runs the Wildcats would need as they held off a late Eagle rally that saw them cut it to one with two runs in the sixth inning.

Stohs led the Wildcat bats with two hits and an RBI, while Quinn and Moreland also had RBI hits.

It was much of the same in the nightcap as Louisburg jumped on Wellsville early and took a 7-1 lead into the top of the third.

Quinn had an another big day at the plate with two hits, a double and 4 RBIs. Senior Rylee Hickey also had two hits and an RBI, while senior Jenna Cauthon had a double and scored twice.

Sophomore Shyloh Waite also contributed a triple in the win and drove home a run. 

“Megan is just swinging it really well right now,” Chapman said. “I know that when she’s up to bat, she’s going to hit it hard somewhere. If she has a bad at bat, she’s going to make an adjustment and fix it for her next at bat. She was a giant part of why we got out to a 7-1 lead to start the second game with 4 RBIs. 

“Jenna and Addy are in the same boat. They are finding ways to make solid contact and do some damage at the plate. We have had some really great offensive innings this year. Now we just need to be more consistent about it.”

Louisburg (3-4) will try and continue its winning ways Tuesday as the Wildcats travel to Bonner Springs for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.

Wildcats drop pair to Spring Hill

Louisburg hosted Spring Hill for a doubleheader on April 2 and the Broncos showed why they are one of the top teams in the Frontier League.

Spring Hill swept the Wildcats in a pair of 13-2 and 16-5 victories. 

Louisburg took a 2-1 after one inning in the first game, but the Broncos scored six times in the second and third innings to put the game out of reach.

Spring Hill’s Jaleigh White got the complete victory in the opener and had three home runs between the two games, including a grand slam.

Shyloh Waite and Ashley Moreau each had two RBIs to lead the Wildcat offense the second game. Jenna Cauthon and Izzy Moreland each had two hits.

BURLINGTON — In was what a rainy, soggy season opener for the Louisburg golf team, the results were anything but dreary.

The Wildcats captured the Burlington Invitational title last Tuesday with a 338 and had four medalists on the day. Louisburg defeated Burlington by 10 strokes to win going away in the 8-team meet.

If that wasn’t good enough, Louisburg sophomore Derek Frederick also led the clubhouse with the best score of the day. 

Frederick captured the individual crown with a 78 and beat Anderson County’s Eli Martin by four strokes to win comfortably.

“I was very impressed with Derek and the others, but we still need more work,” Louisburg coach Brian Burns said. “At the same time, they did a great job managing a new course and avoiding the large numbers. I am proud of all of them.”

Along with Frederick’s performance, the Wildcats came three other finishes in the top 10 and garner a medal.

Junior Sam Frederick finished with an 86 and took fourth overall. Senior Cole Mynsted and sophomore Matt Stohs each carded an 87, but Mynsted won the tiebreaker to finish fifth and Stohs was sixth.

Louisburg junior Garrison Bloustine was 17th overall with a 94, while junior Josh Holtzen shot a 108 and finished 32nd.

The Wildcats will try and continue that momentum today as they travel to the Paola Invitational. Tee time is set for 2 p.m. at the Paola Country Club. 

It may have just been one game in early April, but Tuesday’s victory over Spring Hill is something many Louisburg players know doesn’t happen often.

The Wildcats have been on the losing end of a lot of matchups against the Broncos, but Louisburg used a big inning to come out on top and get a revenge win in the process.

Louisburg scored five runs in the fourth inning and held on for a 5-4 victory over Spring Hill at Lewis-Young Park. It was a bounce back win for the Wildcats after losing 9-0 to the Broncos earlier this season.

“Spring Hill is a really good team,” Louisburg coach Kade Larson said. “Any time we can find a way to beat them is great. It was a big team win that everyone contributed to.”

It started at the plate for the Wildcats. Spring Hill took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, only to see the Wildcats respond in a big way.

The Wildcats (5-1) had three straight singles from Jackson Howard, Jack Anderson and Nathaniel Lamm to load the bases. Meade Rutherford brought Howard home to tie the game on a fielder’s choice.

Sophomore Bristol Barbour came through with another single to score Lamm and give Louisburg the lead. Brody McGreer then reached on an error to load the bases again.

Declan Battle drew a walk that scored Rutherford and Barbour came across home plate on a wild pitch. Howard, who started it all, grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored McGreer.

“Offensively we had great at bats all night,” Larson said. “In that fourth inning, we gave up a run in the top half and immediately answered in the bottom. The guys had great approaches at the plate and found a way to get the job done.”

That would be all the runs the Wildcats would need as it got a strong pitching performance from Alex Saad. The Louisburg junior went six innings and gave up just two earned runs and struck out five.

Louisburg had to go to the pen in the seventh inning and the Broncos were able to mount a comeback with three runs. The bases were loaded with two outs in a one run game when junior Jayce Toms entered the contest.

In a pressure packed situation, Toms got a strikeout and helped give the Wildcats their third straight victory.

“Alex pitched really well,” Larson said. “He threw a ton of strikes and competed his butt off all night. Jayce came in and closed the door. He is great under pressure and proved it again to get that last out for us.”

Lamm had a big night for the Wildcat offense with three hits, while Anderson was 2-for-3 with a triple.

Louisburg is back in action today as the Wildcats host Wellsville for a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. at Lewis-Young Park.

OTTAWA — It may have just been the first meet of the season, but both of the Louisburg track and field teams had a strong showing Thursday at the Ottawa Relays. 

The Louisburg boys finished second in the team standings with 134.5 points and won two events. The Wildcat girls also won a pair of events, but finished third overall with 90 points in the 11-team meet.

Louisburg had 13 top three finishes in the boys division and it was a good start for the Wildcats as they build toward the postseason.

“I thought we had a good start to the season,” Wright said. “It’s early, and we are building track shape and strength, so most everyone only completed in one or two events. It was the first varsity meet for some of our guys, and I thought they all competed well.”

The Wildcats dominated the pole vault competition as Caden Caplinger won after clearing 14 feet. Junior Cooper Wingfield was right behind him in second at 13-6 and junior Jacob Brown was third at 12 feet.

Louisburg also scored a lot of points in the jumps and throws.

Senior Ben O’Bryan scored points in both the shot and discus. O’Bryan was third in the discus with a throw of 152 feet, 5 inches and was fourth in the shot with toss of 45-8. His senior teammate, Jaymes Melton, was sixth in the shot put at 43-8.

“We are expecting big things from Ben this year,” Wright said. “He has been throwing well in practices. I see him continuing to improve on his marks throughout the season.”

Also in the throws, Tasen Ellison took fifth in the javelin at 140-01 and Brayden Yoder was seventh at 139-4.

In the jumps, junior Gavin Lohse finished runner-up in the long jump with a mark of 19-9.75. Myles Vohs and Wyatt Holland took fourth and fifth, respectively, with a jumps of 18-6 and 18-4.5.

Sophomore Evan McKitrick scored well in both the triple and high jumps. McKitrick was third in the triple jump at 38-2.75 and third in the high jump after he cleared 5-10.

“We will continue to work with technique with Evan, as I see him keep improving throughout the season,” Wright said. “I am encouraged by the potential we are seeing with our jumpers.  We have some athletes that are working hard, and we look forward to them producing great marks as we move forward.”

On the track, the Wildcats fared well in the relays, especially in the 4×400. The team of Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs, Colton Blue and Aidan Meyer won in 3:34.58.

Louisburg took second in the other two as Caplinger, Lohse, Heinrich and Ashton Moore ran a time of 44.68 in the 4×100. Blue, Jerynce Brings Plenty, Vohs and Noah Cotter ran a 8:37 in the 4×800.

In the sprints, Heinrich went on to take second in the 400-meter dash in 53.27 seconds and Emmett White was third in 53.61. Moore (11.73) and Lohse (11.74) took fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 100 dash, while Caleb Feldkamp (23.74) was eighth in the 200 dash.

Brings Plenty led the distance runners with a fourth pace finish in the 3,200 run in 10:34 and Cotter was sixth in 10:40. 

Jay McCaskill was eighth in the 300 hurdles in 47.14 and also scored points for the Wildcats.

On the girls side, senior Maddy Carpenter-Ross had one of two gold medal finishes for Louisburg. Carpenter-Ross won the pole vault after she cleared 11 feet

Another senior, Maddy Rhamy, captured the 3,200-meter title in 12:54 to lead Louisburg.

“As a team, we did a great job going up against some bigger schools,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “All in all it was a great meet and we look to continue to improve and work together to get as many girls to the state meet.”

Louisburg fared well in the relays as the 4×100 group of Suzanna Dansel, Kendall Crossley, Emma Vohs and Addi Mallett took second in 53.26. The 4×400 relay of Adelyn Moore, Vohs, Presley Yows and Crossley took third in 4:29 and secured the third place overall team finish.

In the hurdles, freshman Caroline Apple was runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles in 18.96 and senior Kate Frederick was third in 19.11. Apple (53.46) and Frederick (57.74) took fourth and eighth, respectively, in the 300 hurdles.

Dansel helped Louisburg in the sprints as she took fifth in the 100 dash in 13.62 and Emma Vohs was fifth in the 200 dash in 29.67. Yows also took fifth in the 400 dash in 1:07.

Along with the win in the 3,200, Rhamy was fifth in the 1,600 run in 6:09 and senior Erin Apple was seventh in 6:56. Adelyn Moore was sixth in the 800 run in 2:43.

In the field events, Adelyn Moore finished third in the javelin with a toss of 102-6 and Katie Elpers was right behind her in fourth in 102-2. McKenna Lohse was fifth in the shot put with a toss of 31-2.5.

Louisburg is back in action this Thursday when it travels to the Paola Invitational. Events begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other results are:

GIRLS

800 run: Erin Apple, 9th, 3:03

Shot Put: Kinley Scott, 9th, 29-6; Maddie Yoder, 15th, 25-6

Discus: McKenna Lohse, 9th, 80-3; Cora Wulfkuhle, 13th, 70-0; Yoder, 18th, 60-10

Javelin: Lohse, 14th, 83-4

BOYS

200 dash: Emmett White, 11th, 23.85; Wyatt Holland, 18th, 25.04

400 dash: Aidan Meyer, 14th, 56.63

Shot put: Miles Meek, 11th, 40-.50

Discus: Johnny Hendrickson, 9th, 115-9; Jaymes Melton, 12th, 110-8

Javelin: Miles Meek, 11th, 121-4