Five area teams competed at the State level in baseball and softball last week and three earned top four finishes in their classification.

Class 4A-Division II (Softball):

The Big Seven League champs, Jeff West Tigers headed into the 4A-DII state softball tournament claiming the number one seed and ultimately wrapped up their season taking third place at State and finishing the year 21-2. The Tigers breezed past Chapman the eight seed in the first round with a 10-1 win; using a nine run second inning to take control. Jeff West notched seven hits in the game and capitalized on six Chapman errors, also, while Olivia Brees held Chapman to two-hits to earn the pitching win. In the semifinals Jeff West meet up with a Clearwater team that could hit the ball quite well and did so in the 9-1 win over the Tigers, using 10 hits including four home runs.

Tigers bounced back in the third place game and picked up the 2-1 win over Goodland to finish their season with a win and take third at State. Jeff West got their two lone runs in the first inning, while Olivia Brees pitched four innings of scoreless softball and Faith Becker closed the game out; Brees had a two-hit performance to the game, also.

Class 4A-Division II (Baseball):

Perry Lecompton Kaws capped off their baseball season with a runner-up finish in 4A-DII, finishing the year 21-4. The Kaws opened the State tournament in Pratt struggling from the plate registering only three hits but made the most of the base running opportunities they had to score three runs to earn the 3-1 first round win over Goodland. Mitchell Bond kept the Kaws in the game pitching a gem giving up just one run on five hits and striking out nine. In the Semifinals the lack of offense continued for the Kaws with only two hits but they managed to score two runs in the first inning and that was enough to earn the 2-1 win over Baxter Springs with Drew Scrimsher picking up the pitching win. In the Championship game the Kaws squared off with Bishop Ward and fell 5-2 to finish the season runner-up in 4A-DII. The two teams each tallied two runs in the fourth inning, as the Kaws in the bottom of the fourth plated two but with some controversy. Perry Lecompton senior, Zach Linquist was ejected in the fourth after the umpires concluded he deliberately ran over the catcher at home plate; Linquist run still counted and the Kaws tied the game in the fourth, but in absence was missed by Perry throughout the rest of the game Bishop Ward went on to win 5-2.

Class 3A (Softball):

Oskaloosa Bears made State last year but it was in Class 2-1A, this year the jump up to 3A didn't stop the Bears from a return trip to a State tournament as they took an undefeated record to Topeka for State and earned the number one seed. Bears drew Lyons/Chase high school in the first round and six errors by Oskaloosa doomed them in a 3-1 opening round loss ending their season as the Bears finished the year 23-1. The Bears were tied 1-1 in the seventh inning with Lyons/Chase when two errors proved to be costly for Oskaloosa and Lyons/Chase tallied two runs to gain the 3-1 win.

Class 2-1A (Baseball):

Troy Trojans finished off a stellar season with a 20-5 record taking fourth place at State in 2-1A. Troy opened up the tournament with a 5-0 win over Ellis, in which Nathan Gaarder and Tristan Speer combined for a four-hit shutout. Gaarder had two RBI's along with pitching six innings, striking out six. Trojans took early 2-0 lead and never looked back. In the Semifinals the Trojans led 2-1 but Little River scored six runs over the final three innings to comeback and top Troy 7-2, sending the Trojans to the third place game. In the third place contest the Trojans scored four in the third, one in the fifth and two more in the sixth to lead 8-4 over Udall going into the sixth, but Udall would plate one in the sixth and four in the bottom of the seventh to steal the game from the Trojans.

Class 2-1 (Softball):

After a Regional title the McLouth Bulldogs came into the 2-1A State softball tournament as the six seed and drew a matchup with Hillsboro in the first round. Hillsboro secured the 10-0 win over McLouth ending the Bulldogs season as they finished the year with a 17-5 record. It was all Hillsboro in the contest as they out-hit McLouth 14-4.