Keith Kreeger/kreegerphoto.com
SHAWNEE — Topeka senior Nija Canady gave it her all over two days of the Class 6A softball state tournament.
By the end of the state final against Washburn Rural, Canady had dropped to the ground on the pitching mound on three different occasions, receiving water and support from the Trojans coaching staff.
But each time, Canady willed herself back to her feet before continuing to rip through the Blues batting order. She racked up 10 strikeouts to lead Topeka to a 2-1 win and the team's second straight state title.
"It feels incredible," Canady said. "It's hard winning a state title once, but to win it twice, it feels even better."
In the span of two days, Canady pitched one out shy of 18 innings over Topeka's three state games. She earned 32 strikeouts while allowing just one run, when Washburn Rural junior Emmerson Cope got the Blues on the board in the sixth inning.
Topeka junior catcher Alesia Alvarez talks with senior pitcher Nija Canady on the mound after Canady stops to drink water during the Class 6A softball championship game.
Topeka head coach Shane Miles credited Canady with fighting through her grueling workload to close out the state final.
"She gutted it out today," Miles said. "She didn't feel the best. She probably didn't have her best stuff either, but I told her I just need three outs. Just give me three outs and we'll both go get a state championship."
From Canady's perspective, there was never a chance she was giving up her spot on the mound.
"I was on my knees, but I did not want to go out of that game," Canady said. "I give my all, my teammates give (their) all, we all fight for each other. That's what was pushing me through. I wanted to win that game for my teammates."
Her teammates came through for Canady by picking up two runs before Washburn Rural could get on the board.
Cope matched Canady in their pitching duel through the first three innings of a 0-0 stalemate. Topeka found an opening in the fourth when junior Adisyn Caryl reached base after being hit by a pitch. Junior Alesia Alvarez hit a line drive to left field to put Caryl in position to use her speed to round the bases and score the first run.
"Adisyn Carol had a heck of a jump and I trust her on the bases to go," Miles said.
With two outs in the sixth, Canady hit her own line-drive single to left field. Hannah Chard took Canady's spot as courtesy runner before Alvarez popped another shot to center field to put Chard in scoring position on second. Senior Elycia Joyce put the ball back in center field for a single that sent Chard in for the score and 2-0 lead.
Miles said the key to getting those runs against a talented pitcher like Cope was to keep making her work for every out.
"We just battled and battled and battled through," Miles said. "We had some really good at-bats but didn't put the ball in play. But if you go eight pitches, nine pitches on an at-bat, that's a quality at-bat. We got the timely hits when we needed them."
Canady, who finished with a team-leading five RBIs during the state tournament, praised her teammates for producing enough offense to give her that two-run cushion late in the game.
"My teammates definitely helped me out," Canady said. "Getting two runs as a pitcher, it feels incredible so I want to thank them. Without those two runs … insurance runs are important in this game."
Topeka senior Nija Canady pitches during the Class 6A state title game against Washburn Rural.
Topeka took down a Washburn Rural team that had actually swept the Trojans in a regular season double-header back on April 12. Canady said the rivalry goes back farther than that though, as she remembers losing to the Blues in state basketball during her freshman year.
"So to close out my senior year and we get them back, it feels amazing," Canady said. "This has been a goal for our whole team this whole season. We knew it was going to be us and Washburn in the title game. We wanted it to be us and Washburn. So it feels great that we got our revenge."
Topeka won its second straight state title after having never previously won one in the program's history.
"It's just great for our program," Miles said. "We have some freshmen, sophomores that got some experience now and we want to be back here next year. We're building a program and we want to speak out and be noticed."
Topeka beat Olathe North and Wichita Northwest by a combined 16-0 in the team's first two state games to reach the championship game. Washburn Rural beat Blue Valley 10-0 before taking down Derby 2-0 in the semifinals. Senior Campbell Bagshaw led the Blue with four RBIs during the state tournament.
In the third-place game, Derby went up four runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 6-3 win over Wichita Northwest. Panther closer Addyson Canfield finally gave up her first run of the state tournament in the seventh inning after allowing none through the previous eight innings of action over the last three games. Canfield also led the team with 3 RBIs at state, tying junior shortstop Reagan Jackson.
Topeka softball celebrates winning back-to-back Class 6A state titles.