LAWRENCE — One year after leaving state with a third-place trophy and lingering disappointment, Fort Scott returned with unfinished business — and this time, the Tigers left with the prize they wanted most. 

Fort Scott capped a dominant season Saturday by blanking Wamego 6-0 in the Class 4A state championship game, securing the Tigers’ first softball state title since 2005 and finishing the year at 28-3.  

For a senior-led team that used last year’s near miss as motivation, the moment was everything they envisioned. 

“There is no other feeling like this,” Fort Scott senior Raylee Cowan said. “I just first have to give all glory to God and thank him for putting us here in this situation. There are a lot of people who don’t get to do this stuff and we are so lucky to do it. This is just amazing.”  

Fort Scott had five senior starters and made it clear from the opening day of practice that getting back to state — and winning it — was the goal. 

 

“That third-place finish fueled all those girls,” Fort Scott coach Kent Aikin said. “They felt like they should have been a winner last year. It didn’t work out, but they used that as fuel to get back here. The very first day of practice, that is what we talked about. We talked about busting through that title and taking that championship back home.”  

After grinding through tough wins over McPherson and Rock Creek earlier in the tournament, the Tigers saved their most complete performance for the championship game. 

Fort Scott broke through in the third inning against Wamego pitcher Landri Adams. With runners on the corners, Abbie Gorman laid down a bunt and reached safely as Cowan raced home on the throw for the game’s first run. Aubrey Yarick followed with a two-run single to score Gorman and Kaylee Aikin, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead. 

That cushion proved more than enough for junior pitcher Kyndal Aikin, who controlled the game from the circle. 

 

Aikin tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits while striking out five as the Tigers silenced a Wamego lineup that entered the title game with momentum. The junior never let the Red Raiders establish much rhythm, with Wamego junior Alayna McCarthy accounting for two of the team’s three hits. 

“Kyndal was outstanding,” Kent Aikin said. “This isn’t because she is my daughter, but you can’t ask for a better pitcher. She is a dog out there. She is there to play and she is there to win. She doesn’t let stuff get to her. If we need to make an adjustment, she makes it happen.”  

Already leading 3-0 in the fourth inning, Cowan delivered the knockout punch. 

After doubling, tripling and swiping two bases in Fort Scott’s quarterfinal comeback win over McPherson and adding another triple and RBI in the semifinal victory over Rock Creek, Cowan continued her torrid weekend by launching a three-run homer to left field to stretch the Tigers’ lead to 6-0. 

 

“I usually like to stay humble, but I knew it was gone when I made contact with it,” Cowan said. “Being a senior, I knew it was one of my final at-bats and I wanted to give it all I had in that swing.”  

Her blast effectively sealed the championship and highlighted a dominant tournament for one of Fort Scott’s veteran leaders. 

“Raylee — that is just hero stuff right there,” Kent Aikin said. “That girl has been a dog all week and she is the one that has stepped up the most out of all of them — her and Kyndal. They didn’t let the hype bother them at all and they went out and played ball and got it done.”  

Wamego, which finished 22-7 and featured only one senior, battled throughout but struggled to generate offense against Aikin. Adams struck out eight in a complete-game effort for the Red Raiders, who reached the title game with a young roster that coach Luke Meyer believes can make another deep postseason run. 

 

“Fort Scott is a super tough team and we knew that going in,” Meyer said. “They took advantage of their opportunities and put it on us a little bit there. We tried to fight back, but their pitcher did a great job and we just couldn’t get going.”  

For Fort Scott, the title represented the culmination of months of hard work — and years of growing together. 

“This was 100 percent our goal,” Cowan said. “When we ended up getting third last year, I think that really fueled the fire and got a lot of us ready for this experience and atmosphere. It definitely didn’t feel too big for us out there.”  

 

As the Tigers celebrated with gold medals around their necks, Kent Aikin reflected on what the moment meant for a senior class he has coached since they were young. 

“To see them come out and win a state title is awesome,” Aikin said. “I had the best seat in the house and they make it easy for me.”