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2005 Main Page Team Picture Schedule Roster Results (var) Results (jv) | ||||||
Congratulations to Jessica Bachkora on being selected to the softball All-State 1st team. The Storm's season ended with a loss to Ray-Pec in the sectional game Wednesday. The Sion softball team defeated Blue Springs for the District 14 Championship. Congratulations to Sion's All-District Players for this year: Seniors-Jessica Bachkora and Maria Rettinger, Juniors-Re Larson, Allison Able, Josie Rose and Sophomore Melissa Pacheco. KC Star All-Metro fall softball player of the year: Jessica Bachkora. Congratulations to Jessica on not only a great season, but an outstanding career at Sion. Good luck next year at Arkansas.
Sion’s Bachkora let emotions flow She tossed her glove in the air, jumped as high as she could and screamed as loud as her lungs would allow. Jessica Bachkora, known around Notre Dame de Sion High School almost as much for her cool demeanor as her softball skills, was finally letting loose. And who could blame her? Her Sion team had just defeated longtime nemesis Blue Springs 1-0 for the first Missouri big-class district championship in school history. “For a girl that’s so even-keeled, that’s the first thing that sticks out,” Sion coach Ben Keech said. “I never see her get real, real excited about anything. When we won districts and beat Blue Springs, she was hooting and hollering, and I’d never seen that side of her.” Bachkora earned a little celebration time this fall. She got a hit and then came all the way around from first on a double by teammate Re Larson, the first run scored against Blue Springs pitcher Jana Markley in 73 innings. Bachkora later made a diving stop in center field and threw out a runner from her knees at second base to help preserve the shutout. These types of moments make Bachkora The Star’s All-Metro fall softball player of the year. She finished her senior year with numbers that seem improbable for a pitching-dominated sport: .537 batting average; .612 on-base and .955 slugging percentage; 32 runs, 22 RBIs, five doubles, three triples, three home runs and 20 stolen bases. She was flawless in center field and threw out four runners. No wonder Arkansas signed her early. Bachkora had a particularly sizzling stretch when she went 14 for 20 over seven games in two tournaments. She led the team to fourth out of 16 teams in a tournament in St. Louis and to a runner-up finish at Blue Springs South. Those games came against many of the better teams in the state, helping put to rest whispers that Bachkora’s numbers were inflated against weaker competition. “I’m not going to lie. I had my doubts about this year,” Bachkora said. “We seemed like a group of misfits. But to win districts and see the way everybody came together this year, it’s something I’ll always remember.”
Sectional playoffs today for area softball teams Regarding Notre Dame de Sion vs. Raymore-Peculiar in Class 4, Sion broke Blue Springs pitcher Jana Markley’s remarkable scoreless inning streak at 73 in a 1-0 district final victory last Saturday. Running on a delayed steal, Sion’s Jessica Bachkora scored from first base when Re Larson doubled. Bachkora was on base with a single, and those were the only two hits the Storm could muster against Markley. On the other side, Sion’s Allison Able scattered five hits and used several outstanding defensive plays in five scoreless innings. Josie Rose pitched the last two innings for the save. “Once they realized our defense was strong and our pitching was keeping us in it, they really intensified,” Sion coach Ben Keech said. “We knew this was our game.” The interesting part comes today when Sion plays Raymore-Peculiar at 5:30 p.m. at Shalimar Park in Grandview.The Storm enters the game with all the confidence that goes along with an 18-5 record. Raymore-Peculiar is 22-3 and perhaps even more confident. The Panthers defeated Sion 14-0 in the Blue Springs South tournament championship game. The Panthers are led by a balanced offense and pitchers Kaitlyn Whorton and Kelli Rico. The two have split innings this fall, but coach Bruce Sharp said Whorton would likely start today. Raymore-Peculiar or Notre Dame de Sion will play the winner of Liberty vs. Oak Park, who play at 5 p.m. today at Adair Park in Independence.
Class 4 District 14 Congratulations to Sion's All District Players for this year, Seniors, Jessica Bachkora and Maria Rettinger, Juniors, Re Larson, Allison Able, Josie Rose and Sophomore, Melissa Pacheco. Blue Springs, October 8--BS coach on his cell phone after Sion-Raytown South game "They have nothing". A parent talking to the umpires before the championship game, "No need to sign the losing scorebook", BS parents talking before the game "Yeah the team made hotel reservations for state 3 weeks ago", "This game should be over with in at least 5 innings," "Okay, she has 73 consecutive scoreless innings now, after this game given they make it 5 innings will be 78 consecutive scoreless innings." These are a just a few of the comments being said by B.S. fans and overheard by Sion parents before the huge upset in which Sion Varsity beat Blue Springs 1-0 to clinch the 4A District Championship. Right away in the first inning, with 2 outs J. Bachkora hits a single to right field. Next R. Larson steps up to the plate and hits a double deep into left field. Bachkora takes off flying thru 2nd then 3rd all the way to home------giving Larson the game winning hit and the game winning RBI when Bachkora crossed home plate for the game winning run and ending the Blue Springs pitcher's 73 scoreless innings. From that point on Sion made it their game, never allowing B.S. to intimidate them. They played almost a perfect game in the outfield with J. Bachkora making a diving catch from centerfield in the 1st inning for an out. In the 4th inning, with a runner on first, B.S. hit a blooper between 2nd base and centerfield. J. Bachkora runs to catch it, dives on her knees with the ball falling just inches from her glove. The runner on 1st froze between 1st and 2nd not sure what to do, but seeing Bachkora didn't make the catch tried to reach 2nd. Bachkora picked up the ball, still on her knees and tossed it to shortstop M. Pacheco to get the runner out by 3 steps. In the 5th inning with 2 outs and bases loaded B.S. #5 hitter cranked a line drive to 2nd baseman K. French who reached out and made the catch to end the inning and and save the shut out. Sion pitchers did a fantastic job shutting out one of the best offensive teams in the city, with A. Able picking up the win and J. Rose picking up the save. In the top of the 7th inning with 2 outs, a runner on 2nd who had just hit to double deep left and a Sion crowd yelling so loud that the construction workers at Sion, 15 miles away could hear them (had the workers been on the job site) J. Rose struck out the #3 batter to end the game. 73 WHAT???????
Raytown South, Oct. 7--Sion received the 2 seed for district playoffs and received a bye for the 1st round of games. The team came out strong with A. Able pitching only a 2 hitter game and the defense behind were flawless with no errors. The two big plays of the game were made by senior J. Bachkora and sophomore M. Pacheco. In the top of the 3rd inning Raytown South had a hit, putting a runner on 1st. Next batter up hit a fly ball to center fielder, J. Bachkora who made the catch and immediately threw the ball to 1st to get the runner out. Nice double play Rock!! With 2 runners on in the 7th inning M. Pacheco made the last out with a dramatic play in which the ball was hit towards the left field. Pacheco went deep in the hole to make a awesome back handed catch to seal the win!!! M. Pacheco had another triple for the day and singles were made by J. Bachkora, K. Huffman, R. Larson, and A. Able.
Pleasant Hill, Oct. 3--A. Able led the team to another win, this time 10-4. The team once again was defensively strong, but the play of the day goes to K. French. In the bottom of the 5th inning Pleasant Hill's #2 hitter hit the ball between 1st and 2nd and French made a impressive diving play in the hole to catch the ball for the 1st out of the inning. Hits for the game include J. Bachkora 3 for 4 with a triple, double and single, M. Pacheco two triples, and K. French with a double to the right field.
Raytown South - Sat. October 1 -- Sion parents found out at this game that the varsity players are not morning people. But with a very shaky start the team had a big comeback beating Raytown South on their senior day 15-5. In the first 4 innings Raytown South dominated with 5 runs from 7 hits and Sion with 1 run and 3 hits. Things changed in the 5th inning when Sion bounced out of the gate with K. French starting the inning with a single to right field. Additional hits from J. Bachkora, R. Larson, and A. Able ending the inning with 3 more runs. During the bottom of the 5th inning Raytown South started the inning with a double into left field, and reached 3rd on an error. Next player up, flew out to the pitcher and the 3rd batter walked. Immediately, the runner tried to steal 2nd, J. Rose threw to shortstop J. Bachkora who tagged out the runner. During this play the runner on third tried to steal home--J. Bachkora immediately turned and threw a rocket to the catcher S. Wilborn who then tagged the runner out at home for a great double play. With the team's adrenaline up from the previous play, Sion still behind at the beginning of the 6th inning, came out hitting. S. Wilborn started the inning off with a single to | ||||||
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