Top County High School Athletes

    The Topeka Shawnee County Sports Council has listed  the top seniors from  county high schools.  On June 26, awards will be presented to the top boys and girls athletes for the fall, winter and spring seasons, and  also  the top overall boys and girls athletes,  and the most inspirational athletes.
    Among those nominated are Davis Warton for Fall Sports and Tagen Lambotte for Winter Sports.

Rattlers Beat Midwest As

    The Rossville Rattlers beat the Midwest As 9-6 on Tue. night at Joe Campbell Stadium.

Rattler Pictures

For some nice photos of the Brett Cowdin night at Rossville,  go to the Rattler's Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/RossvilleRattlers/photos/pb.266982426697106.-2207520000.1403624224./705726359489375/?type=1&theater

You can view many more pictures by just clicking on "next" or "previous" above  the pictures.

Midwest A's Win Close One

    The Rattlers lost to the Midwest A's on Monday night at Joe Campbell Stadium.  The final score was a very close 7-6.

Rattlers Get Saturday Night Win

    The Rattlers showed some defense on Sat. night by defeating the Junction City Brigade 8-3 at Joe Campbell Stadium.
    For video highlights of the game,  go to:  http://kansasfirstnews.com/2014/06/21/rossville-rattlers-avoid-sweep-against-junction-city-brigade/

Amy Keller Engaged to Tim Shoemaker

    The engagement of Amy D. Keller and Timothy J. Shoemaker is announced by their parents, Dennis and Ann Keller, Rossville, KS, and Alan and Rosemary Shoemaker, Geneseo, IL. They will be married on August 16, 2014, in Chicago at the Bridgeport Art Center's Skyline Loft.
    The bride attended Rossville High School and received a B.S. in Political Science and a B.S. in Human and Organizational Development from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law Center, Washington D.C. She is employed as an attorney at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Chicago.
    The groom attended J D Darnall Senior High School and graduated with a Marketing Degree from North Central College, Chicago. He is a Director of Client Management at Millward Brown, Chicago, and is the Board President of Field of Dreams Uganda.

Georgianne Davis Passes Away

     Georgianne Davis, 96, passed away May 8, 2014 at the Topeka Presbyterian Manor where she had been a resident for over four years.
     She was born April 10, 1918 to George and Rosie Olejnik of Rossvile, KS. She attended Victor 101 school district (north of Rossville) and later completed her GED. She was also a graduate of the Menninger Bible Class. She worked several years in Chicago and later in Topeka for the Kansas Department of Transportation as a data entry operator before retiring in 1983.
    She is survived by a son, Richard Davis, of Kansas City, KS. She is also survived by two sisters, Agnes Wike and Helen Donly. She was preceded in death by one sister, Josephine Pressgrove. She is survived by one brother, William Olejnik. Brothers George, Rudy, Henry and Ed Olejnik preceded her in death. She was laid to rest at Prairie Home Cemetery.

Ronald Wyatt (71) Passes Away

     Ronald D. "Ron" Wyatt, 61, of Paxico, KS passed away Friday, June 20, 2014.
    He was born March 14, 1953 in Holdrege, NE, the son of Robert C. and Edna M. (Bent) Wyatt. He was a 1971 graduate of Rossville High School. Ron was employed and later retired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Topeka. He was a member of Rubber Workers Union Local No. 307.
    Survivors include four siblings, Bob (Linda) Wyatt, Raymond, KS, Mike (Joetta) Wyatt, Burlingame, KS, Pat (Edith) Wyatt, Pierceville, KS and Dave (Tracie) Wyatt, Hoyt, KS; his mother, Edna Wyatt, Lyons, KS; several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews and cousin Ruby Groothuis and family of Nebraska.
    Mr. Wyatt was cremated. A memorial ceremony will be 2 p.m., Friday, June 27, 2014 at the Penwell-Gabel Parker-Price Chapel, 245 NW Independence Ave, Topeka. To leave a special message for the family online, please visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com

Betty Mitchell Passes Away

    Betty Jane Mitchell, 89, Silver Lake, died Thursday, June 19, 2014, at Stormont-Vail s Emergency Room.
    She was born January 1, 1925, at Hope, Kansas, the ninth of ten children born to Warner William and Sadie Irene (Garrett) Heim. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters: Edna Kolzow and Dorothy Steele; and brothers: Roger Heim, Russell Heim, Warner Heim, Jr., Jack Heim, and Milton Heim.
    Betty was married to Stanley Mitchell on January 1, 1948, at Topeka. Together they farmed at Silver Lake. Stan preceded her in death on November 5, 1995. Betty was a member of the Silver Lake United Methodist Church, and the Auxiliary to Jimmie Lillard American Legion Post # 31 of Rossville.
    Surviving are sons: Hon. Daniel L. Mitchell (Linda) and Michael M. Mitchell, all of Silver Lake; grandchildren: Joshua Mitchell of Topeka, Travis Mitchell of the U.S. Navy, Port Hueneme, California, Amanda Mitchell of Kansas City, Kansas, and Lucas Mitchell of Topeka; a sister: Evelyn Bauck (Clem) of Leoti; and a brother: Beverly Sonny Heim (Lee) of Belton, Missouri; and a sister-in-law: Margie Heim of Pilot Grove, Missouri.
    Memorial services will be at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, at Silver Lake United Methodist Church, with the family receiving friends at a luncheon to follow. Private interment of cremains will be in Silver Lake Cemetery. The family would like to thank the staff of The Homestead Assisted Living Residence for the wonderful care given to Betty; and to DiAnna Little for the years of devotion and friendship, which greatly enriched Betty s life. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer s Association, 4125 SW Gage Center Drive, Suite LL-15, Topeka, KS 66604; Silver Lake United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 188, Silver Lake, KS 66539; or The Silver Lake Library Building Fund, 203 West Railroad, Silver Lake, KS 66539. To leave a special message for the family online, visit www.PenwellGabelTopeka.com.

Junction City Wins at Rossville

    The Rattlers lost  in extra innings to the league leading Junction City Brigade on Friday night at Joe Campbell Stadium  by a score of 12-7.
    For video highlights of the game,  go to:
http://kansasfirstnews.com/2014/06/20/rossville-rattlers-vs-junction-city-brigade-friday/

J. C. Bridage Defeats Rattlers Thur. Night.

   On Thursday night,  the visiting Junction City Brigade unleashed an offensive barrage to  down the Rattlers 22-10.

Senators Get 4-3 Win Over Rattlers

From CJOnline
    Chase Knott twice came through in the clutch, lifting the Topeka Senators to a 4-3 win over Rossville on Wednesday.
    With the win, the Senators improved to 6-4 and are now tied for second place with the Junction City Brigade in the Mid-Plains League.
    Knott, a shortstop from Rogers State (Okla.) University, hit a game-winning home run in the eighth inning on a 3-0 count. It was a swing in which Knott did not have the green light.
    “I just decided to go,” Knott said. “In a tied ballgame with a short porch, I just decided to take a cut.”
    Rossville loaded the bases in the ninth inning against closer Tanner Gragg, and Knott, who had not pitched in three years, came in and finished the game by inducing a grounder.
    “I had not pitched since my senior year in high school in 2011,” Knott said. “We were out of pitching so someone had to come in.”
    The Rattlers jumped out to a 3-1 lead, one of the runs scored via a solo home run by first baseman Harrison Hill.
    Senators second baseman Andrew Ramirez tied the game in the sixth by hitting a two-run double down the left-field line.
    “We needed a big hit down two runs,” Ramirez said. “The pitcher went down and away, and I just got the job done.”
    Anthony Miele earned the win throwing two-plus innings of scoreless relief. It was the second appearance for Miele in the three-game series. Miele, a side-armed pitcher from Allen County Community College, did not give up a hit and is becoming someone Senators coach Chris Graves can lean on for big outs.
    “I loved the fight tonight,” Graves said. “And Miele did a great job. I love the sidearm. I think everyone loves the side-armer. If he picks up a few miles an hour, he has a chance to become a great closer.”
Topeka got multiple-hit nights from Austin Culwell, Kameron Clark and Chase Ray.
    Rossville wasted a strong outing from former Topeka West Charger Ben Ramberg, who threw five solid innings. Rossville left 12 runners on base and the loss drops the Rattlers to 1-8 in Mid-Plains play.


Topeka (6-4)   000 012 010 — 4 9 2
Rossville (1-8) 011 010 000 — 3 7 2

Michaels, Miele (6), Gragg (9), Knott (9) and Gragg, Hay (9). Ramberg, Plassmeyer (6 ) and Christian. W — Miele. L — Plassmeyer. S – Knott. 2B — Topeka: Ramirez, Rossville: Schaareman. HR — Topeka: Knott, Rossville: Hill.

Rattlers Shut Out Senators

From CJOnline
    Two Rossville pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout as the Rattlers won their first game in the inaugural season of the Mid-Plains League.
    Kansas State pitcher Bryce Ward threw seven innings of one-hit ball, while North Dakota’s Ellery Bresnahan threw two hitless relief frames in Rossville’s 4-0 win over the Topeka Senators on Tuesday night.
    “It feels good and we definitely got a great pitching performance from Bryce Ward tonight,” Rattlers coach Toby Cowdin said. “He threw seven strong innings with nine strikeouts, and without him we would probably still be struggling. It was a big night for the ace to come out and do what he does.”
    Ward got ahead of hitters all game long and kept his pitch count low by only having one inning with a pitch total of more than 15. He finished the night needing just 87 pitches to get through seven innings. Twice he struck out the Senators in order.
    “I got ahead with first-pitch strikes multiple times. I felt good,” Ward said. “I was throwing my breaking ball for strikes, and when you can throw all of your pitches for strikes, you can do whatever you want in the count.”
    Ward also benefited from pitching with a lead as Rossville scored single runs in the second and third innings. McKenzie McAfee led off the second inning with a solo home run to right field, while Washburn Rural product Luke Bordewick hit an RBI single in the third.
    “Our offense and defense was outstanding tonight,” Ward said. “We got a couple of early runs and that’s all we needed.”
    Bordewick, a Pittsburg State Gorilla, was 2 for 4 on the night with two singles and the one RBI. This is the third season Bordewick has played with the Rattlers, so he knows all too well how important it was to get the win for Toby Cowdin, whose father, former Rossville coach Brett Cowdin, died late last year.
The Rattlers wear No. 14 patches on their jerseys in memory of their former coach and mentor.
    “Coach (Brett) Cowdin will never be forgotten; we have his patch on our jerseys and I’ve been thinking about him a lot,” Bordewick said. “He was a great man. I loved him as a coach and a person.
    “It feels good to win. We’ve been on each other a little because we have been losing, but hopefully this win will start us on a roll. We’re starting to get in more of a rhythm and we finally got that win.”
Rattler second baseman Tim Schaarman, from Nebraska-Omaha, had a 4-for-4 night that included a two-run homer which capped the Rossville scoring.
    Ryan Colombo hit a solid single for the Senators in the first inning, but his hit would be the only one of the night for Topeka (5-4).

Senators (5-4) 000 000 000 — 0  1  1
Rattlers (1-7)   011 200 00x — 4 11 1

Colombo, Edwards (8) and Hay. Ward, Bresnahan (8) and Srna. W — Ward. L — Colombro 2B — Rossville: Srna. HR — Rossville: McAfee, Schaareman.

Senators Win With Late Homers

From CJ Online:
   Two late-inning home runs served as the run differential in the Topeka Senators’ 9-6 Mid-Plains League victory over the Rossville Rattlers late Monday.
Ryan Colombo, a Seaman graduate playing at Drury University, hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to break a 6-6 tie. That home run was followed by a solo shot in the ninth inning by Missouri Western’s Andrew Ramirez.
   Colombo hit the home run chasing in Topeka’s Grant Arnold, who reached base in all six plate appearances with four singles and two walks. The Senators’ No. 1 and 2 hitters in the lineup combined for 6 hits, 4 runs, and 4 RBIs.
   “You couldn’t ask for more from those guys at the top. About five or six games in we switched Grant to the top of the order, and he’s done everything we have asked him to do,” Senators coach Chris Graves said. “Colombo always gets him over. That’s the job of the No. 2 guy, and he’s been getting it done.”
The offensive performance backed a solid outing from the Senators bullpen. Buddy Fellers earned the win in relief. Fellers threw 3 2/3 innings, striking out two batters. Anthony Miele earned the save by recording the final four outs, the first a strikeout that stranded a Rossville runner on the base path.
   “Buddy told me before the game that he was feeling it, so I told him he would be the first out of the pen,” Graves said. “Miele and I worked out two hours before the game, and I showed him some pointers. The side-arm thing is new for him, but tonight he looked like a veteran.”
   The bullpen backed up an up-and-down outing for starting pitcher Scott Shinn. Shinn, a graduate of Rossville High School and a former Rattler, pitched his first game in Rossville since the passing on Rossville Baseball mentor Bret Cowdin. Shinn struggled to get ahead of hitters, falling behind in the count to the first three batters he faced.
   Rossville plated two first-inning runs before Shinn settled in to strike out five batters over four innings.
“It was definitely something else. I really wanted to pitch against Rossville. It was a really nice thing to get to pitch here in front of Toby and coach Cowdin’s family. This was just special to be a part of it,” Shinn said.
With the win the Senators improve to 5-3 in Mid-Plains action coming off the heels of a tough series against the Junction City Brigade.
   “It’s a big win. We lost 10-0 to Junction City, and they have a great ball club out there. It’s great to just come out and show some fight. Our bullpen pitched really well, and we made some big defensive plays,” Colombo said.
    Colombo will take the mound for game two of the series against the Rattlers, who fell to 0-7 in league play.

Topeka (5-3)      0 1 3 0 0 2 0 2 1    =  9 13 2
Rossville (0-7)    2  0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0   =   6  7  3