Gaylord softball sweeps two more top-ranked teams; GHS, JoBurg wrap regular season

GAYLORD ― The hectic few weeks that is the spring sports postseason is set to begin this week for area baseball and softball teams.

Gaylord area teams have been busy wrapping up the final games of their regular season schedules the past two weeks, while also preparing for the upcoming district rounds of the MHSAA playoffs with some competitive matchups with high-caliber opponents.

Gaylord softball had a busy last few days of the season, hosting two top-ranked teams in Evart and Grand Blanc as they get set to make a run in the Division 2 bracket. Meanwhile, GHS baseball as well as Johannesburg-Lkewiston baseball and softball were wrapping up their final games of the season last week as well.

Gaylord sweeps past two more top-ranked opponents

After wrapping up yet another Big North Conference title last week, the Lady Blue Devils have not been resting on their laurels, testing themselves with some of the best teams the state of Michigan has to offer in the final days of the regular season.

And, as usual with the GHS softball team, they aced the test.

Gaylord wrapped the season with four more wins, sweeping the top-ranked team in Division 3, Evart, in a doubleheader on Thursday, May 25 before sweeping past the No. 6 ranked team in D1, Grand Blanc, with two more wins on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29.

Game one with Evart was an offensive onslaught, with five different Blue Devils (Jayden Jones, Aubrey Jones, Alexis Shepherd, Kennedy Wangler and Avery Parker) homering throughout the five-inning, mercy-shortened 11-0 victory. Parker had three hits and an RBI to lead efforts at the plate, while Jayden Jones took the win in the circle with one hit allowed and seven strikeouts.

Parker shined again in a 4-1 win in game two, tallying two hits including her second home run of the day from the plate while getting the win in the circle with one hit allowed and four strikeouts.

The Blue Devils wrapped the regular season on Memorial Day, and a terrific all-around effort gave the Blue Devils two more wins over a talented Grand Blanc team, 3-2 in game one and 10-4 in game two, to push their record to 31-2 overall.

PHOTOS: Gaylord softball hosts Grand Blanc on Memorial Day

Aubrey Jones and Alexis Kozlowski dominated offensively, with Kozlowski finishing the day 5-for-6 with two home runs, a triple, a double, six RBI and five runs scored while Jones had two hits, both home runs, along with five RBI and two runs scored.

Alexis Shepherd also shined in the field, making multiple diving plays from her second-base position while tallying two hits and three runs scored in game two.

Now comes the moment this team has been waiting for; the postseason. Gaylord has won back-to-back MHSAA District championships but fell in last year's regional finals in a heartbreaker to Escanaba. With the momentum they have built, the Blue Devils are hoping for a deeper run this season.

Gaylord sweeps Elk Rapids on Senior Day

Meanwhile, the Gylrod baseball team hasn't quite wrapped its regular season, but they did honor their Class of 2023 members with a senior day ceremony on Friday, May 26 as they hosted and swept a doubleheader with Elk Rapids.

Will Bethuy provided the big hit in the 4-2 game-one win, leading off the Gaylord half of the fourth with a blast in the right-field gap for a triple. He scored what would be the winning run on a past ball just pitches later, while also getting the win on the mound after allowing just one run in 5.1 innings of work.

Ethan Ford and Lucas Green led the way to the game-two, 6-3 win, both tallying two hits with Ford's first-inning triple sparking the Blue Devil offense and Green's RBI double helping put the finishing touches on the win.

Aidan Locker got the win in relief of Max Muzio, shutting out the Elk Rapids offense in three innings of work.

Gaylord, now 16-16-1, has one more doubleheader scheduled with Cadillac before they begin to look ahead to Districts come Saturday.

JoBurg baseball sweeps Pellston, splits with Central Lake

The Johannesburg-Lewiston boys did wrap their regular season this past week, sweeping a doubleheader with Pellston on Wednesday, May 24 before splitting their final doubleheader of the season with Central Lake on Thursday, May 25.

Riley Mcvannel and Colin Basinski led the way to an 18-2 win in game one against Pellston, with Mcvannel providing three hits, four RBI and three runs scored. Basinski tallied two hits including a grand slam in the top of the third inning, accounting for four of his team-high five RBI.

Mcvannel was also the winning pitcher, shutting out the Hornets' offense and striking out three in two innings of work.

Eli Lindbert led the Cardinals to an 8-3 victory in game two, tallying two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored while getting the win on the mound with one unearned run allowed. Mcvannel and Will Boden also added three hits apiece.

It took late-game heroics in the game-one win against Central Lake on Thursday, but Basinski again came through for the Cardinals as his seventh-inning, walk-off double broke a 4-4 tie and gave JoBurg the 5-4 victory.

Meanwhile, the Trojans' offense broke through in game two, tallying seven runs on nine hits for a 7-3 victory. That wraps JoBurg's regular season at 18-12 overall as they hope to make a push in the Gaylord St. Mary hosted district this weekend.

JoBurg softball wraps with sweep of Central Lake

The JoBurg softball team also wrapped its final regular season with a doubleheader with Central Lake, but the Lady Cardinals had a bit more success, outscoring the Trojans 25-1 in two games for a sweep in their final regular season outings.

Jayden Marlatt wrapped win number 14 in the circle in the 9-0 game-one victory, shutting out the Trojans while striking out another 14 batters. She wraps the regular season with a staggering 179 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched, an average of over two K's per inning.

Reagan Sides led the way offensively with three hits including two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.

The Cardinals took a 16-1 win in three innings in game two, wrapping their regular season with win number 23 overall. Sides and Jocelyn Tobias both had three hits apiece to lead the offense, while Chloe Ferguson got the game-two win in the circle with one earned run and one strikeout.

JoBurg wraps the regular season at 23-2-1, hoping for a deep run in the D4 playoff bracket.