Gaylord starts state title chase with big win; JL survives with seventh-inning comeback
GAYLORD ― After a long, grueling regular season of cancellations, less-than-perfect weather and tough overall schedules, Northern Michigan softball teams are jumping at the opportunity to play meaningful games in pristine weather. However, as the Gaylord team is well aware, the road to a state championship can only be taken one step, one game at a time.
The Lady Blue Devils are hoping that they took their first step toward that state title on Tuesday.
Entering the MHSAA playoffs as the top-ranked team in the state for Division 2, the Blue Devils' softball team has high hopes for their postseason prospects, but all those high hopes would have to start with a win in a district quarterfinal game at home against their rivals from Petoskey on Tuesday, May 30.
That wasn't much of a challenge.
Gaylord put together an impressive offensive display in just three innings, topping Petoskey 15-0 in a three-inning, mercy-rule-shortened game to advance to the district semifinals on Saturday, June 3.
Petoskey held the Gaylord offense to just one run in the first inning, but the Blue Devils responded with nine runs in the second and five runs in the third en route to the blowout victory. Aubrey Jones provided the big hit of the day with her three-run home run in the second increasing Gaylord's lead to 7-0 at the time.
Jones finished with two hits, three runs batted in and two runs scored, one of five Blue Devils with multi-hit performances. Braleigh Miller had two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored, while Taylor Moeggenberg and Hali Lenartowicz also had doubles on the day.
Avery Parker got the win in the circle, allowing just two hits while striking out three batters in another shutout performance.
Now comes the matchup many in the Michigan high school softball scene have been waiting for; Gaylord, the top-ranked team in Division 2, will take on Escanaba, the No. 2 ranked team in D2, in a district semifinal matchup on Saturday, June 3 at Gaylord High School.
Escanaba is the last D2 to beat Gaylord, shocking the Blue Devils in last year's regional final with a two-run, go-ahead home run in the seventh inning on the same field they will play on Saturday. The two also met earlier in the season at the Freeland Quad, with Gaylord taking a 9-0 victory with relative ease.
JoBurg uses four-run seventh to top Mio, advance to district semis
GAYLORD ― When the Division 4 district quarterfinal matchup between Johannesburg-Lewiston and Mio-Au Sable reached the seventh inning on Tuesday evening, the JoBurg Cardinals were staring down the end of their season.
Trailing 4-3 as the final inning began, JoBurg had to come up with something in their final at-bats of the game to make they would not become their final at-bats of the season.
Fortunately enough, their top players came through when they needed it most.
The Cardinals strung together four runs on four hits and two walks in the top of the seventh inning, flipping the 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead and eventual win over the Thunderbolts, pushing the Cardinals to the semifinal round of the MHSAA D4 districts on Saturday.
After a leadoff walk started the final inning on the right foot for JoBurg, senior Colin Basinski wasted little time as he ripped an RBI double, tying the game at four runs apiece. JoBurg was not done, however, as RBI singles off the bats of Canyon Meyers and Benny Lindbert respectively pushed the Cardinals to a three-run lead as they entered the bottom half of the seventh.
Mio-Au Sable threatened with two walks to lead off the inning, but the Cardinals turned to Eli Lindbert to slam the door and he did just that, striking out two of the final three batters to lock up the JL win.
Benny Lindbert led the way offensively, tallying three hits including two doubles, two RBI and a run scored.
JoBurg will take on Wolverine in the district semifinal matchup on Saturday, June 3 at Gaylord St. Mary High School field. The winner of that game will take on the winner of GSM and Boyne Falls later that day.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord softball starts state title chase with big win; JL survives with seventh-inning comeback
