Escanaba Girls Rally For Regional Win Over Iowa

AKRON, Ohio----The Escanaba Junior Girls (age 13-14) were three outs away from dropping into the loser's bracket as they trailed the Grandview Junior Girls, 4-3, entering the seventh inning on Monday. But the girls got their wake-up call just in time, scoring four runs and beating the team from Des Moines, Iowa, 7-4, in Akron, Ohio.

The result moves Escanaba to the winner's bracket final on Tuesday against LeGrange, Illinois. The winner of that game advances to the regional championship game.

The Iowa State Champions grabbed the lead against Escanaba pitcher Hannah Edington in the bottom of the sixth inning.

An error started the inning (the only error Escanaba made the whole game), and then Lexi Carney got a base hit to put two Iowa runners on base. Then clean-up hitter Toni McPhee smoked a triple to the center field fence, scoring Carisa Boley with the tying run.

Carney tried to score all the way from first, but Escanaba shortstop Taylor Gauthier made a nice cut-off throw to the plate to keep the game tied.

But Hayley Howell came off the bench to single home McPhee, and it was a 4-3 game.

So Escanaba had the momentum against them, but momentum can change quickly in softball.

Malary Hiney helped to change that momentum by picking on the first pitch of the seventh inning for a lead-off triple to the center field fence.

Gauthier followed with a base hit off the glove of Gradview pitcher Kaylea Lorenz, tying the game at 4-4.

Edington then came up and smacked a base hit to right, putting runners on first and third and still no outs. After Edington stole second, Savannah Barron smacked a double to drive home two runs, making it 6-4, and chasing Lorenz from the pitcher's circle.

With two out, Abbie Jackson had a pop fly single to drive home the seventh run.

In the bottom of the seventh, a one-out walk gave the Iowans a chance, and then Caitlyn Van Gundry ripped one toward the right field corner. Maddie Grffin raced toward the foul line and caught it in stride. Then a line-out ended the game.

Des Moines had six base hits in the game off of Edington, but she struck out ten batters, six of them looking. And the Iowa defense made eight errors.

Escanaba had eleven hits, with Hiney getting a single, double, and triple. She scored two runs, as did Gauthier and Edington. Edington had two hits to go along with her pitching performance. And Cassie Wisler contributed a single and a double.

Escanaba is now two wins away from a trip to the Junior League World Series in Kirkland, Wash.

The girls will face the Illinois State Champions Tuesday morning. Game time is 9:00 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos from the game, and to hear radio highlights.