Escanaba Juniors Cruise Into State Quarterfinals
WYOMING, Mich.---The Escanaba Junior Girls (age 13-14) rolled to another mercy-shortened victory on Monday, qualifying for the quarterfinal round of the Junior Softball State Tournament in suburban Grand Rapids. Escanaba beat Boyne City, 13-0, in five innings to finish in the top spot in Pool A. The girls went 3-0 in pool play, outscoring their opponents 53-0 along the way.
Escanaba's Emily LaFave.
"I'm excited," Escanaba pitcher Sam Connor said. In Monday's game, Escanaba scored four runs in the first inning, one rin in the third, and eight runs in the fourth inning. Escanaba had 16 base hits, and took advantage of seven Boyne City errors. Callie Heller had three hits, including two more bunt singles. Sam Connor went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs. Michelle LaFave was also 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Mackenzie Leisner added a double, Emily LaFave ripped a triple, Becca Piron had two hits, and Kayla VanPortfliet had two more hits to go along with the five hits she had on Sunday. Boyne City did not get a baserunner as Connor and Katie Ross combined to throw a perfect game. Ross threw two innings and struck out two batters. Connor threw the final three innings and fanned six of the nine girls she faced. So far, Escanaba pitchers have allowed no runs on one base hit in 15 innings of pitching in the tournament.
Escanaba's J.J. Laviolette.
"We have a tough defense," Coach Segorski said. "When we're on, we're hard to beat in the field. Callie Heller and Becca Piron do a fantastic job when they're at short, Sam made a couple of good plays at first and Michelle at third is as good as they come." Escanaba advances to Tuesday's state quarterfinal round, and will play at 3:00. The girls' opponent is still to be determined as other games were still being played. WCHT-AM (600) will broadcast the game live, and the game will also be broadcast over the Internet at www.rrnsports.com. The pre-game show starts at about 2:50. Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see more pictures and videos from the game, taken by Morgan Szukalowski. You can also hear some audio highlights from the game. |