Escanaba Girls Drop Third Game At World Series

KIRKLAND, Wash.---First, the good news. The Escanaba Junior girls finally got on the scoreboard at the Junior Softball World Series. Callie Heller had her bunting game going, and the Escanaba girls had plenty of baserunners all afternoon long.

But now the bad news. The girls committed five errors on defense and stranded ten baserunners and the host Kirkland, Wash., team pulled out an 8-4 victory. The win gave Kirkland a 3-0 record, while Escanaba lost for the third consecutive Series game.

Running catch by Mackenzie Leisner in center field. Not blurry this time.

"It's definitely frustrating," Escanaba Manager Jamie Segorski said. "We've hung out hats on solid play all year on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. We got here on great play, holding teams to zero runs almost all the way through."

Four of the eight runs the Kirkland team scored in the game were unearned runs.

Two of them came in the first inning as errors at second base and shortstop put runners on base, and Kirkland cashed in with a two-out, two-run single by Gianna Paribello.

Escanaba, after being shut out in both of their previous Series games, finally got on the board in the bottom of the first inning.

Heller got it started with a bunt single, then Mackenzie Leisner got an infield hit.

Sam Connor and Michelle LaFave both struck out, but Katie Ross came through with a two-run single to right field to tie the game, 2-2.

In the second inning, Escanaba had a chance to take the lead when Heller had another base hit (this one to the outfield) and Leisner walked. They both stole bases, but Connor's shot was scooped up by Kirkland shortstop Hannah Walker.

Walker, by the way, had eight put-outs in the game, including all three outs in that second inning.

One of Callie Heller's bunts. Impossible to defend for catcher Host's Kara Phillips.

In the third inning, the host team took a 4-2 lead as Walker and Lisa Nelson had back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning against Connor. Tatum Kawabaka had an RBI single later in that inning to drive in Kirkland's fourth run.

Escanaba closed to within 4-3 in the bottom of the inning as Michelle LaFave led off with a single, got bunted to second by Katie Ross, and scored on a two-out single by JJ Laviolette. But Nelson's RBI single in the fourth inning got the run back for the hosts.

The Esky girls had their chance in the bottom of the sixth inning. Laviolette led off with a walk, went to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a bunt by Anna Burch. Burch was also safe on the play as the first baseman dropped the throw, a rare error committed by one of Escanaba's opponents .

Then Heller beat out an infield hit for her fourth hit of the game, and Leisner got a bunt single to load the bases. So, the bases were loaded with one out in a 5-4 game, with Connor and Michelle LaFave due at the plate.

Connor smacked one on one hop to the third baseman, and they made the play at the plate. Then LaFave popped up to the pitcher, and the Eskymos were still down, 5-4.

Then came the nightmare in the top of the seventh. Segorski removed Ross from the mound (she pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits) and brought Connor back in.

Walker singled to lead off, stole second, and scored on a hit by Paribello.

The next two girls got infield hits, and then two runs scored on two consecutive errors by Heller at short. Heller has been a rock at shortstop all summer, but today just wasn't her day, with a total of three errors in the contest.

"It's just frustrating to see," Segorski said. "It was a game that we should win nine out of ten times. But it is indicative of the kind of play that we've had in this tournament. We're real sluggish, and I think that the travel has gotten to us a little bit."

While disappointed, Segorski put the situation into prespective.

"We've got to remember that they're 14," he said. "When you get to this level, you expect so much more, and you hold them to such a high standard that it is almost unfair to them sometimes. It is what it is. We have a fantastic team. They're good players."

Anna Burch had a solid game for Escanaba.

The tournament continues, though, for the girls, as they still have a shot to finish in fifth place. Escanaba will face West Haven, Conn., in the consolation bracket on Friday.

The Connecticut team went 3-1 in pool play, but lost out on a tiebreaker when they were 3-1 along with Puerto Rico and Alaska.

Game time is 4:45 E.T. on Friday. The broadcast on WGKL-FM (105.5) will start at 4:15.

Escanaba's final game will be Saturday morning against either Eagle Pass, Texas, or Homaker, Virginia. That game will start at 11:30 a.m. ET, with a pre-game show at 11:15 a.m. on Kool 105.5 and rrnsports.com.

A "Welcome Home" celebration will be held for the girls Monday night at 7:30 at Lemmerand Park. Everyone in the community is invited to come and cheer the team!

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see pictures, video clips, and listen to audio soundbytes. Thanks to Deb Leisner!