ONE LAST TIME: '20 Softball Seniors Bid Farewell
ESCANABA---The Class of 2020 had all of their senior memories taken from them by the coronavirus, including their entire softball seasons. But 28 girls from across the Upper Peninsula got to take the field in a pair of All-Star type games Friday night in Escanaba. The girls were split up into two teams, with Escanaba, Marquette, Menominee, Norway, and Kingsford girls on one...and Gladstone, Rapid River, Bark River-Harris, Negaunee, Houghton, Hancock and Sault Ste. Marie girls on the other. In the end, the team coached by Escanaba Manager Gary Salo beat the team coached by Negaunee Coach Randy Carlson, 3-0 anf 19-4. "It's definitely a bittersweet ending, especially to do it on our home field like this and be with some of my teammates and all of the other seniors from the U.P.," said Escanaba pitcher Gabi Salo, who will play at the University of Wisconsin next year. "It was definitely a great experience." Salo, who traveled to other states for tournaments in her family's motor home for seven of the past eight weekends, was on her game Friday night, as usual, in the circle. She struck out 17 batters and threw a perfect game for 6 1/3 innings before Rapid River's Kristin Goodacre got a solid base hit against her in the seventh inning. "It was a good hit," Salo said. "I can blame myself for that one, but, good pitch, good hit. I give her credit. I felt pretty good. I played a lot of games this summer." Salo was helped by Marquette's Sophie Vandenende, who clubbed a solo home run to score one of the three runs. Norway's Cassidy Menard put down a suicide squeeze to bring in a fifth inning run, and a third run scored on an error. Negaunee's Skylar Hall, who will play at Lakeland (Wis.) University this fall, pitched well in defeat, striking out 12 batters and allowing just four hits. In the second game, multiple pitchers went into the circle for both teams. Marquette's Amanada McIntryre pitched the first two innings for Team Salo, followed by Escanaba's Maddie Block (two innings), and Menominee's Emma Latsch (three innings). Curtis switched teams to help out Team Carlson, and threw four innings. Gladstone's Jenna Tardiff, Houghton's Josie Connors, and Hancock's Payton Dube all threw one inning. Another Marquette Redette swung a big stick in this one for Team Salo. Madison Carter, batting in the #13 spot in the "batting order", smacked a two-run single in the third inning, and then clubbed a long three-run homer to center field. Carter ended up driving in five runs and scored three times. Menard added an RBI single and two-run double. Latsch and Salo both had RBI singles. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above for photos. |