SOUTH BEND, Ind.---There were tears of sadness. Tears of pain. And eventually, tears of joy for the Escanaba Senior Little League (age 15-16) All-Stars on Sunday in the final round of the Central Regional Softball Tournament in South Bend, Indiana.
There were tears of pain when Escanaba center fielder Emily Bruntgens severely dislocated a finger while trying to make a catch.
There were tears of sadness and disbelief when the host District Eleven team scored four late runs to beat Escanaba, 6-5, in a game that the Michigan State Champions needed just one more out to secure.
Then, there were tears of joy as Escanaba outlasted South Bend, 10-9, in an eleven inning marathon that had many emotional twists and turns for more than two hours.
"Words are hard to describe what I'm feeling right now," said Escanaba Manager Andy Fields. "This group is great. I had a feeling about this group when we started.
"I am so happy," Eskymo second baseman Jerikka McAlpine said. "I have never been to a regional (until now) or going to a World Series. This is very exciting for me."
"After we lost the first game, we just knew that we could do it," Escanaba outfielder Maddie Kolich said. "We never gave up and kept trying."
"I can't believe we won and we're actually going to the World Series," an emotional Escanaba outfielder Malary Hiney added. "We get to go on an airplane!"
In Sunday's first game, Escanaba scored five runs in the second inning to take a 5-1 lead over the South Bend team that had won the Central Regional championship nine straight years, and had won the Senior Little League World Series in both 2013 and 2014.
Escanaba's five run second inning was keyed by RBI singles from Katie Ross and Claire McInerney, and a two-run pop fly base hit by Jerrika McAlpine. But the game turned in the bottom of the fourth when Madison Allison hit a shot toward Emily Bruntjens in center field.
Bruntjens tried to make the catch, but couldn't. She ended up falling to the ground in severe pain, and her teammates converged.
She ended up with a severely inured finger. Dislocated. Ouch!
"There was no splint. They didn't pop the bone back in yet," Bruntjens said after the second game. "I got to go back to the hospital for that."
So, how did she get through it all?
"I honestly have no idea how," Bruntjens said. "All I knew is that I wasn't gonna let my finger get in the way of winning. That would be a dumb reason to lose because of a finger. Whoever was closest to me would take the ball, or I would just flip it."
Since Escanaba had just nine players, the thought around the complex was that the Escanaba girls would have to forfeit, and South Bend would play in its tenth straight World Series. A call was made to Little League International in Williamsport, Pa.
After a delay of more than 70 minutes, the ruling was that Bruntjens could continue to play if her coaches and parents said it was OK.
They did, and she played the rest of the way with her right hand wrapped in bandages. Bruntjens could still catch fly balls in center field, but she couldn't pick up the ball or throw it.
"Emily Bruntjens is the definition of a hero, really," Fields said. "She was everything to us. She kept us going. For her to gut it out. She stayed in center field, and took her at-bats. Are you kidding me?"
"I am really proud of Emily for all she's done," Wisler said. "I know she did it for us. There's no one out there who kept going like she did."
"Emily Bruntjens is the most valuable player of the region," Hiney said. "I can't believe how good she did!"
"It worked out really well, I think," Bruntjens said.
The game went on without much incident as Escanaba enjoyed a 5-1 lead. But in the bottom of the seventh inning, South Bend rallied. A bunt single, error, and wild pitch plated a run. A walk and a clutch hit by Lexi Felty out two on.
Ross was one strike away from victory when Ashlyn Kopinski turned on a 2-2 pitch and launched it for a three-run homer to left field, tying the game at 5-5.
Ross was able to get the final out, but the shellshocked Eskymos went out 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth.
Taylor Kowalski's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth won it for South Bend, forcing an additional championship game. The Escanaba girls were sad, some in tears, about being so close, but so far away from the regional championship.
"Katie was crushed after she gave up that three-run shot," Fields said. "I had a bad feeling about the second game."
The second game started out rough as Escanaba fell behind 4-1 after two innings.
In the top of the third (Escanaba won the coin toss to be the 'home' team for this one), Fields turned to Cassi Wisler to relieve Ross in the pitcher's circle.
"I was really nervous, the whole time," Wisler admitted. "I just didn't want to mess up and give up a dinger or anything. I was definitely nervous when they told me to go."
Wisler kept her team in the game, with some nice defense behind her, ironically, from Bruntjens, who could still catch the ball in center field.
The bats got going as well, with Escanaba turning a 4-1 deficit into an 8-5 lead with two runs in the third, three runs in the fourth, and two more in the fifth inning.
Maddie Kolich had a big RBI hit in the third inning, while Gauthier added an RBI hit in the fourth and Wisler helped with an RBI squeeze bunt. In the fifth, Ross and Gauthier each had RBI base hits to give the Escanaba girls that 8-5 cushion.
But South Bend scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning as Escanaba made two errors and Kowalski ripped a double. It was tied at 8-8 entering the seventh inning, and another error gave South Bend a big scoring chance in that inning. But when the host team tried a suicide squeeze, Ross (back in the circle) and Segorski made the play.
Escanaba had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on second and one out. But a strike out and a fly out ended the chance. In the eighth inning, South Bend took the lead when Caitie Cpaczewski launched a solo home run to center.
That inning would have been worse if not for a great catch by the injured Bruntjens on a shallow fly ball by Kopinski.
Bruntjens raced in and dove, catching it just above the top of the grassblades. She also cut up and bloodied her arm on that play.
"On that play before, when it dropped in front of me, I just knew that I didn't want that to happen again," Bruntjens said. "That's the worst feeling for me. Dropping the ball. I didn't even really think about diving, but it just sort of happened, I guess."
Down a run in the bottom of the ninth, Escanaba got even when Gauthier singled and Hiney was hit by a pitch. Wisler put down a nice bunt and the South Bend infielder threw it away, scoring the tying run.
Escanaba had the winning run at third, but Kolich's bunt resulted in a force at the plate, and Bruntjens popped up into a double play.
In the tenth inning, Fields turned to Wisler again for pitching, and she responded. Wisler retired all six batters she faced in the tenth and eleventh innings.
"Oh man, did she pitch today," Fields said of Wisler. "I told her before that she would be pitching. She had these big eyes, and I was like, 'you got this'. We hace Katie who throws 58, 59 (miles per hour) all day, and Cassi throws about 45. And it really threw their batters off. They just were not ready for that today."
In the bottom of the tenth, Hiney hit a double down the right field line. But Kopinski got a strike out to end the inning. Wisler did her job with a 1-2-3 eleventh inning, and in the bottom half, it was Bruntjens who again sparked her team.
Swinging with only one hand, she slapped one to third base and then used her speed to make it to first base as the throw across the diamond was high for an error.
McAlpine bunted her to second, and it brought up McInerney, who had no hits in this marathon game. She hit one just out of the reach of the South Bend third baseman, and Bruntjens raced home to score, setting off a wild celebration.
"Andy was telling me that I need to hit the ball," McInerney said. "And that's what really got me going. I was just so amazed about how she (Bruntjens, who scored the winning run) got on base so much with her hand."
Gauthier had five hits in six at-bats in the championship game, while Hiney added four hits and Segorski contributed two.
Wisler got the championship pitching win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings and allowing no earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in all.
Escanaba returned home early Monday morning, and a celebration is planned for Monday afternoon. The girls will be treated to a parade through the streets of Escanaba, followed by a celebration at Lemmerand Park. It will start at about 4:00.
The Esky girls will play their first World Series game in Delaware next Sunday night at 8:00. It will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5) starting at 7:30 ET with the pre-game show. The game will also be streamed at www.rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos taken by Mary Gauthier, and to hear interviews with the girls.
There were tears of sadness and disbelief when the host District Eleven team scored four late runs to beat Escanaba, 6-5, in a game that the Michigan State Champions needed just one more out to secure.
Then, there were tears of joy as Escanaba outlasted South Bend, 10-9, in an eleven inning marathon that had many emotional twists and turns for more than two hours.
"Words are hard to describe what I'm feeling right now," said Escanaba Manager Andy Fields. "This group is great. I had a feeling about this group when we started.
"I am so happy," Eskymo second baseman Jerikka McAlpine said. "I have never been to a regional (until now) or going to a World Series. This is very exciting for me."
Escanaba Girls Win On McInerney hit
"I can't believe we won and we're actually going to the World Series," an emotional Escanaba outfielder Malary Hiney added. "We get to go on an airplane!"
Escanaba's five run second inning was keyed by RBI singles from Katie Ross and Claire McInerney, and a two-run pop fly base hit by Jerrika McAlpine. But the game turned in the bottom of the fourth when Madison Allison hit a shot toward Emily Bruntjens in center field.
Bruntjens tried to make the catch, but couldn't. She ended up falling to the ground in severe pain, and her teammates converged.
She ended up with a severely inured finger. Dislocated. Ouch!
"There was no splint. They didn't pop the bone back in yet," Bruntjens said after the second game. "I got to go back to the hospital for that."
Katie Ross RBI hit vs South Bend
"I honestly have no idea how," Bruntjens said. "All I knew is that I wasn't gonna let my finger get in the way of winning. That would be a dumb reason to lose because of a finger. Whoever was closest to me would take the ball, or I would just flip it."
After a delay of more than 70 minutes, the ruling was that Bruntjens could continue to play if her coaches and parents said it was OK.
They did, and she played the rest of the way with her right hand wrapped in bandages. Bruntjens could still catch fly balls in center field, but she couldn't pick up the ball or throw it.
"Emily Bruntjens is the definition of a hero, really," Fields said. "She was everything to us. She kept us going. For her to gut it out. She stayed in center field, and took her at-bats. Are you kidding me?"
Taylor Gauthier RBI hit vs South Bend
"Emily Bruntjens is the most valuable player of the region," Hiney said. "I can't believe how good she did!"
"It worked out really well, I think," Bruntjens said.
Ross was one strike away from victory when Ashlyn Kopinski turned on a 2-2 pitch and launched it for a three-run homer to left field, tying the game at 5-5.
Ross was able to get the final out, but the shellshocked Eskymos went out 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth.
Taylor Kowalski's RBI single in the bottom of the eighth won it for South Bend, forcing an additional championship game. The Escanaba girls were sad, some in tears, about being so close, but so far away from the regional championship.
"Katie was crushed after she gave up that three-run shot," Fields said. "I had a bad feeling about the second game."
The second game started out rough as Escanaba fell behind 4-1 after two innings.
In the top of the third (Escanaba won the coin toss to be the 'home' team for this one), Fields turned to Cassi Wisler to relieve Ross in the pitcher's circle.
Wisler kept her team in the game, with some nice defense behind her, ironically, from Bruntjens, who could still catch the ball in center field.
The bats got going as well, with Escanaba turning a 4-1 deficit into an 8-5 lead with two runs in the third, three runs in the fourth, and two more in the fifth inning.
Maddie Kolich had a big RBI hit in the third inning, while Gauthier added an RBI hit in the fourth and Wisler helped with an RBI squeeze bunt. In the fifth, Ross and Gauthier each had RBI base hits to give the Escanaba girls that 8-5 cushion.
Taylor Kowalski wins Game 1 for South Bend
Escanaba had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, with a runner on second and one out. But a strike out and a fly out ended the chance. In the eighth inning, South Bend took the lead when Caitie Cpaczewski launched a solo home run to center.
Bruntjens raced in and dove, catching it just above the top of the grassblades. She also cut up and bloodied her arm on that play.
"On that play before, when it dropped in front of me, I just knew that I didn't want that to happen again," Bruntjens said. "That's the worst feeling for me. Dropping the ball. I didn't even really think about diving, but it just sort of happened, I guess."
Down a run in the bottom of the ninth, Escanaba got even when Gauthier singled and Hiney was hit by a pitch. Wisler put down a nice bunt and the South Bend infielder threw it away, scoring the tying run.
Escanaba had the winning run at third, but Kolich's bunt resulted in a force at the plate, and Bruntjens popped up into a double play.
Malary Hiney RBI off pitcher's leg
"Oh man, did she pitch today," Fields said of Wisler. "I told her before that she would be pitching. She had these big eyes, and I was like, 'you got this'. We hace Katie who throws 58, 59 (miles per hour) all day, and Cassi throws about 45. And it really threw their batters off. They just were not ready for that today."
Swinging with only one hand, she slapped one to third base and then used her speed to make it to first base as the throw across the diamond was high for an error.
McAlpine bunted her to second, and it brought up McInerney, who had no hits in this marathon game. She hit one just out of the reach of the South Bend third baseman, and Bruntjens raced home to score, setting off a wild celebration.
"Andy was telling me that I need to hit the ball," McInerney said. "And that's what really got me going. I was just so amazed about how she (Bruntjens, who scored the winning run) got on base so much with her hand."
Cassi Wisler RBI squeeze
Wisler got the championship pitching win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings and allowing no earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in all.
Escanaba returned home early Monday morning, and a celebration is planned for Monday afternoon. The girls will be treated to a parade through the streets of Escanaba, followed by a celebration at Lemmerand Park. It will start at about 4:00.
The Esky girls will play their first World Series game in Delaware next Sunday night at 8:00. It will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5) starting at 7:30 ET with the pre-game show. The game will also be streamed at www.rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos taken by Mary Gauthier, and to hear interviews with the girls.
