SAULT STE. MARIE---First mission accomplished.
The Escanaba High School girls softball team won a Division Two district championship on Friday, beating Cheboygan, 9-1, and topping Petoskey, 3-0, in Sault Ste. Marie.
And while the girls were happy with the accomplishment, they also have their eye on bigger prizes. Many of the girls have played in Little League World Series contests, so they know that a district title is merely the first step on a long trail of bigger battles.
The next of which will be in the Division Two regional tournament next weekend in Gladwin. But for now, the girls were indeed satisfied with their district trophy.
In Friday's semifinal, Katie Ross pitched all seven innings against a scrappy Cheboygan team that had several nice base hits.
But after a 1-1 tie in the second inning, the Eskymos gradually built their lead. That allowed Manager Jamie Segorski to substitute freely from his very deep bench...including using JV girls as pinch runners late in the game.
Ross worked out of two bases loaded jams, and she had strong defense behind her.
The offensive highlight came off the bat of catcher Taylor Segorski. She slugged a two-run homer in the third inning to give Escanaba a 5-1 lead.
Kayla VanPortfleit had an RBI single and a run-scoring sacrafice fly, and Taylor Rathe had an RBI base hit. The other semifinal saw Petoskey sneak past Sault Ste. Marie, 2-1, setting up the Escanaba-Petoskey final.
And Rathe was perfect in the circle for the Eskymos. The left-handed transfer student from Illinois went 21 up, 21 down, to clinch the district championship with a shutout, no-hitter, and perfect game, all in one. Rathe struck out 14 Petoskey batters, including eight batters in the first three innings.
Ross hit a solo home run in the second inning to give Rathe all of the support she would need. Escanaba improved to 33-2-1 on the season, with regionals up next.
FRIDAY's OTHER UP SOFTBALL RESULTS
Division One
Marquette 10, Traverse City Central 0
Final: Marquette 1, Alpena 0
Division Four
Rapid River 10, Ishpeming 2
Newberry 10, Stephenson 0
Final: Newberry 2, Rapid River 1
Division Four
Norway 15, Painesdale-Jeffers 0
Final: Norway 18, Hancock 1
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from Friday's Escanaba-Cheboygan softball game.
The Escanaba High School girls softball team won a Division Two district championship on Friday, beating Cheboygan, 9-1, and topping Petoskey, 3-0, in Sault Ste. Marie.
The next of which will be in the Division Two regional tournament next weekend in Gladwin. But for now, the girls were indeed satisfied with their district trophy.
In Friday's semifinal, Katie Ross pitched all seven innings against a scrappy Cheboygan team that had several nice base hits.
But after a 1-1 tie in the second inning, the Eskymos gradually built their lead. That allowed Manager Jamie Segorski to substitute freely from his very deep bench...including using JV girls as pinch runners late in the game.
Ross worked out of two bases loaded jams, and she had strong defense behind her.
Kayla VanPortfleit had an RBI single and a run-scoring sacrafice fly, and Taylor Rathe had an RBI base hit. The other semifinal saw Petoskey sneak past Sault Ste. Marie, 2-1, setting up the Escanaba-Petoskey final.
And Rathe was perfect in the circle for the Eskymos. The left-handed transfer student from Illinois went 21 up, 21 down, to clinch the district championship with a shutout, no-hitter, and perfect game, all in one. Rathe struck out 14 Petoskey batters, including eight batters in the first three innings.
Ross hit a solo home run in the second inning to give Rathe all of the support she would need. Escanaba improved to 33-2-1 on the season, with regionals up next.
FRIDAY's OTHER UP SOFTBALL RESULTS
Division One
Marquette 10, Traverse City Central 0
Final: Marquette 1, Alpena 0
Division Four
Rapid River 10, Ishpeming 2
Newberry 10, Stephenson 0
Final: Newberry 2, Rapid River 1
Division Four
Norway 15, Painesdale-Jeffers 0
Final: Norway 18, Hancock 1
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from Friday's Escanaba-Cheboygan softball game.
