EAST LANSING---Gladstone High School softball coach Ashley Hughes knew the odds were long as her Braves lined up against the defending state champions in Friday's Division Three state semifinals at Michigan State University's Secchia Stadium.
But Hughes wanted her young group of Braves to go in feeling like they had a fighting chance against Monroe St. Mary's Catholi Central and its star pitcher, Meghan Beaubien.
The Lady Braves were loose and confident before the game, but in the end, it turned out that Gladstone was no match for the southeast Michigan team. Gladstone did not get a baserunner and lost in five innings on the mercy rule, 13-0.
Beaubien, a sophomore who has already verbally committed to pitch for the University of Michigan, was dominant on Friday, mixing her pitches effectively and buzzing those pitches past the entire Gladstone lineup. Of the 15 Gladstone batters she faced, Beaubien struck out 13 of them.
Only two Braves batters hit the ball in fair territory: a bunt attempt by Kaitlyn Hardwick and a groundout off the bat of Paige Schwartz.
The Kesterels (27-5) pounded out 19 hits against Gladstone pitcher Jenna Steinhoff, who pitched all five innings for the Braves. They scored four runs in the first inning, who Brooke Angerer whipping an RBI double and Elizabeth Caldwell smoking an RBI triple.
Monroe added two more runs in the second inning, one in the third, and they put it away with six runs in the top of the fifth inning. Angerer had a single, two doubles, two RBI, and scored three runs. Kenna Garst had two triples and an RBI single in the #3 spot.
Gladstone (26-15) made it to the Final Four at MSU after struggling through the early part of the season. The team turned it around in the second half of the season, and won district and regional championships before beating Manistee in the quarterfinal round.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS above to see photos and videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and listen to interviews.
But Hughes wanted her young group of Braves to go in feeling like they had a fighting chance against Monroe St. Mary's Catholi Central and its star pitcher, Meghan Beaubien.
The Lady Braves were loose and confident before the game, but in the end, it turned out that Gladstone was no match for the southeast Michigan team. Gladstone did not get a baserunner and lost in five innings on the mercy rule, 13-0.
Only two Braves batters hit the ball in fair territory: a bunt attempt by Kaitlyn Hardwick and a groundout off the bat of Paige Schwartz.
The Kesterels (27-5) pounded out 19 hits against Gladstone pitcher Jenna Steinhoff, who pitched all five innings for the Braves. They scored four runs in the first inning, who Brooke Angerer whipping an RBI double and Elizabeth Caldwell smoking an RBI triple.
Monroe added two more runs in the second inning, one in the third, and they put it away with six runs in the top of the fifth inning. Angerer had a single, two doubles, two RBI, and scored three runs. Kenna Garst had two triples and an RBI single in the #3 spot.
Gladstone (26-15) made it to the Final Four at MSU after struggling through the early part of the season. The team turned it around in the second half of the season, and won district and regional championships before beating Manistee in the quarterfinal round.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS above to see photos and videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and listen to interviews.
