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ESCANABA---It was a typical Escanaba vs Gladstone match-up in Little League softball Tuesday night, one that mirrored dozens of others that have happened over many decades in Delta County.
This time, it was the 8-to-10 year-olds, the “minor girls”, and it was another down-to-the-wire match before Escanaba scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie and beat Gladstone, 6-3, at Lemmerand Park.
Livvy Nolde's clutch two-run bases loaded single up the middle, with two
outs and two strikes on her, that broke the tie and ultimately sent the mini-Eskymos into Thursday's district championship game. Gladstone will play Kingsford in a loser's bracket game on Wednesday for another chance to meet the Eskymos.
“Such a great game, such a great battle,” Escanaba Manager Danicia Humbert said. “Such a great effort. The kids gave all their effort and really just came to play.”
And she was thrilled to see Nolde get such a clutch base hit.
“That is what it's all about,” Humbert said. “What a huge hit and what a great at-bat. I'm just so proud of her. All that time and effort that they put in, and it shows on the field. I mean, that is ultimate pressure at age 10, isn't it?”
For her part, Nolde really didn't feel any pressure.
“I feel pretty good and happy,” Nolde said. “I thought the pitcher was going to scoop it up and throw to first, but then I noticed that it went right through her legs. It's fun playing them.”
Gladstone Manager Brenda Damitz says that hit was a tough one to take.
“That hurt a little bit,” Damitz said. “It was a good hit. You can't fight a good hit like that. My girls definitely took a toll on that one.”
But Damitz was also proud to see her team keep battling back, after they rallied twice from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to tie the game.
“They kept saying, it's a 0-0 game, nobody's winning right now,” Damitz said. “Keeping that in their heads is what we're trying to do. You know, we like that two-out rally. Work at the bottom and start working you way back up.”
Escanaba scored two runs in the first inning on a ground ball by Haddee Mokszycke. It was thrown over the first baseman's head into the right field corner, and Mokszycke came all the way around to score on a “Little League home run”.
Gladstone came right back with two runs of their own in the second inning as Hadley Hammill punched one past the shortstop into left field, scoring Olivia Damitz and Julie Maki, tying the game at 2-2.
Escanaba regained the lead in the third inning when Mya Humbert smoked one to the left field fence for a triple, bringing home Isla McCarthy with the go-ahead run. But Gladstone came back yet again, with Olivia Damitz's RBI single to right field retying the game in the fourth inning.
That set up the dramatic ending, with Nolde playing the lead role, and Mya Humbert doing her job in the circle. And she did it after being hit by a pitch on her throwing hand while batting in the fifth inning, causing the knuckles to swell up on her.
What was her plan?
“Throw first-pitch strikes,” Humbert said, and then, about the swollen hand, added, “It was a little hard but it was easy because I had my team behind me.”
Maia Hughes took the loss in the circle for Gladstone.
