It was the end of the Cinderella story of the Marquette Junior Girls (age 13-14) softball team on Thursday, as they lost in the state semifinals to Croswell-Lexington, 19-1, in Kalamazoo.
Marquette did get six hits in the game, with Maddy Havel scoring her team's only run in the fourth inning to break the shutout. Makayla Gustafson took the loss in the circle, allowing all 19 runs. Only six of them were earned, thanks to six Marquette defensive errors.
Gustafson, Taylor Wyatt, Clare Dewitt, Madison Pierce, Gianna Michaelson also had base hits for Marquette.
Piper Cayce and Gray Shaw both drove in three runs for Cros-Lex. The District Seven champions later won the state championship, 9-6, over Grand Blanc, and will represent Michigan at the Central Regional. Marquette finishes a successful state tournament with a 2-2 record.
