HOME COOKING: Bay Softball Sweeps Finlandia

WELLS TWP.---Strong pitching, flawless defense, and Maddy Griffin’s bat.

That’s the combination that the Bay College Norse softball team used to sweep a doubleheader from the Filandia University Lions on Tuesday at the Wells Sports Complex. It was the first-ever home games for the Norse, and the script couldn’t have been written any better as the Norse won the opener, 9-1, and the nightcap, 2-0.

"It was a great day,” Norse Coach Heidi Charon said. “I think it started with the girls just bringing a really good energy to the field. It’s something we talked about all week. That’s where it starts."

"When you come on the field, you come on with high energy, hyper-focus, supportive energy. I think that’s what made the difference today.”

“We were definitely on our game today,” Griffin said. “I think they came in thinking that they would beat us like last time (in Fall Ball). We definitely took it to them and they weren’t ready for that.”

Griffin launched a three-run homer to left field in the first inning of the opener to put the Norse in front, 4-0. Griffin had an RBI double in the third inning to make it 5-0.

“I just connected with it,” Griffin said. “I heard Ross (Rahoi, first base coach) reaction to it, so I kind of knew. It kind of felt pretty good off the bat.”

Finlandia’s Denia Bent launched a long home run to lead off the top of the fourth inning, but Eve LaFleche’s RBI double brought home Paige Welch in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kaitlyn Hardwick picked on the first pitch she saw with a solo home run to center field to make it 7-1, then Emily LaFave and Emily Bruntjens both had run-scoring hits in the sixth inning to close the scoring.

The nine runs backed up the pitching of Lexi Winling, who other than the Bent home run and a sharply-hit single by Makenna Gorham on the next at-bat, shut down the Lions batting order.

Winling walked three batters and struck out three in the complete game effort.

“Coming in, I was very nervous, and in that first inning, it kind of showed,” Winling said. “I knew Finlandia was a good hitting team. Of course, I knew I had to have my A game, and of course, I wanted a win in our first game. I kind of went with opposites, one inside and low, then high and out. Try to keep them on their toes a little bit and throw some off-speeds and move the ball around a little bit.”

Finlandia’s Kassandra Avila took the loss, allowing six runs on four hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. Kyndell Coffman pitched the rest of the way, allowing three runs on five hits.

In the second game, Rhiley Hubert got the start for the Norse, and the Lions got the lead-off batter on base in three of the first four innings. But Hubert was helped by diving catches by Griffin at third base and Claire McInerney at second base to get out of one jam, and she struck out the side to get out of another.

Griffin again provided the offense. She doubled home Jerrika McAlpine in the first inning and singled home Hardwick in the third inning. Finlandia’s pitcher, Bent, was able to keep her team in the game, striking out eight Norse batters in a complete-game effort.

But the Lions couldn’t get the bunt down and managed only one base hit on offense (an infield hit by Cassandra Lopez).

Hubert threw five innings, walking three batters and hitting another, but also striking out seven batters. Then Winling came on to pitch the last two innings to get the save.

Winling issued a one-out walk in the seventh inning, but got Bent to strike out swinging to end the game.

“I was a little bit shocked to come in,” Winling said. “I was actually ready to head to the bathroom. I was like, well, let’s do it, I guess! I was nervous. I knew she wasn’t very aggressive on the first couple of pitches, so if I could get up on her in the count and then not give her anything good to hit, she couldn’t do much with it."

"That’s exactly what happened.”

Bay College improved to 14-6 on the season while Finlandia fell to 9-19. The two teams will meet again next Monday in another doubleheader in Wells, because Finlandia’s field in Hancock is still buried in snow.

Before that, the Norse host Gogebic Community College in a four-game series this Friday and Saturday, with first pitch set for 1:00 ET both days.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos taken by Jeff Wright, and listen to post-game interviews with Griffin, Winling, and Coach Heidi Charon.