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GIRLS' NEXT STOP: KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON!
 AKRON, Ohio---If Emily LaFave's two-strike bunt against Indiana on Tuesday was "imfamous", then Taylor Segorski's clutch two-strike bunt against Ohio on Wednesday would have to qualify as "legendary". LaFave's unexpected bunt in the Central Regional Semifinal caught the South Bend, Ind., team off-guard and led to a throwing error that helped the Escanaba girls pull out a come-from-behind 10-8 win Tuesday night. 
Emily LaFave Is SAFE at the plate.
And with two strikes and all the pressure in the world on her shoulders in the seventh inning, Segorski came through with a perfect suicide squeeze. One run scored, and a second run came in on an error, and Escanaba took a 3-1 lead over Poland, Ohio. "At times, you just have to give them the unexpected," Escanaba Head Coach Jamie Segorski said. "You could see the confusion with their fielders and they threw the ball away. We scored two on it." Katie Ross took care of the rest in the circle in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Escanaba girls' magical All-Star season continues with a trip to suburban Seattle, Washington, for the Junior Little League Softball World Series. "I'm so excited," J.J. Laviolette said. "It feels so good to go to the World Series. I've always wanted to. It's been like my dream." "We just needed to get fired up," Kayla Van Portfliet said. "We all knew we could do it." "We get to go on a plane!" said Becca Piron, who's never been on one before. 
JJ Laviolette covers the bag at first.
So, Segorski told his girls to swing at the first pitch. Even if it was a ball. That way, Hughes would be ahead in the count and not resort to that deadly off-speed pitch as often as she would if she was ahead in the count. And although Hughes did still mix her pitches, the strategy seemed to work as the Escanaba hitters stayed alive in the count and Hughes got just two strike outs. But throughout the game, Escanaba was on the short end of the scoreboard. That's because the Ohio State Champions got a run in the first inning when Jenna Schettler got an infield hit and went to second on a passed ball. 
Jamie Segorski Interview.
Schettler tagged up and went to third base, and Piron's off-balance throw sailed down the left field line and the Ohio champs had a 1-0 lead. But Ross was tough on the mound, despite giving up more base hits than she's used to in recent games. These are all state champions that she and her fellow Escanaba pitchers have been facing, so, of course, there will be a few base hits here and there. But on Tuesday, Ross handcuffed the Ohio team to just four base hits over seven innings. 
Katie Ross dives into third safely.
Still, Escanaba was down 1-0 with just three outs left in their season. So, what did Coach Segorski say to his team that was facing elimination entering the final inning? "You want to be intense, you want to keep them fired up, but you don't want to scare them either," he said. "So we just tried to pump them up real good. We knew that our line-up was tough, top-to-bottom. We don't have any weak spots." Ross led off the inning and fell behind 0-2. She worked, worked, and worked some more. Finally, she drew a clutch walk from Hughes on a high 3-2 pitch.
Kayla VanPortfleit RBI single.
And that "big" inning came via "small ball". Mackzenzie Leisner put down a perfect bunt for a base hit, and runners were on the corners. That brought up Kayla VanPortfleit, and she ripped the first pitch to right field for a base hit that tied the game at 1-1. 
Nice bunt, Mackenzie Leisner.
And that brought up Taylor Segorski, and she got two strikes on her. She looked down at her dad in the coach's box at third base. Bunt? Um....ok, really? It worked on Tuesday with Emily LaFave, but can it work again? Taylor Segorski made it work, and the suicide was successful. And the stunned Poland defense couldn't react, and a bad throw made a second run come across the plate. Escanaba, all of a sudden, had a 3-1 lead! "I never bunt," Taylor Segorski said. "I was just thinking 'get it down, get it down'. I guess we sort of pull it off when we need to. It really hasn't sunk in yet."
Taylor Segorski Suicide Squeeze!
"Yeah, she takes after me," Emily LaFave said about Segorski. "Just kidding!" "It was a great play," Coach Segorski said. "She executed on it." In the bottom of the inning, Ross issued a walk but nothing more. The final out came when Callie Heller caught a pop fly at shortstop. Washington-bound! 
Tag applied by shortstop Callie Heller.
"Everyone knew that we had to be excited (in the dugout)," Sam Connor said. "Otherwise, we would just shut down. Everyone had the right mind-set and we did it!" The Escanaba girls will fly to Seattle to take part in this weekend's opening ceremonies. The World Series in Kirkland, Wash., has nine teams (Asia-Pacific dropped out). Escanaba's schedule is posted below. All of the times listed are Eastern. All of Escanaba games will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5) and will be streamed live around the world on-line at www.rrnsports.com. Thanks to our 85 local businesses who have given us the cash to be able to travel to the West Coast and bring these games home to you. The first game is against Honaker, Va. Our broadcast starts with the pre-game show at about 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time. Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see photos from the game and to listen to audio replays and post-game interviews. Thanks to Debbie Leisner for all of the photos from the game. ESCANABA JUNIOR GIRLS WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE Mon 8/13---vs Honaker, Va.....7:45 ET Tue 8/14---No Game Wed 8/15---vs Canadian National Champions (TBA)....7:45 ET Thu 8/16----vs Kirkland, Washington....5:00 ET Fri 8/17----Semifinal at 8:00 ET or Consolation at 5:00 ET Sat 8/18----Championship at 5:00 ET or Consolation at 2:00 ET  |
