Braves, Knights Tune Up For Districts With Twinbill

Click the thumbnails to see videos taken by Amy Sundquist and to hear post-game comments from Gladstone Manager Rick Pepin and Norway Manager Bob Bal.

GLADSTONE---The Gladstone Braves and Norway Knights played two softball games on Tuesday as both teams prepare for what they hope will be long tournament runs.

The Braves won both games, 13-3 and 9-2, but both teams got what they wanted from a doubleheader that featured teams with a combined record of 42-19.

"This is what makes you better," Norway Manager Bob Bal said. "Good teams, like the Escanabas and Gladstones of the world, they make you think. They put the ball in play, they do situations, they play fundamentally-sound. That's what softball is supposed to be. There's other teams, lesser teams that you could play, and you could put up 25 runs, or 20 runs, or whatever. That makes the parents happy, but it doesn't make coaches happy."

Norway is now 26-11 on the season, with four losses in the past seven days against the Escanaba junior varsity team, as well as the Gladstone varsity team.

Gladstone, meanwhile, also used the games as a tune-up for the districts, and improved to 20-8 on the season.

"They're a senior-heavy team and we got to see some live action," Gladstone Manager Rick Pepin said. "It's better than rolling again at practice. We got to work on some things today. The first game went well. Second game, we struggled with the pace of the pitching. But, there's always something to work on."

In the opener, his daughter, Montgomery Pepin, continued to struggle with her control, as she has for the past month. She walked five batters in 2 1/3 innings of work, striking out four and allowing one base hit. Tia Schone relieved her and got the win, not allowin a baserunner in 2 2/3 innings. That game ended in five innings on the mercy rule.

Norway pitcher Hannah Burklund took the loss, allowing 12 runs on nine base hits, but it is amazing that she's even playing sports, having overcome both cancer and a knee injury.

"When we started out, we didn't think we had any pitchers," Bal said, remembering his team losing in a season-opening tournament in the Superior Dome, 28-0 to Houghton and 14-4 to Marquette. "Everyone knows Hannah's story. What she went through, and now she's batting, and pitching, I mean, it's just a remarkable story."

Addie Trombley and Pepin both drove in three runs in that first game victory.

In the second game, Schone went all seven innings in the circle, strikuing out 12 batters and allowing only three hits. Kara Stanchina took the loss for Norway, giving up nine runs on ten hits in six innings of work.

Norway will face Stephenson in the Division Four district semifinals Friday at Marion Park. Gladstone will take on Iron Mountain in the D-3 semifinals Friday in Gladstone.

TUESDAY'S SOFTBALL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

KINGSFORD vs SAULT STE. MARIE---Nice come from behind win for the Kingsford Flivvers against the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils down in Gaylord. Elaina Bortolini got a two-run double to break a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh inning and the Flivvers held on in the bottom of the seventh to earn 4-3 win and a trip to Saturday's Final Four. The Flivvers have won seven straight games and will play Cheboygan in the district semifinals.

OTHER SOFTBALL DISTRICT TOURNAMENT SCORES
Division Three: Calumet 10, Westwood 0
Division Four: Mackinaw City 13, St. Ignace 3

TUESDAY'S REGULAR SEASON SOFTBALL SCORES

BARK RIVER-HARRIS 27, MUNISING 1 GAME ONE
BARK RIVER-HARRIS 13, MUNISING 2 GAME TWO

NEGAUNEE 13, MARQUETTE 3, GAME ONE
MARQUETTE 17, NEGAUNEE 7, GAME TWO