End of The Line: Esky Girls Fall In State Title Game

CLARE, Mich.---Not this time.

For the five girls who played on the Escanaba Junior Girls team that went to the Junior Softball World Series last summer, the dream of playing in another one this summer ended on Saturday. There will be no trips to the ocean, or to the mountains, or to that natural spring that froze the girls' feet last year.

No green uniforms with the word "CENTRAL" written on the front.

Nope. Not this time.

But the girls didn't go without a fight. Escanaba rallied late in the semifinal game to beat Sand Creek, 12-6, but could not overcome a 7-0 deficit against South Portage in the championship game.

The girls from Kalamazoo won, 8-5.

"Going in, we know they were going to hit the ball," Escanaba Manager Jamie Segorski said. "They have a real nice team. It's a good squad. We just had to score some runs. We were in the game all the way through, but they had a big inning and set us back a bit."

Malary Hiney post-game interview.

"I'm pretty upset that we lost," Escanaba outfielder Malary Hiney said. "But we played a pretty good game. I mean, they were hitting the ball."

Escanaba cruised through pool play by winning three games by a combined score of 33-1. But everybody knew that Saturday's rounds would be much tougher, and they were.

Sand Creek, the District 16 champions from near the Michigan-Ohio border, came out hitting.

Escanaba trailed, 5-3, after three innings as #3 hitter Joslyn Evans had two hits and two RBI and #4 hitter Lindsey Morgan had a pair of doubles and two runs batted in.

Escanaba managed to take a 7-5 lead in the top of the sixth, and then in the bottom of the sixth, Sand Creek scored a run and was threatening to tie the game.

But Morgan's grounder toward left field was ruled an out when the runner going between second and third collided with Escanaba shortstop J.J. Laviolette. Inning over.

Taylor Gauthier 3-run triple vs Sand Creek

Then Escanaba put the game away with five runs in the top of the seventh inning. Three of them came home on a bases-loaded triple by Taylor Gauthier.

All of a sudden, a tense 7-6 game became a more comfortable 10-6 game, and the Eskymos advanced.

South Portage beat Grandville, 5-2, in the other semifinal. That set up a winner-take-all state championship game between the tournament's only two undefeated teams.

It was a scoreless game after two innings, but in the third, the District 2 Champions from Kalamazoo pounded the ball against Escanaba pitcher Katie Ross.

Madyson Cole's RBI double was followed by a two-run single by Rachel Pijaszeki.

The 3-0 South Portage lead grew to 7-0 in the fourth inning.

Paige Poulter had a two-run single to right-center field, Cole followed with another RBI single, and Pijaszeki followed with a long sacrafice fly.

"It wasn't anything that we could stop," Segorski said. "They just hit the ball. They kept driving it to right-center. They drove four hits out there. You just can't stop that."

Kayla Van Portfliet RBI triple in 7th

Escanaba was in a bad situation, but it wasn't over.

As light rain started to fall, the South Portage defense fell apart in the top of the fifth inning. Escanaba scored two runs on three straight errors, and was within 7-2.

But from there, both teams played stellar defense, with several "sure" base hits being stolen by the opposing defense, especially in the outfield.

"Their outfield played better than I thought they would play," Segorski said. "They stole three hits from us that could've opened up the big inning. That's softball."

South Portage was frustrated in the bottom of the fifth when Christine Taylor hit a frozen rope toward the right field corner. Right fielder Malary Hiney did a full-out dive, and caught the ball, less than a foot above the grass blades.

"I didn't want to let them score," Hiney said. "I didn't want that dropping. I had to get it, and I did."

Then after South Portage's Kayla Blett got a sharply hit base hit (which Emily Bruntgens tracked down in center field to prevent extra bases), Maddie Bell scorched a line drive that Escanaba second baseman Taylor Gauthier snared for a 4-3 double play.

JJ Laviolette hit to the fence in the 7th.

South Portage would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and they almost needed it because Escanaba put on a very late rally to make the ending interesting.

With one out and nobody on, Aubree Saunders got a single to right field.

After Hiney struck out for the second out, Bruntgens put down a bunt and beat it out for a single. Laviolette followed with a booming double that scored two runs, cutting Escanaba's deficit to 8-4.

Then Kayla Van Portfliet picked on the first pitch and smoked it to the fence for a triple, and that scored Laviolette to make it an 8-5 game.

Ross came up next and she also launched one to deep center field. It looked like another run, and an 8-6 game, with Taylor Segorski and Gauthier due to bat next.

But Blett, South Portage's center fielder, raced toward the fence, leaned out, and caught the ball. The yellow team celebrated. And the Eskymos came up just short.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos from the games, as well as listen to audio highlights and interviews. Thanks to Mary Gauthier for doing the photos and videos.