TRAVERSE CITY---The Gladstone High School softball team did not make it to the state semifinals last season. The girls' loss in the 2013 quarterfinals was a rarity, and this year, the Braves made it a goal to get back to the Final Four.
And on Tuesday, the Braves topped Muskegon Oakridge, 5-1, in a Division Three state quarterfinal. So the girls are headed to Michigan State University on Friday.
"Words can't really describe it right now," Gladstone senior Jessica Beaudry said. "We came here last year and didn't have the best of luck. This year, we were determined."
Beaudry had the game's biggest hit. The Braves loaded the bases in the first inning and Beaudry unloaded them with a double to give her team an early 3-0 lead.
"It happened to me in our last game, and I kind of choked," Beaudry said. "But I kind of told myself, 'that is not happening again. I'm getting these girls in'. It was heavenly."
Those three runs were more than enough for senior pitcher Tinner Sharon. She allowed just one base hit until the sixth inning, and struck out twelve batters along the way.
"That was the biggest sigh of relief," Sharon said of Beaudry's hit. "It was a great felling knowing that you have a little bit of a cushion going in to pitch. I don't feel that I was at my best (pitching), but it worked out alright. My defense and the batters backed me up the entire game."
Gladstone added two runs in the sixth inning after Muskegon Oakridge had cut the gap to 3-1 in the top half. Sadie Strasser led off with a single, and then scored on a double by Morgan Kowalski. Bridget Becker's RBI single made it a 5-1 game.
"It feels amazing going down to Lansing," Kowalski said. "I've never done it before. I've watched my sister do it. So, I think it's gonna be awesome."
Braves Manager Ashley Hughes says her team did what it had to do on Tuesday.
"They were ready to play today," Hughes said. "They wanted to jump out right away, and that's exactly what they did. They just capitalized. Jess had such a hard shot to left center. That, right there, boosted the girls. It was nice to have that cushion."
Hughes, in her first season as head coach after the retirement of longtime Coach Gerry Smith, was on Cloud Nine after her girls earned a trip to East Lansing.
"I really don't know what to think right now," Hughes said. "I saw Smitty afterwards, because he really groomed this team the last decade or so. This is a great group of athletes. I had high expectations for them. They're absolutely derserving to be there."
Gladstone will face Coloma High School in the state semifinals on Friday at Michigan State University. Game time is 10:00.
The game will be broadcast LIVE on www.rrnsports.com. It will be taped, and rebroadcast on WCHT-AM (600), starting at about 12:00 noon.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Lucas LaCosse, and to hear post-game interviews.
And on Tuesday, the Braves topped Muskegon Oakridge, 5-1, in a Division Three state quarterfinal. So the girls are headed to Michigan State University on Friday.
Beaudry had the game's biggest hit. The Braves loaded the bases in the first inning and Beaudry unloaded them with a double to give her team an early 3-0 lead.
"It happened to me in our last game, and I kind of choked," Beaudry said. "But I kind of told myself, 'that is not happening again. I'm getting these girls in'. It was heavenly."
Those three runs were more than enough for senior pitcher Tinner Sharon. She allowed just one base hit until the sixth inning, and struck out twelve batters along the way.
Jessica Beaudry comments
Gladstone added two runs in the sixth inning after Muskegon Oakridge had cut the gap to 3-1 in the top half. Sadie Strasser led off with a single, and then scored on a double by Morgan Kowalski. Bridget Becker's RBI single made it a 5-1 game.
Braves Manager Ashley Hughes says her team did what it had to do on Tuesday.
"They were ready to play today," Hughes said. "They wanted to jump out right away, and that's exactly what they did. They just capitalized. Jess had such a hard shot to left center. That, right there, boosted the girls. It was nice to have that cushion."
Hughes, in her first season as head coach after the retirement of longtime Coach Gerry Smith, was on Cloud Nine after her girls earned a trip to East Lansing.
"I really don't know what to think right now," Hughes said. "I saw Smitty afterwards, because he really groomed this team the last decade or so. This is a great group of athletes. I had high expectations for them. They're absolutely derserving to be there."
Morgan Kowalski comments
The game will be broadcast LIVE on www.rrnsports.com. It will be taped, and rebroadcast on WCHT-AM (600), starting at about 12:00 noon.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Lucas LaCosse, and to hear post-game interviews.
