SAGINAW---The Escanaba High School girls softball team advanced to the state semifinals for the first time in 13 years on Tuesday, beating top-ranked Saginaw Swan Valley, 5-2, in the Division Two quarterfinals at Saginaw Valley State University.
Katie Ross hit a pair of home runs and Taylor Rathe pitched a complete-game six-hitter with a dozen strikeouts as the Eskymos advanced to the Final Four at Michigan State University this Thursday evening against the Richmond Blue Devils.
And while many of ther members of the mid-Michigan media were calling this a major upset, Escanaba Manager Jamie Segorski didn't see it that way after the game.
"It's not an upset to me." Segorski said. "We have a fantastic team. We have a great group of girls. Swan Valley is a great team. I knew it was going to be a battle. But I would never consider it an upset. I would just say that we were better than them today."
But the Eskymos got off to a shaky start defensively, and the Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Lauren Addy led off with a beautiful bunt single, and she scored on a base hit by Becca Curtis, with an error attached to the play.
In the bottom of the inning, Emily Bruntgens led off with a single, but was thrown out trying to steal second base. That would be big because Ross stepped up and hit a home run, which turned out to bring home just one run, not two. Still, the game was tied.
Swan Valley threatened in the second inning when Rathe hit a batter and walked another. She struck out the next two batters, and then Addy, the Vikings' best hitter all season long, was intentionally walked. Pinch hitter Aspin Stack smoked one to first base and Kayla VanPortfliet made the play, keeping the game tied at 1-1.
Escanaba took the lead in the bottom of the third inning when Jerrika McAlpine got a pinch hit single and Bruntgens followed with her second hit of the game to put two on base. Callie Heller hit into a fielder's choice for the first out, but Ross followed with an RBI hit to make it 2-1. A Rathe sacrifice fly made it a two-run cushion.
"I just made sure that I kept my head in it, and I made sure that I could see the ball well today," Ross said. "I was thinking much clearer (than last week at regionals), I think."
"That was exciting," Rathe said, then laughed. "But the thing of it is, I had to follow her up! (in the batting order). She did awesome and I am so happy for her."
Escanaba added a run in the fourth inning when JJ Laviolette walked and rode home on a long double to center field by Taylor Segorski. Then in the fifth inning, Ross hit her second home run of the game...this one to the scoreboard...and it was 5-1.
But Swan Valley was not dead. In the sixth inning, the Vikings scored a run on an RBI double by Maddy McLeod. Then, an infield hit brought the tying run to the plate, but Rathe struck out Vikings pitcher Callie Burgess to end the sixth inning threat.
"We made the plays we needed," Rathe said. "I'm thankful that we executed at the times where it mattered. Get the outs when you need them!"
What was Rathe throwing so well? Taylor Segorski caught her the whole game, and...
"We really tried to stick with the rise ball, but today, it wasn't going like we wanted it to," she said. "So, we had to switch to the curve, which is less than ideal, but we made it work. That's what's nice about having a pitcher who throws three million pitches!"
And in the seventh inning, Rathe retired the side in order, with a game-ending strikeout that set off a wild celebration not seen since Rusty Bluse's team did it in 2003.
"We had eight hits!" Coach Segorski said. "We hit the ball really well. Eight hits is fantastic against that pitcher. She wasn't overpowering, but, wow, does she play the outside edge. We worked on it all week. We set up a location with the pitch machine (in practice) and made sure it was set up in that spot, and had the girls crowd the plate as much as they could. Then, just drive the ball up the middle or to the other side."
Escanaba (36-2-1) travels to Michigan State University for the state semifinals against Richmond on Thursday. Game time is 5:30. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com, starting at 5:00.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and to hear radio interviews, replays.
Katie Ross hit a pair of home runs and Taylor Rathe pitched a complete-game six-hitter with a dozen strikeouts as the Eskymos advanced to the Final Four at Michigan State University this Thursday evening against the Richmond Blue Devils.
"It's not an upset to me." Segorski said. "We have a fantastic team. We have a great group of girls. Swan Valley is a great team. I knew it was going to be a battle. But I would never consider it an upset. I would just say that we were better than them today."
But the Eskymos got off to a shaky start defensively, and the Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Lauren Addy led off with a beautiful bunt single, and she scored on a base hit by Becca Curtis, with an error attached to the play.
In the bottom of the inning, Emily Bruntgens led off with a single, but was thrown out trying to steal second base. That would be big because Ross stepped up and hit a home run, which turned out to bring home just one run, not two. Still, the game was tied.
Escanaba took the lead in the bottom of the third inning when Jerrika McAlpine got a pinch hit single and Bruntgens followed with her second hit of the game to put two on base. Callie Heller hit into a fielder's choice for the first out, but Ross followed with an RBI hit to make it 2-1. A Rathe sacrifice fly made it a two-run cushion.
"I just made sure that I kept my head in it, and I made sure that I could see the ball well today," Ross said. "I was thinking much clearer (than last week at regionals), I think."
"That was exciting," Rathe said, then laughed. "But the thing of it is, I had to follow her up! (in the batting order). She did awesome and I am so happy for her."
But Swan Valley was not dead. In the sixth inning, the Vikings scored a run on an RBI double by Maddy McLeod. Then, an infield hit brought the tying run to the plate, but Rathe struck out Vikings pitcher Callie Burgess to end the sixth inning threat.
"We made the plays we needed," Rathe said. "I'm thankful that we executed at the times where it mattered. Get the outs when you need them!"
What was Rathe throwing so well? Taylor Segorski caught her the whole game, and...
"We really tried to stick with the rise ball, but today, it wasn't going like we wanted it to," she said. "So, we had to switch to the curve, which is less than ideal, but we made it work. That's what's nice about having a pitcher who throws three million pitches!"
"We had eight hits!" Coach Segorski said. "We hit the ball really well. Eight hits is fantastic against that pitcher. She wasn't overpowering, but, wow, does she play the outside edge. We worked on it all week. We set up a location with the pitch machine (in practice) and made sure it was set up in that spot, and had the girls crowd the plate as much as they could. Then, just drive the ball up the middle or to the other side."
Escanaba (36-2-1) travels to Michigan State University for the state semifinals against Richmond on Thursday. Game time is 5:30. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com, starting at 5:00.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos taken by Mike Dagenais, and to hear radio interviews, replays.
