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CADILLAC---The Escanaba High School softball team hit five home runs and beat the Freeland Falcons, 8-4, in the MHSAA Division Two Regional Semifinal Saturday in Cadillac.
The field was then flooded by constant heavy rains, so the rest of the action was postponed until Sunday.
The Eskymos got off to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Anna Boutilier and Grayson LaMarche both drew walks, and Carly Bowden clubbed a three-run homer to center field.
The Falcons got a run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Madeline McDonald, but they stranded two runners in scoring position. And then in the second inning, McKenzie Engebretson led off with a solo home run, giving Escanaba a 4-1 lead.
The Eskymo defense fell apart in the third inning with three errors on the infield, and Freeland took advantage with three runs. Addie Steffen had an RBI single and Brynn Jaime added a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 4-4 against Eskymo pitcher Maddy Mott.
As the rain poured down, Freeland pitcher Isabel Cumper walked three straght batters in the fourth inning, giving the Eskymos a chance to take the lead. But Chloe Dubord struck out and Boutilier grounded out, so the game stayed tied.
In the bottom of the inning, the Falcons got a one-out walk from Mott, and Escanaba Manager Andy Fields put in his ace pitcher, Grayson LaMarche, who has signed with the University of Michigan softball program. Bowden threw out a would-be base stealer, and LaMarche struck out the Freeland leadoff batter, keeping the game tied.
LaMarche ripped a one-out double for the Eskymos in the top of the fifth, and with two out, the Falcons intentionally walked Bowden. It worked, as Harlee Coolman grounded out.
LaMarche walked one batter in the bottom of the fifth, but she struck out the side, sending the game to the sixth inning still tied at 4. And Engebretson quickly untied the game with her second home run of the game to lead off the inning, putting Escanaba in the drivers seat.
LaMarche walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the sixth, but she got a pop up and two strikeouts to keep the Falcons off the board. And then, in the top of the seventh, Katey Lamb smoked a long two-run homer off the top of the Freeland team's bus, making oit 7-4.
The cing on the cake was a two-out home run for Coolman, giving the Eskymos five homers and a comfortable 8-4 lead. LaMarche issued her third walk of the game in the bottom of the seventh, but finished the game with a swinging strikeout, her seventh of the game.
Freeland finishes its season with a 20-19 record. Escanaba is 29-7.
The second semifinal was between the defending state champion Gaylord Blue Devils, and the Essexville-Garber Dukes. But as the teams were preparing to warmup, the rain got very heavy, and it didn't stop. Tournament officials waited for more than two hours before deciding to postpone the rest of the action until Sunday.
Finally, at around 3:30, the Eskymo bus oulled out of Cadillac in search of a new place to sleep Saturday night. No dice. A car show had all the rooms in this small town booked solid. So, the Eskymos drove to Big Rapids, the home of Ferris State University, for a team meal and a stay at the Holiday Inn & Suites. And on Sunday, they'll try again to win a regional title.
Gaylord and Essexville will play at noon, and the Eskymos will play the winner at 2:00. The Eskymo game will be broadcast live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and www.rrnsports.com.
CADILLAC---The Escanaba High School softball team hit five home runs and beat the Freeland Falcons, 8-4, in the MHSAA Division Two Regional Semifinal Saturday in Cadillac.
The field was then flooded by constant heavy rains, so the rest of the action was postponed until Sunday.
The Eskymos got off to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Anna Boutilier and Grayson LaMarche both drew walks, and Carly Bowden clubbed a three-run homer to center field.
The Eskymo defense fell apart in the third inning with three errors on the infield, and Freeland took advantage with three runs. Addie Steffen had an RBI single and Brynn Jaime added a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 4-4 against Eskymo pitcher Maddy Mott.
As the rain poured down, Freeland pitcher Isabel Cumper walked three straght batters in the fourth inning, giving the Eskymos a chance to take the lead. But Chloe Dubord struck out and Boutilier grounded out, so the game stayed tied.
In the bottom of the inning, the Falcons got a one-out walk from Mott, and Escanaba Manager Andy Fields put in his ace pitcher, Grayson LaMarche, who has signed with the University of Michigan softball program. Bowden threw out a would-be base stealer, and LaMarche struck out the Freeland leadoff batter, keeping the game tied.
LaMarche ripped a one-out double for the Eskymos in the top of the fifth, and with two out, the Falcons intentionally walked Bowden. It worked, as Harlee Coolman grounded out.
LaMarche walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the sixth, but she got a pop up and two strikeouts to keep the Falcons off the board. And then, in the top of the seventh, Katey Lamb smoked a long two-run homer off the top of the Freeland team's bus, making oit 7-4.
The cing on the cake was a two-out home run for Coolman, giving the Eskymos five homers and a comfortable 8-4 lead. LaMarche issued her third walk of the game in the bottom of the seventh, but finished the game with a swinging strikeout, her seventh of the game.
Freeland finishes its season with a 20-19 record. Escanaba is 29-7.
The second semifinal was between the defending state champion Gaylord Blue Devils, and the Essexville-Garber Dukes. But as the teams were preparing to warmup, the rain got very heavy, and it didn't stop. Tournament officials waited for more than two hours before deciding to postpone the rest of the action until Sunday.
Finally, at around 3:30, the Eskymo bus oulled out of Cadillac in search of a new place to sleep Saturday night. No dice. A car show had all the rooms in this small town booked solid. So, the Eskymos drove to Big Rapids, the home of Ferris State University, for a team meal and a stay at the Holiday Inn & Suites. And on Sunday, they'll try again to win a regional title.
Gaylord and Essexville will play at noon, and the Eskymos will play the winner at 2:00. The Eskymo game will be broadcast live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and www.rrnsports.com.
