Hurons face test in Marquette this weekend

A good test is on the way for the Huron softball team as it travels north to the Marquette for four games. Rogers City plays Marquette in a game under the lights Friday night, then plays three top-quality teams Saturday inside the Superior Dome at Northern Michigan University. First up at 9 a.m. Saturday is Petoskey, the only blemish on the Hurons? 19-2 record. Petoskey took a pair of games on a bitterly cold day in Petoskey in the early days of the season.

Coach Karl Grambau?s team plays Marquette at 11 a.m. and then Escanaba, ranked in the top five in Division 1, at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Sault Ste. Marie, Rogers City won games by scores of 10-4 and 12-2. A six-run inning in the top of the seventh pulled the game out of the fire in the first game. Walks came back to haunt the Blue Devils as the Hurons put together a big inning.

Renee Romel and Cassy Brege each had a single and a double while Lindsey Fleming had a triple and a single. Rachel Brege pitched all seven. The senior righthander allowed nine hits, and three earned runs, while issuing one intentional pass.

THE BIG BATS got rolling early for the Hurons in the second game. With three runs in the first, one in the second, three in the third and five more in the fourth, the Hurons mercied the Blue Devils in five innings. C.J. Calabrese worked three innings, and Alison Schuiteman pitched the final two. Romel set the tone early, smashing a two-run homer in the first inning into a stiff breeze. The Soo walked six Hurons, four of whom ended up scoring a run.

THE HURONS STARTED the week with doubleheader sweeps of Ogemaw on Thursday and Newberry on Friday. Rogers City defeated Ogemaw 4-1 and 7-0 on Thursday. Rachel Brege went all seven innings, allowing five hits, while striking out five. In her typical fashion, no Ogemaw batter reached first via a base on balls. With the score knotted at 0-0, the Hurons scored four times in the fourth.

Angie Asam singled, Megan Grulke walked, and then Romel reached on a bunt single, scoring Asam. Then Theresa Bellmore launched the first of her two homers on the day, this one a three-run line drive. Schuiteman tossed a four-hit shutout in a 7-0 Huron win in the second game. Asam had two doubles and a single, scoring three runs. Ashley Fleming added two hits and Bellmore smacked a solo home run.

THE HURONS topped the Newberry Indians, 10-1, 13-2 on Friday. Rachel Brege and Calabrese combined on a four-hitter in the opener. Grulke had a big day at the plate with four hits, including a double, scorin

g three times and adding a steal. Romel and Fleming each had two hits while Calabrese and Bellmore added doubles. The Hurons scored five runs in the first, two in the second, one in the fifth and two more in the sixth inning.

IN GAME two, a seven-run second inning powered another Huron win. Schuiteman and Fleming combined efforts on the mound, surrendering two hits between them. Katie Krueger had two hits and scored twice for the Hurons, while Calabrese added two RBI. Grambau said an already strong defense has improved its fielding average to .961 after Friday?s doubleheader with just one error all last week.

The district tournament in Onaway will feature a pre-district game set for May 27. The draw for the tournament is May 21.