Hurons to face Hillman in softball pre-district
All the preliminary activity is nearly over and the MHSAA district softball tournament is on tap. No matter how big of a favorite the Hurons are coming into the district game, the truth will be told on the field of play. Rogers City has been rated number one in Division IV all season long in the coaches? poll, but that can be thrown out the window as the team plays Hillman in Tuesday?s pre-district contest in Onaway at 5 p.m. Coach Karl Grambau knows that very well. In 2003 his team came into the district with a great won-loss record and bowed out to Inland Lakes. ?We?re fired up for the tournament. If we play well we can do some good things. We have a fantastic group of girls here and a great group of seniors as leaders and we are looking forward to a great tournament,? Grambau said.
LAST YEAR, the tournament run took the team all the way to the Division IV state championship game and with nearly everyone back from that squad, expectations have been high this season. ?It is only one game and you?re out, so we have to be on top of our game all of the time,? he said. He said the high ranking means absolutely nothing come tournament time.
?It only means you have a great big target painted on your back. Right now the way it looks, everyone will be gunning for us,? Grambau said. ?The girls have not really talked about it much. I think everyone is proud of that ranking and that we have earned a lot of respect but we know it has to get done on the field.? The winner of Tuesday?s pre-district game moves on to the district semifinal June 4 in Onaway. Other teams in the district include Posen, Onaway, and Atlanta.
THE HURONS played two games in the Maple City Glen Lake tournament Saturday, winning the first game and dropping the second. The Hurons took a 3-1 win over Clare in the first game, as Ashley Fleming went all seven innings. She allowed two hits and one walk while striking out 11. All four Huron runs came in the fourth inning. C.J. Calabrese doubled and Jess Konieczny knocked her in with a single. Sara Dove drove in a run with a bunt in the inning. Calabrese had three hits while Tiffiny Krueger added two. Pine River took a 4-2 win over the Hurons in the second game, getting to Calabrese for three runs in the third inning. She went four innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking
LAST THURSDAY, Rogers City took both games in Onaway. Fleming tossed a one-hitter through three innings of a 20-1 mercy-rule win over Onaway in the first game. Rogers City hitters went wild with nine runs in the second inning and 10 in the third to break open a 1-1 game. Senior left fielder Terri Schultz had a big day, getting three hits and driving home five runs on two singles and a double. Dana Fairbanks had two hits and scored three times while driving in two runs. Laura Konieczny had two hits and scored four runs.
IN THE SECOND game, the Hurons notched a 14-2 win as Fleming and senior shortstop Jess Konieczny teamed for back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. Fleming, Calabrese, Jenny Smith, and Liesa Kelley each had two hits in the win. Krueger went all five innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out five. Rogers City travels to Cheboygan today (Thursday) then hosts Clare Friday to conclude the regular season in the final appearance for the RCHS seniors on their home field.