Onaway Girls Minor All-Stars place fifth in state finals

A great tournament run came to an end for the Onaway Minor Girls All-Stars, but not before they made some waves at the state tournament over the weekend in Escanaba.

Grouped in a five-team pool, the Onaway team had a 3-1 record and finished second in their pool and fifth overall out of 15 teams. Each pool winner, plus the top second place team, advanced to the final round. Onaway lost out on a tie-breaker, determined by least runs allowed per inning.

Onaway played its last game Tuesday, then had to await the results of the Grandville vs. Gladstone game to see if they would advance. The teams could play only one game per day in the tournament.

The team made a great run, highlighted by clutch hitting, good pitching, and strong defense. Manager Rick McDonald said the team improved dramatically from the beginning of the season to the tournament in Escanaba.

“It is amazing how this team came together,” he said.

In the first game Friday Onaway led 5-0 after three innings over Clare on the way to an 8-3 win. Emily Estep had three of her team’s eight hits and scored two runs while Samantha Brasseur had two hits. Brasseur earned the win on the mound, striking out five while allowing two hits and three walks.

McDonald said a fine catch by Terri Stiles in the second inning got the team fired up. She ran in from her outfield position to make a great running catch of a popup.

“The other team put the ball in play, but we made numerous putouts,” McDonald said.

Onaway pulled off a back breaking double play which went 1-3-2. With a runner at third, Emily Estep fielded a slow roller, looked the runner back to third, and fired to first. As she threw, the runner took off for home. First baseman Molly Cleaver threw to catcher Sam Brasseur who tagged out the runner on a close play.

Saturday’s opponent, Rochester Hills, fell to Onaway 13-1 in a four-inning mercy-rule game.

Onaway scored eight runs in the first, three in the second and two more in the third inning. Estep got the win, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out six. Kallie Shimel had three hits and scored two runs. Megan Estep had two hits and scored two runs. Onaway had eight hits on the day.

Sunday’s game was the only bad part of the trip, McDonald said. South Portage scored a 15-1 win over Onaway in four innings.

Onaway managed just three hits and scored its only run of the game in the third inning. A six-run fourth inning, including a grand slam home run, powered the South Portage win.

After a day off on Monday, the team played West B

ranch Tuesday, coming up with an 11-4 win. Onaway jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, only to have West Branch score three in the bottom of the frame.

Brasseur started, then Emily Estep came on in relief. Estep shut down West Branch, surrendering only a run in the third inning. She struck out eight in the game, including all three in the fifth inning.

Temara Lupu had three of Onaway’s nine hits. In the end, the team will go down in history as the first Onaway Little League team to play at the state level. It was a great accomplishment for the girls and the coaches.

“The kids had a really good time and got to play some top-notch teams. Our goal was to get to the state tournament in Escanaba and we did it,” McDonald said.

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