Minor girls are off to the state tourney in Grand Rapids
by Peter Jakey– Managing Editor
The nine and 10-year-old girls from the Minor Girls all stars captured a District 13 title by working their way back through the loser?s bracket. They advanced to state with a 4-2 win Monday night against Cheboygan, the team that defeated them on the first day of the tournament. The squad, which consists of all stars from Posen and Rogers City, had a case of the nerves in their opener when they lost 8-3 to Cheboygan.
?It took them all six innings before they finally calmed down,? said head coach Dennis Meredith. After that, they seemed to gel pretty well against North Emmet and Onaway.? The girls outscored North Emmet and Onaway by a combined 42-1. That set up the rematch Sunday with Cheboygan. This time it was Rogers City striking first with two in the first and a big five-run third. The girls held on from there to pull out a 7-5 win. Several players had multiple hits. They included: Logan Fleming, Courtney Streich, Sarah Meredith, Ashley Meyers, and Rienna Altman.
That forced one last game between Rogers City and Cheboygan. In the second inning, Altman walked and would immediately come home on a RBI triple by Morgan Hall, who collected the first of her two hits on the day. Nikkie Radke knocked her in and would later score on a RBI single off the bat of Fleming. In the following inning, Cassie Brege delivered a leadoff double and would come home on a fielder?s choice throwing error. That?s all the runs they needed to end Cheboygan?s season. Fleming, Hall and Brege all had two hits apiece. Against Onaway last Saturday, the girls were the recipients of 24 walks. Fleming, Streich, and Radke all had two hits apiece, while Meredith had three walks and scored five times. Streich was three-for-four against North Emmet.
?The girls hit the ball and made a lot less mistakes on defense, and I think what helped us beat Cheboygan Sunday and Monday is good defense,? said coach Meredith. Next up is a trip to Grand Rapids for the state tournament. The girls will look to advance past pool play to enter the single elimination portion of the tournament. They?ll have to wait until July 28 for their next games. ?We are looking to have a good time and win some ball games,? said Meredith.
Junior Boys– The 12-, 13-, and 14-year-olds from the Junior Boys Division got off to a tremendous start in the district tournament being played in Harbor Springs. They knocked off Cheboygan 8-2 before a mercy win against Tri-Rivers, 13-3. The boys took on Petoskey Tuesday afternoon. Results were not immediately available, but bad weather could have forced the cancellation of the game. On Sunday, the offense was in high gear as the boys scored in five of six innings. A two run fifth put them up 7-0. The score was 11-0 before the Tri got something on the scoreboard.
Dylan Kortman turned in a strong outing for the stars (5 IN, 1 ER, 5 K), while Chad Karsten provided a perfect sixth by striking out the side. Keegan Urban had three hits including a double and also crossed the plate three times. Jesse Wilbert, Chad Karsten (four RBI), And Zach Sobeck (three RBI, double) each had two hits apiece. Kortman added a triple, Pat Quaine legged out a two-bagger, while Travis Fleis knocked in a pair of runs. Ezekiel Freel tallied an 8-2 win Saturday against Cheboygan. He allowed only one run. Kortman and Quaine combined to get the save. Wilbert, Freel, Sobeck, and Karsten all had hits in the ball game.
Major Girls– Outscored 23-2 in two games, Onaway ended Rogers City?s post-season tournament run. The girls were no-hit by Emily Estep in the first game July 6. The final was 10-0. After knocking off Petoskey, 11-3, Rogers City got its rematch with Onaway Sunday, and was eliminated from the tournament, 13-2. Onaway jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in the very first inning and built it up to 7-zip, before RC pushed one across to make it 7-1. The Onaway stars came back with five more in the third. Nikki LaLonde, Meagan Koss, Brenna Hincka, and Brooklyn Idalski all had singles.
Linnea Brege was tagged with the loss in both games. On Saturday, the girls advanced in the district tournament with an 11-3 victory against host school Petoskey. Rogers City had a slim 4-3 lead heading into the final inning, but erupted for seven big runs. Nikki LaLonde posted the win on the mound with six strikeouts. She also had five walks. Sabryna Urban had a pair of singles, while Abbie Delekta tallied one. Back on July 3, the Rogers City all stars opened with a shutout victory against North Emmet. The girls scored in all four innings, while Anna Couture blanked the North Emmet battery with a no hitter (4 K, 3 BB). The final score was 13-0.
The girls had their biggest inning in the first when they put up five. That was followed with two in the second, four in the third, and two in the fourth. Linnea Brege was two-for-three, while Idalski and Delekta both had two singles each. Brenna Hincka was one-for-two with a double. Minor Boys The tournament trail was all too short for Erik
Scheduled Action– The Junior Girls will finally see their first action of the post season at a three-team tournament at Cheboygan. Their first action is against Cheboygan at 6 p.m. The base group of girls from this squad has been to state five years in a row, and have a tremendous shot at making it six consecutive years. A district title would send them to the state tourney at Wyoming.
The Minor Boys travel to Cheboygan for action Saturday against Harbor Springs. Game time is at 5 p.m. A win would match them up with the winner of the Onaway vs. Petoskey contest.