Preps!

With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning Saturday, Saline centerfielder Zach Schwartzenberger turned on a pitch, lifting it toward rightfield. The ball carried over the wall but was just foul, eliciting gasps of disappointment from the crowd.

Schwartzenberger settled back in the box and waited for the next offering from Temperance Bedford pitcher David Jeffers.

On the ensuing pitch, the Hornet took another huge cut. This time, though, the ball stayed fair, and dropped over the rightfield wall for a grand slam which broke a 4-4 tie and propelled host Saline (ranked No. 2 in Division 1) to a 13-7 win over Temperance Bedford.

With the victory, the Hornets moved on to the state quarterfinals Tuesday. They will face Portage Northern at 4 p.m. at Michigan’s Ray Fisher Stadium.

Similar to its 4-3 win over Allen Park in the semifinals earlier Saturday, Saline had to come back from an early deficit.

“This team is starting to learn how to battle through some difficult situations,” Saline coach Scott Theisen said. “That’s something we didn’t do a good job of during the year, and I’m just so proud to see them get into tough situations in both games and to never give in and keep clawing. To be fortunate enough to be on the winning end in both games is a great feeling.”

The Hornets struck first in the top of the opening frame off a two-out RBI single from third baseman Jacob Finkbeiner.

But Bedford tied things right back up in the bottom of the inning when Saline pitcher Richard Hovde surrendered two consecutive doubles before getting lifted in favor of Josh Nelson, who induced a double play to end the inning.

In the bottom of the second, Bedford tallied another two runs off two doubles and an infield single. Then, in the following frame, the Kicking Mules stretched their lead to three when centerfielder Joey Wiemer raced home off a wild pitch that ended Nelson’s day.

The Hornets, though, stayed patient at the plate, and scored three runs to tie things up at four apiece in the fourth inning.

After Schwartzenberger’s grand slam, Bedford countered with a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning.

But though Saline’s pitchers gave up a total of seven runs, the offense stayed hot, tacking on five more insurance runs in top of the sixth, and the bullpen kept the Kicking Mules quiet over the final two innings to emerge with the victory.

“Nothing changes in terms of our preparation,” Theisen said. “We’ve just got to make sure we continue to battle if we get in tight spots and swing the bats like we’ve been (doing). Whoever goes on the mound, I think we’ve got a chance because of the way they’re battling.”

Saline 4, Allen Park 3: With Saline down to its final out and losing, 3-2, to Allen Park, outfielder Cole Daniels laced a double. Michael Schuby then singled to tie the game for the Hornets, and pinch-hitter Kellen Huang followed with another single to give his team its first and only lead of the game. Allen Park was in control for most of the game, taking an early 3-0 lead off a couple of Saline mistakes. Allen Park threatened once in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with only one out. Saline responded by bringing in pitcher Paul Kiyabu, who struck out a Jaguar before inducing a game-ending flyout.

State finals

Baseball and softball

Quarterfinals: Tuesday.

Semifinals and finals: Thursday-Saturday, Michigan State.

Girls soccer

Semifinals: Tuesday-Wednesday.

Finals: Friday-Saturday, Michigan State.

Farmington Hills Mercy players wait for Anna Dixon at home plate after she hit a home run against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep during the A-B Division Catholic League softball championship in Detroit on May 23, 2016.

Tuesday’s prep quarterfinals

Baseball

DIVISION 1

No. 1 at CMU: Traverse City West vs. Rockford, 4

2 at U-M: Portage Northern vs. Saline, 4

3 at Wayne State: U-D Jesuit vs. Warren De La Salle, 1

4 at Wayne State: Rochester vs. Hartland, 4

DIVISION 2

No. 5 at SVSU: Gaylord vs. Linden, 2

6 at Davenport: Holland Christian vs. Niles, 6:30

7 at U-M: DeWitt vs. Ann Arbor Richard, 1

8 at Novi: Dearborn Divine Child vs. Birmingham Detroit Country Day, 4

DIVISION 3

No. 9 at Traverse City St. Francis: Gladstone vs. Mason County Central, noon

10 at Bailey Park, Battle Creek: Schoolcraft vs. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2

11 at Carleton Airport: Napoleon vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 4:30

12 at SVSU: New Lothrop vs. Standish-Sterling Central, 11 a.m.

DIVISION 4

No. 13 at Traverse City St. Francis: Norway vs. Gaylord St. Mary, 4

14 at CMU: Muskegon Catholic Central vs. Portland St. Patrick, 1

15 at Brighton: Sterling Heights Parkway vs. Unionville-Sebewaing, 4

16 at Bailey Park, Battle Creek: Centreville vs. Concord, 5

Softball

DIVISION 1

No. 1 at CMU: Midland vs. Rockford, 1

2 at U-M: Mattawan vs. Allen Park, 4

3 at Wayne State: Garden City vs. Macomb Dakota, 4

4 at Wayne State: Lake Orion vs. Farmington Hills Mercy, 2

DIVISION 2

No. 5 at SVSU: Escanaba vs. Saginaw Swan Valley, 2

6 at Davenport: Wayland Union vs. Vicksburg, 4

7 at U-M: Alma vs. Livonia Ladywood, 1

8 at Novi: Dearborn Divine Child vs. Richmond, 4

DIVISION 3

No. 9 at Traverse City St. Francis: Gladstone vs. Manistee, noon

10 at Bailey Park, Battle Creek: Grandville Calvin Christian vs. Webberville, 3:30

11 at Carleton Airport: Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 4:30

12 at SVSU: Millington vs. Shepherd, 11 a.m.

DIVISION 4

No. 13 at Traverse City St. Francis: Indian River Inland Lakes vs. Rogers City, 4

14 at CMU: Holton vs. Coleman, 4

15 at Brighton: Ottawa Lake Whiteford vs. Unionville-Sebewaing, 4

16 at Bailey Park, Battle Creek: Decatur vs. Morenci, 1

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green told reporters that he was a ‘terrible teammate’ for allowing himself to get suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. He vowed to make up for it in Game 6.

CLEVELAND – For all the criticism of Golden State’s Draymond Green and his penchant for committing flagrant fouls during these playoffs, Wednesday may have brought the harshest words yet.

The critic: Green himself.

Saying he let the Warriors down and that he was a “terrible teammate,” Green spoke on how it pained him to be suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals — and how he will make amends Thursday night in Game 6, when the Warriors visit the Cleveland Cavaliers and get a second shot at winning what would be their second straight championship.

“I owe to my teammates to come back and give all that I have, all that I can do to better this situation,” Green said. “I have strong belief that if I play Game 5, we win. But I didn’t because I put myself in a situation where I wasn’t able to play.”

Golden State leads the series 3-2, but now knows it will play the rest of the series without starting center Andrew Bogut because of a left knee injury. Green — who missed Game 5 because of how many flagrants he has accrued during the playoffs — will be called upon to play some center in Game 6, as he has plenty of times in this postseason already.

“Draymond is the spirit of what we do,” said Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP. “You see it out on the floor.”

This series is back in Cleveland largely because LeBron James and Kyrie Irving could not be stopped in Game 5, when the Warriors’ best defender was watching the Cavaliers’ star duo score 41 points apiece from a suite at the adjacent baseball stadium that the Oakland Athletics call home. Green alone could not have stopped their onslaught, but it surely stands to reason that life would have been more difficult for Cleveland if he was in uniform.

With Green watching, the A’s won by nine.

Without Green playing, the Warriors lost by 15. He’s already spoken to his teammates about his mistakes, and made clear that watching Game 5 from next door left him hurting.

“Everybody’s helped with Draymond being on the floor,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “So that will be nice to have him back. We missed him the other night. We were disappointed in our performance without him. We thought we could still get it done, but we didn’t. So now it’s time to recharge the batteries and get ready.”

The straw that got Green suspended was when he took a swipe at James’ groin area in Game 4. But when asked what he expected when he sees Green in Game 6, James showed he’s only focused on bigger pictures and no mano-a-mano battle.

“My only job is to get this win, man,” James said.

Hartland’s John Baker, right

Hartland hitched its wagon to the big horse and rode him to the Division 1 final four — again.

Senior pitcher John Baker, who pitched a 10-inning win in the final game last season for the Division 1 title, came within one strike of his first no-hitter Tuesday in a quarterfinal victory over Rochester. The effort was more than enough to give defending champ Hartland a 6-0 victory and a return date in East Lansing.

“He’s a stud and he did today what good players do, that’s put the team on your back and get the win,” Hartland coach Brian Morrison said.

It was a Baker’s Dozen as the senior pitcher recorded 12 strikeouts over the Falcons, but the last one didn’t come until Ryan Gladstone broke up the no-hitter with a double to leftfield on a 1-2 count and two outs in the seventh inning.

“I thought we played amazing defense and I though John Baker pitched one heck of a game,” said Hartland senior first baseman Gary Turnbull. “But he’s done that all year. We knew he kind of wanted that (no-hitter). But he was smiling and laughing about it, so I think he’s taking it pretty well.

“We’re always on edge and ready (playing defense) because he likes to pitch a lot of strikes and so it’s easy to play defense behind him. You know where (the ball) is going to be; in the strike zone all day.”

Rochester managed only one other baserunner, when Tyler Frankhouse went to second base after an infield grounder and throwing error in the fourth inning.

“We had good defense,” Baker said. “Did start off slow with the hitting but then managed to get some runs together so it was a good team effort.

“I just went out and started throwing strikes. I knew the team would help me out behind me and I knew we’d get some runs on the board hitting.”

The Eagles (36-5-1) scored a run in the first when Jack Slavin singled and came home on a double by Hunter DeLanoy. Hartland could have blown the game open in the third with the bases loaded and no outs. Baker earned a walk to force in one run, but the Eagles left the remaining three runners on base.

“Rochester did a nice job gutting it out, getting out of it, limiting the damage,” Morrison said. “But yes, we missed a huge opportunity there, but give them credit too. They made a couple pitches, we popped them up.”

Two innings later, Hartland had the same scenario with bases loaded and no outs. This time they capitalized. Cade Martin forced a run in with a walk, and then Richard Bortle smacked a two-run single to score Baker and Maximillian Hendricks for a 5-0 edge. Turnbull added a sacrifice fly to end the scoring.

Baker said trying to defend a state title is not pressuring this team. He noted a 25-game win streak during the season and a strong playoff run to date.

“It’s nice going to the playoffs strong knowing we’ve got a good team,” Baker said. “I don’t think there’s pressure, we’re just confident. We know what we’re here for and we just want to keep winning.”

WARREN DE LA SALLE 6, U-D JESUIT 1: The Pilots won the opening game of the Wayne State quarterfinals by defeating their Catholic League foe.

De La Salle coach Matt Cook praised his sophomore pitcher’s effort.

“Ben Hyndman did a great job settling down after coming out, got a little behind on hitters, walked a couple guys in the first inning,” Cook said. “Then he did a heck of a job pounding the strike zone and our defense picked everything behind him; made all the plays. So Ben could keep attacking the hitters.

“Offensively our whole lineup had a great approach today; hit the ball hard, numbers one through nine. We needed that in a game like this today.”

De La Salle stands at 26-13 in its return to the state semifinals after a four-year absence, when it was runner up to Hudsonville in 2012.

“I want them to keep playing loose,” Cook said. “Have told them it’s a good time of the year, you’ve put in all the work and energy, so enjoy the moment.”

Softball: Elmore struggles, but Mercy advances

Preps!

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep coach Jim Stachura proudly mentioned that 11 of his 15 soccer players on the Vardar club team were still playing in the high school state tournament.

“We have a tournament on the 24th in San Diego, the Elite Club National League Under 17,” he said before Wednesday’s Div. 2 semifinal showdown with Birmingham Marian at Novi.

“We won’t have time to practice.”

Four of his Vardar players play for Marian: Junior forwards Elaina Eckert and Ellie DeConinck, senior goalkeeper Kaitlin Patouhas and junior midfielder Marian Kaschalk.

Two of his own players also play for Vardar: senior midfielder Erika Wiest and junior defenseman Nadia Burbank.

He might want to recruit Notre Dame sophomore Celia Gaynor for his club team.

Gaynor scored the lone goal in the Fighting Irish’s 1-0 victory, avenging their only loss of the season and propelling Stachura and company to Saturday’s 4 p.m. championship game at Michigan State.

“That situation was actually something that we watched what they did the first time we played them,” said Stachura. “We had some success with it and we just didn’t finish the ball. There was a little bit of a hitch with them getting out of their own zone and everybody was looking for offsides, and the backside player kept everybody onside. Cecila finished that off. That’s a world-class goal.”

Notre Dame (20-1-3) lost to Marian, 1-0, during the season, but Wednesday Gaynor knocked the ball in on a waist high-shot with an assist from Eileen Haig at the 6:26 mark.

“We wanted the first goal,” said Gaynor. “We wanted to put the pressure on first and get that first lead. We felt the game would be easier. The pass was great. I was surprised. I was shocked. I put my mind to it. It was great.”

The goal stood up despite the Mustangs forcing the action for most of the first half without a score.

Marian (16-3-2) had a chance early in the second period but DeConinck’s shot sailed to the left of the net for a near miss.

Burbank manned the Irish’s back-line defense with her quickness and speed, keeping the Mustangs from mounting a serious attack with her ability to read the play in front of her and react.

“At the start of the game, I kind of wanted to get our team together to be tight on everyone,” said Burbank. “The role that I play, I cover for everyone if someone gets by. I try to help them out as much as I can back there. I’m really proud of my defensive lineup. We are kind of a family back there. We make sure we’re tight on everyone.

“Playing them in years past we always know what to expect from them.”

And Marian coach Barry Brodsky knows what to expect from Burbank.

“She’s fantastic, I’ve watched her for three years,” said Brodsky. “They got the early goal and they’re very good defensively. We had a couple of chances, but we couldn’t cash in. You get only one or two chances a game you have to make sure you score when you get it.”

Scores and schedules: Baseball, softball, soccer state finals

Macomb Dakota’s Melissa Charbonneau sprints to third base during Dakota’s 9-1 win over Utica Tuesday at Sterling Heights Stevenson.

EAST LANSING – Pitcher Kendahl Dunford and Macomb Dakota have been downright stingy in the Division 1 softball tournament.

The Cougars entered today’s semifinal having allowed just one run — while piling up 53. That’s a fact that probably didn’t go unnoticed by Midland, their semifinal opponent.

Overcoming an error and a mental miscue in the fourth inning, the Cougars advanced to their first championship game with a 4-2 victory over the Chemics.

• Softball, baseball and soccer finals scores

Predistrict losers last season, this was a sigh of relief for coach Rick Fontaine.

“We pitched real well and kept them off balance. Kendahl was good on the mound, made them swing at our pitches, which was the game plan,’’ Fontaine said.

Dakota scored first on a RBI single by Claire Hamlin, scoring Kattie Popko, who had doubled in the previous at-bat.

Dakota scored another run in the bottom of the third, starting with a two-base error that allowed Corbin Hison to reach second. She was sacrificed to third and scored on a two-out single by Kelcie LaTour.

Julia Salisbury broke the game open when she doubled to the wall in leftfield, making it 4-0.

Hison made a stellar defensive play in the top of the fourth, robbing Allison Gray of a hit.

But in an uncharacteristic play by the Cougars after Hison’s gem, Maya Kipfmiller and Julia Gross scored on a double by Gross, followed by a Dakota error. The Cougars were credited with just one error on the play, but it seemed more like two.

“A little defensive hiccup there (in the fourth),” Fontaine said. “I don’t think we’ve made that many errors in the entire postseason and we got them all out of the way in one play. I guess that was a good thing. Defensively, we’ve been good all year. And Kendahl has been outstanding on the mound in the regular season and throughout the postseason.’’

Added Dunford, who struck out nine and scattered six hits: “When they got those two runs, it was like, ‘Now we have to come back and not make any more errors. Let’s just go to work.’ I think our centerfielder was going to dive for the ball, and I think the ball came so fast that she wasn’t ready to dive. It happened, and you have to pick your teammates up.’’

Dakota improved to 38-2 and, after years of frustrating losses by teams that dominated the Macomb Area Conference Red Division, the Cougars finally broke through.

“We’ve been talking about this since last year, when we lost our predistrict game,’’ Dunford said. “Now that we’re finally here, we’re in the championship game. It’s hard to describe.’’

There was no resignation on the Midland side after falling behind, but the Chemics couldn’t put together a rally.

“There was no panic,’’ coach Robin Allen said. “We’ve scored against the top pitchers. We thought we could score. They made some great plays on defense.’’

Farmington HIlls Mercy’s Sophia VanAcker (7) emerges from a cloud of dust after safely sliding into home plate during the high school girls’ softball quarter finals on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at Wayne State University in Detroit. Tim Galloway/Special to DFP

Baseball

In East Lansing

Today’s semifinals

DIVISION 2

Holland Christian 4, DeWitt 3

Linden vs. Dearborn Divine Child, 11:30

DIVISION 1

Traverse City West vs. Warren De La Salle, 2:30 p.m.

Saline vs. Hartland, 5

Friday’s semifinals

DIVISION 4

Sterling Heights Parkway vs. Centreville, 9 a.m.

Gaylord St. Mary vs. Portland St. Patrick, 11:30

DIVISION 3

New Lothrop vs. Jackson Lumen Christi, 2:30 p.m.

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett vs. Mason County Central, 5

Saturday’s baseball finals

Division 2:  9 a.m.

Division 1: 11:30 a.m. 

Division 4: 2:30 p.m.

Division 3: 5 p.m.

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

DIVISION 1

No. 1: Traverse City West 5, Rockford 4

2: Saline 5, Portage Northern 1

3: Warren De La Salle 6, U-D Jesuit 1

4: Hartland 6, Rochester 0

DIVISION 2

No. 5: Linden 2, Gaylord 0

6: Holland Christian 9, Niles 5

7: DeWitt 4, Ann Arbor Richard 3

8: Dearborn Divine Child 4, Birmingham Detroit Country Day 3

DIVISION 3

No. 9: Mason County Central 8, Gladstone 2

10: Jackson Lumen Christi 11, Schoolcraft 4

11: Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 4, Napoleon 1

12: New Lothrop 6, Standish-Sterling Central 5

DIVISION 4

No. 13: Gaylord St. Mary 6, Norway 2

14: Portland St. Patrick 3, Muskegon Catholic Central 2

15: Sterling Heights Parkway 10, Unionville-Sebewaing 1

16: Centreville 4, Concord 3

Softball

In East Lansing

Today’s semifinals

DIVISION 1

Macomb Dakota 4, Midland 2

Mattawan vs. Farmington Hills Mercy, 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION 2

Vickburg vs. Livonia Ladywood, 3

Escanaba vs. Richmond, 5:30

Friday’s semifinals

DIVISION 3

Millington vs. Grandville Calvin Christian, 10 a.m.

Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central vs. Gladstone, 12:30 p.m.

DIVISION 4

Unionville-Sebewaing vs. Morenci, 3

Indian River Inland Lakes vs. Holton, 5:30

Saturday’s finals

Division 1:  10 a.m.

Division 2: 12:30 p.m. 

Division 3: 3 p.m.

Division 4: 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s quarterfinals

DIVISION 1

No. 1: Midland 8, Rockford 1

2: Mattawan 5, Allen Park 1

3: Macomb Dakota 6, Garden City 0

4: Farmington Hills Mercy 11, Lake Orion 7

DIVISION 2

No. 5: Escanaba 5, Saginaw Swan Valley 2

6: Vicksburg 14, Wayland Union 2

7: Livonia Ladywood 5, Alma 0

8: Richmond 3, Dearborn Divine Child 2

DIVISION 3

No. 9: Gladstone 6, Manistee 2

10: Grandville Calvin Christian 2, Webberville 0

11: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 2, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 1

12: Millington 1, Shepherd 0

DIVISION 4

No. 13: Indian River Inland Lakes 8, Rogers City 7

14: Holton 6, Coleman 3

15: Unionville-Sebewaing 5, Ottawa Lake Whiteford 1

16: Morenci 7, Decatur 1

Soccer

Wednesday’s semifinals

DIVISION 2

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 2, Dexter 1

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 1, Birmingham Marian 0

DIVISION 3

Hudsonville Unity Christian 3, Freeland 0

Flint Powers 1, Grosse Ile 0

Tuesday’s semifinals

DIVISION 1

Canton 2, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central 1

Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 2, Novi 1 (SO)

DIVISION 4

Montrose 3, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian 0

Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett 1, Lansing Christian

Friday’s finals (in East Lansing)

Division 4: Montrose vs. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 1 p.m.

Division 1: Canton vs. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 4

Saturday’s finals (in East Lansing

Division 3: Flint Powers vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 1 p.m.

Division 2: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep vs Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 4

Baseballs.

EAST LANSING – Before Mike Mokma took his place at first base to start the fifth inning, Holland Christian coach Jim Caserta told him to get ready.

Get ready to save the day.

Mokma threw three perfect innings of relief Friday to give Holland Christian a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over DeWitt in a Division 2 semifinal.

“He told me to start getting ready mentally,” said Mokma. “It’s staying in the game with every pitch, knowing what the hitters doing, what his swing is like.”

• Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

The hitters did nothing against Mokma, who entered the game in the fifth with no outs and a runner on third after DeWitt had taken a 3-2 lead.

Mokma, 6-feet-7, 215, who is signed with Michigan State, did more than just get out of the fifth inning without giving up a run. He struck out the side, making a statement that DeWitt (30-10-1) had no margin for error.

“The momentum swung from them to us,” he said. “So it was good.”

Brady Brower’s infield single in the top of the sixth tied the game and an inning later designated hitter Chase Dreyer was awarded first base on catcher’s interference.

“I’ve been having that recently,” Dreyer said. “Whenever I reach back – when my hands come back – I think my swing gets flat and then it hits the glove of the catcher. I’ve had the weird coincidence of it happening a few times.”

Dreyer sent a grounder to the right side, but he never saw it.

“I turned back to make sure the ump was going to give me the call,” he said. “You can feel it, your bat slows down a little bit.”

Pinch runner Cam Schut went to third on Brandon Riemersma’s single to right and scored the winning run on Josh Sterenberg’s sacrifice fly.

The rest was up to Mokma (14-0).

“We knew once we gave him a run, after seeing him pitch an inning or two, we knew we had it,” said Dreyer. “He’s got great stuff. It was good watching him finish it for us.”

Mokma retired the side in order to send the Maroons (35-6) into Saturday’s 9 a.m. championship game vs. Linden, a 5-2 winner over Dearborn Divine Child on Thursday.

“The objective was just to get the three outs; just to get us to Saturday,” he said. “The slider was working well, command of the fastball was good, hitting spots so that helps.”

It seemed like a bit of a gamble that Caserta started David Williams on the mound instead of Mokma. Pitchers are limited to 30 outs without two days of rest, meaning Mokma will have 21 outs when he starts Saturday’s championship game.

“Coming in, David was a little more rested than Mike was,” said Caserta. “Mike could have gone, but we felt like if we could give him a little more time, David was 100% and he’d been throwing well the last couple outings so we had full confidence in David. But when he got in trouble, we had to bring the other big guy in and he did pretty well, too.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

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Preps!

EAST LANSING – Unranked, but no longer unknown.

Vicksburg came into the Division 2 semifinal against Livonia Ladywood, a storied softball program, and took down the No. 2 Blazers, 7-5, Thursday at Secchia Field at Michigan State.

Unranked Vicksburg, despite having an excellent team batting average of .433, took what the opposition gave them by playing small-ball and taking full advantage of Ladywood’s difficulty at throwing strikes.

“I think we’re good at both styles,” said Vicksburg junior Carlie Kudary. “We can play small ball, and when we need to we can hit away. It really just depends on what we need.”

Trailing Ladywood 5-0 in the third inning, Vicksburg needed something.

“We weren’t really hitting that well so we had to figure something out different,” said Vicksburg coach Paul Gephart. “That was basically it. We had to come up with a different scheme. We typically hit the ball very, very well. Today we didn’t, so we had to go small ball.”

Ladywood (32-13) started out strong by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning on an RBI double to the fence by Cecilia Werner, before she scored on an error. Elizabeth Kemp then added an RBI single. Two more runs in the third inning came on a two-run homer by starting pitcher Rozlyn Price that cleared the 220 sign in centerfield.

Vicksburg scored two runs in the third inning on the only hit out of the infield all game for the Bulldogs, by Kudary, who later scored on a wild pitch.

But it was the fourth inning that Vicksburg’s adjusted strategy worked to perfection, aided by Price and relief pitcher Alexa Flores combining for four walks. The Bulldogs (36-8) scored five times for the final margin, as the last six consecutive batters came to the plate with the bases loaded. Kudary earned another RBI on a bunt, Grace Stock and winning pitcher Avery Slancik each walked with the bases loaded, while Raquel Rice and Kudary scored on an error and a wild pitch, respectively.

“They just believe in each other,” Gephart said. “I always tell them, ‘just find a way, we’ll find a way.’ Don’t ever give up, don’t ever quit. It’s about respect.”

Slancik said, as a pitcher herself, she can sympathize with the opposing thrower not finding the plate or having a bad outing.

“I had a similar situation last year; I gave up some home runs and I got knocked out, our team got knocked out (of the regional final),” she said. “So I feel for a pitcher that pitches their butt off.

“But we have speed and that’s what gets us around the bases. We have smart players, a smart team. I’m crying with pride. Oh my gosh, it’s a dream come true. Our quote of the whole year has been ‘why not us?’ We haven’t been ranked and teams ahead of us that are ranked, we beat them and we still aren’t ranked.”

Come Saturday’s state final, Vicksburg’s first-ever, that won’t matter at all.

Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

Preps!

EAST LANSING – In the last game of the evening at Michigan State’s Secchia Stadium, Richmond completed the final knockout of a highly-ranked team, dusting off No. 3 Escanaba in a 6-2 semifinal win, earning the right to face unranked Vicksburg in Saturday’s Division 2 state championship.

Richmond only got as high as honorable mention this year.

“We wanted the final to be two teams that weren’t ranked just to prove people wrong, those who doubted us,” said Richmond’s Lindsay Schweiger. “And the Vicksburg win was a crazy game. For (No. 2) Ladywood to score right away and Vicksburg to battle back, that just shows you anything can happen, so it should be a good game. I have so much faith in our team for Saturday.”

Richmond (31-9) and Escanaba (35-3-1) were even at 2-2 after three innings, both scoring one run each in the second and third innings. Richmond then broke the game open with three runs in the fifth.

Emma Caperton led off and reached first base on an infield hit. Then Amy Thueme was safe at first on an error. As the ball got loose, she ran to second base, allowing Caperton to score on the throw to second. Schweiger then hit an RBI single to score Thueme, before Schweiger scored two batters later on an RBI single by pitcher Erin Shuboy.

“When I was up to bat I knew I had to put the ball in play and no matter where it was, move the runner,” Schweiger said. “Usually I can’t hit left-handed pitchers but for this game I didn’t even think about where she was throwing it from. I just attacked the ball and it worked out.”

Richmond has a strong tradition under the direction of 38-year coach Howard Stuart. Three times the Blue Devils have been state runners-up, but the last two were 1998 and ’99. This team is currently in the hands of a freshman pitcher and catcher (Kennedy Caperton).

“This team has been pulling for each other all season,” Stuart said. “We have some losses because I put them in every possible situation we could possibly be in. Everything I could do to make this team tougher I did. And they are tough.

“She’s been working hard and she throws the ball well,” he said of Shuboy. “The kid comes from natural stock and she’s a good athlete. She’s a solid pitcher.”

Shuboy added: “This is unreal. I’m really excited that we made it this far. We took it one play at a time and got through the hard situations. We took advantage of the good pitches.”

Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

EAST LANSING – Andrew Manier fired a three-hitter, but his fastball and curveball had to take a backseat to his … hair.

It had to be the hair.

“All us guys were trying to think of something to kind of bond us together even more than we already are,” Manier said. “Some kids bleached their hair. I thought to dye it red instead of just bleaching it. I’m just here to have fun, and this is one way of showing that we’re having fun and that we’re crazy.”

He was crazy good on the mound as Sterling Heights Parkway Christian defeated Centreville, 5-1, in a Division 4 semifinal game this morning.

• Full scoreboard:Baseball, softball and soccer finals

Manier walked two and struck out five. Two of the three hits — and the only run — didn’t come until the seventh inning.

“There was just something that he locked in, he blurred everyone out and he just pitched his game, and it was something memorable,” said Parkway catcher Alex Julio. “I’ve never seen it before from him or, actually, any pitcher I’ve caught. Everything was on. His off-speed was on; he could locate anything. It was almost like he was a sniper. It was crazy.”

For the second straight game, Parkway (22-11-1) scored four runs in the first inning. The first came when Montana Essian laid down a perfect suicide squeeze.

“The first inning has been huge in all of our playoff experiences,” Essian said. “We started every one off with a bang and kind of set the tone for the game.”

The victory improved Manier to 8-2, and he has been a godsend to a rotation that includes Riley McManus, who missed part of the season with an injury, and Pierce Banks.

Manier flirted with a no-hitter into the middle part of the game, which caused a stir in the dugout.

“All the guys were: ‘Oh, don’t say anything,’” Manier said. “What’s the point of ‘Don’t say anything?’ If you’re going to say, ‘Don’t say anything,’ you’re making us all think about it.”

No-hitter or not, Manier was able to zero in on Julio’s glove and, for most of the day, it looked like the two were playing catch as the hitters from Centreville (28-4) struggled.

“The fastball was really working, tailing away on a lot of batters,” Manier said. “They had three or four lefties in the lineup, which I love — pitching against lefties. I was successful working the curveball, keeping it down with a good bite on it and locating with my fastball really well.”

But you can forget about his fastball and curve. The real story was his hair.

“Oh, well,” he said, laughing. “I just wanted to do something crazy to show that we’re all in, and that’s our motto for this year: all-in. What shows it better than dying your hair the team colors? YOLO!”

That is YOLO, as in “you only live once.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1

A softball

EAST LANSING – Marissa VanDenBerg’s two-RBI triple over the centerfielder’s head was the winning hit — but cost her a spot atop the record books.

She’ll take the win.

Grandville Calvin Christian earned a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Millington that put the Squires into Saturday’s Division 3 state championship game at Secchia Field at Michigan State. They’ll play Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central.

■ Full scoreboard:Softball, baseball and soccer finals

VanDenBerg knocked in teammates Jaycie Bos and Kennedy Stevens to break a 2-2 deadlock in the sixth inning. Stevens’ single just prior had knocked in Kendall Bouma to tie it.

VanDenBerg has 34 doubles this year. If she had stopped at second base, she would have tied the state record for a season.

She first gave Stevens — who batted in the ninth spot — all the credit for frequently getting on base to give her chances to drive in the run.

“It comes off the bat, and I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I just hit the ball really hard,’” VanDenBerg said. “And you think she’s going to catch it, and it just goes behind, and everybody’s just running. It’s just the coolest feeling.”

Millington pitcher Taylor Wright (31-1) struck out 12 Squires to reach the milestone of 200 for the season, but Calvin Christian became the first team in the entire postseason to score against Millington (42-2), on the strength of five hits — two by Bouma.

“She’s really impressive; her rise ball is very good, it got me a couple of times,” winning pitcher Kaleigh Whitcomb said of Wright. “She had good speed and good movement.

“I had a really great defense to back me up,” Whitcomb added about her team’s effort. “And they made a lot of plays that, without them, we wouldn’t have won this game. Marissa made some great plays out there. She really had my back.”

VanDenBerg said she’d rather play the infield than hit.

“I think defensively is more my favorite,” she said. “I’d rather be on the defensive side and see everyone making awesome plays.”

Calvin Christian (33-10) led off the game with a run in the top of the first inning on a bases-loaded single by Kim Moelker that scored VanDenBerg.

Millington tied it in the second and went ahead in the fourth. Freshman Sydney Bishop got on base with an infield single in the second, then scored as Calvin Christian threw the ball around the infield a little too much after Kayli Leix’s infield single.

In the fourth, Leix hit an RBI single that scored Taylor Rueger.

Jonathan Lapshan of Dearborn Divine Child throws a pitch to Orchard Lake St. Mary during the 2015 MHSAA Baseball quarterfinals on Tuesday June 9, 2015 at Wayne State University in Detroit.

EAST LANSING — When Nick Koan came to the plate in the bottom of the third inning Thursday, there were two outs, the bases were loaded, and his Linden teammates had the same number of runs as Koan had hits in his varsity career: zero.

But Koan dug in against Dearborn Divine Child’s Nick Gurney and lined a shot to center, driving in Corbin Sines and Kevin Bates to give Linden a 2-1 lead — and enough momentum toward a 5-2 semifinal win.

“I just tried to take a good swing at it, not do too much. It looked great so I just stayed solid through it and drove it up the middle,” Koan said. “I had a little confidence but I didn’t know what was going to happen. It’s awesome, It makes you feel ten times better, it really does.”

• Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

Although Koan went 1-for-3 Thursday, his hit was the game-changer as the Eagles scored three times in the third and added two runs in the fourth as a steady rain fell over McLane Stadium on the campus of Michigan State.

That Koan even got put in this situation was a fluke. The sophomore first baseman had played junior varsity all spring and was called up for the post-season. He wasn’t slated to play Thursday until the Eagles’ regular number-four hitter, Trey Link, fouled a pitch off of his eye during pregame batting practice. So coach Steve Buerkel played Koan on a hunch.

“I’ve been watching him all years on the JVs and we were just solid,” Buerkel said. “For the last two weeks, after having him up on varsity and seeing how he’s hitting the ball, I just said, ‘Today’s your day.’ I just had a feel for it.”

“He just said, ‘Prepare yourself, you’re going in.’ That was the first time I had gotten in,” Koan said. “Oh yeah, it was awesome. (Before,) I was just watching them and wanting to do it myself.”

One hit, two RBIs and a berth in Saturday morning’s final against Holland Christian later, Koan earned a boatload of credit from his older teammates.

“We get some timely hits here and there but we’ve been playing some great defense and get some solid pitching,” Buerkel said. “You do that, and you’re going to be tough to beat, and we’ve done that all year.”

Lucas Marshall (7-3) threw a complete-game seven-hitter for Linden (29-9-1), which made just one error. The Eagles have their ace, Jack Shore (12-1, 0.31 ERA), available for Saturday’s final.

The Eagles have made only one prior championship game appearance — in 2004, when they lost to Divine Child, 7-0. That was the first of four crowns won by Falcons head coach Tony DeMare (452-200 in 17 seasons), who is retiring to Florida at the completion of the school year.

“We weren’t very fundamentally sound, which is uncharacteristic of us,” DeMare said. “Over the last month or so we had been playing real good defense, we’d been getting good pitching, and in that third inning things kind of imploded. We shot ourselves a little bit, gave them a three-spot, and it was tough to come back.”

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Farmington Hills Mercy shortstop Shannon Gibbons gets the ball to late at second base as Mattawan #4, Emily Koperdak steals it during her teams game against Mercy on June 16, 2016 at the MHSAA softball semi finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Mercy won the game 9-6 to reach the division 1 finals on Saturday. Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

Farmington Hills Mercy celebrates at the pitchers mound after their 9-6 victory over Mattawan on June 16, 2016 at the MHSAA softball semi finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Mercy now plays in the division 1 finals on Saturday.Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

Farmington Hills Mercy #3 Cari Padula hits a single in her teams game against Mattawan on June 16, 2016 at the MHSAA softball semi finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Mercy won the game 9-6 to reach the division 1 finals on Saturday. Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING – Farmington Hills Mercy slugged its way into Saturday’s Division 1 championship game.

Overcoming a rain delay and some clutch hitting by Mattawan, the Marlins (42-2) rode the bats of Anna Dixon and Cari Padula to claim the 9-6 victory at Michigan State to face Macomb Dakota in the championship game.

“Once it started raining they were loose, probably too loose,” said Marlins coach Alec Lesko. “They were singing and dancing and having some fun in the clubhouse. I was a little concerned that we might be burning up too much energy, but I guess they just kept on rolling.”

Dixon and shortstop Shannon Gibbons had three hits each and Padula had four RBIs to lead the offense, helping senior pitcher Andrea Elmore overcome some tough innings.

Mattawan struck in the bottom of the first on a two-out single by cleanup hitter Joanna Bartz. Meghan Markus then doubled her home to make it 2-0 as Elmore struggled.

Mercy cut the deficit in half on a double by Dixon. A walk to Sophia VanAcker loaded by bases for slugger Abby Krzywiecki, the team’s career leader in home runs. Emily Koperdak pitched to the first baseman carefully before hitting her with a pitch to tie the game at 2-2.

Padula cleared the bases with a three-run double to give the Marlins a 5-2 edge to highlight the big inning.

“It was really cool that we could string those runs together,” said Padula. “This is what we’ve been working for all season long. Today (the double) felt amazing. I knew in my head that coach wanted me to do that. It was cool I could come out here and do this for my team today.”

After a rain delay, Mary Reeber laced a run-scoring single to make it 6-1 with runners advancing to second and third after a single by Dixon.

Staked to a five-run lead, Elmore promptly gave up a single to Genny Soltesz and a triple to Mackenzie Swinehart to cut the deficit to 6-3. Koperdak followed with an RBI single as the Wildcats kept hitting and closed the gap to 6-4.

Mattawan got a gift run in the bottom of the fifth on two wild pitches after Soltesz started the inning with a single to close the gap to 6-5.

“You get deeper in this thing and all the teams hit the ball,” said Lesko. “I’m just glad that we stayed pace and stayed ahead and kept hitting the ball.”

Krzywiecki responded for the Marlins with a run-scoring double to put Mercy ahead, 7-5. Padula drove in her fourth run of the game with a single to make it 8-5. Elmore’s bounce-out produced another run to make it 9-5, leaving Mattawan with plenty of work to do.

“It got a little stressful when they made it a one-run game,” said Dixon. “I was able to get a lot of things started for my team. I knew if we got our hits and kept playing like we had been playing we’d be fine. I hope it continues.”

Sarah Hillsburg’s sacrifice fly produced another Mattawan run in the bottom of the sixth to trim the Mercy lead to 9-6.

Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

Saline pitcher #2 Josh Nelson throws during the fifth inning against Hartland on June 16, 2016 at the MHSAA Division 1 baseball semi finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Saline won the game 5-3 to reach the division 1 finals on Saturday versus Warren DeLaSalle. Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING – The way Josh Nelson had command of his pitches Thursday, few would know that the Saline senior was actually “scared to death” down the stretch.

“I just want to get out, get three outs and go home,” he said. “I was trying not to think about anything; I was trying to throw strikes and do my job.”

Nelson pitched 4 1/3 innings in relief for the win and tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the fifth as the Hornets knocked off last year’s state champion, Hartland, 5-3 in a Division 1 semifinal at Michigan State.

Few could blame the 11-0 Nelson for being on edge, though. On numerous occasions this postseason, the Hornets have called his number under less than enviable circumstances.

“It was quite stressful coming in there,” he said. “This is the third time this tournament that I’ve come in with the bases loaded and I’m kind of used to it, but it’s always stressful. I was just glad to help my team have the opportunity to win a state semifinal.”

Nelson relieved starter Sean O’Keefe in the third inning with the sacks full, but struck out Cade Martin to get out of the jam. He only allowed two hits – those came back-to-back in the fifth when Hartland took a 3-2 lead – but he said he wasn’t shaken because his slider was on point.

“He’s a little sneaky, quick, and he has some deception in his arm motion. The slider is a pitch that kids don’t see in high school, and that’s what he throws,” said coach Scott Theisen.

“His accuracy was a little bit better with his off-speed pitches,” Hartland coach Brian Morrison said. “It definitely gave us a different look; you went from a big guy pitching to a smaller guy who mixed up his stuff.”

This was also the third time during the tournament that Nelson has been on the mound when the Hornets (35-6) had to work back from a deficit late. He said knowing how to deal with that actually boosted his confidence.

“Earlier in the year there were doubts that we were good enough to come back,” he said. “It came down to the end of the season, and now we’re one of the best teams in the state obviously, and we’re able to do what we need to do.”

“It shows how tough we are, and we’ve worked on that all year long. It was one of our problems early in the year. We’ve really grown in that category, so it’s nice to come back again and show that we can do it,” said Richard Hovde, who batted after Nelson and knocked in two more runs with a single to right-center.

“I was looking for that pitch and I got it, so it was big with runners in scoring position to come through like that for my team,” Hovde said. “It was up and away, I knew I was getting a fastball, and I wanted to be aggressive and I was on it.”

Saline will play Warren De La Salle for the championship at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, seeking its first championship in five trips to the final game. The Hornets were runners-up in 1998 and 2008-10.

“Our coaches have a lot experience in these kind of games, so they talk about what it takes. They lead us in the right way,” Hovde said. “This is our dream; we’ve been looking forward to this all year long, so I think we’re ready.”

Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

Warren De La Salle starter Nino Puckett walked seven, but kept Traverse City hitters off balance Thursday.

EAST LANSING – Warren De La Salle sophomore pitcher Nino Puckett began the state tournament with a 2-5 record.

Three weeks later he is 5-5 and the Pilots are in the Division 1 state championship game.

Puckett fired a remarkable two-hitter Thursday to spark De La Salle to a 3-1 victory over Traverse City West.

The amazing aspect of Puckett’s performance is that for a while he needed a GPS to locate home plate.

“I couldn’t find it early, but I let my defense help me,” he said. “I think I found it in the later innings.”

Puckett walked seven batters and struck out only three, but used his lack of control to his advantage to keep the West hitters off balance.

“Obviously, he was pretty effective,” said West coach Matt Bocian. “We did get some base runners because of wildness at times. We just couldn’t capitalize and get a big hit. We only scored one run on two hits, so obviously he’s got to be effectively wild.”

Scores/schedules: Michigan baseball, softball, soccer state finals

He was also effectively composed, despite putting at least one runner on base in every inning.

“Nino battled today,” said De La Salle coach Matt Cook. “I don’t think he had his best stuff. He walked quite a few guys, but the way he makes his ball move, he’s a hard guy to hit. Even with base runners on, he doesn’t care. He doesn’t let it bother him. I know a lot of pitchers might fold in a moment like that, but not Nino.”

West (41-3) led, 1-0, until sophomore Jake Badalamenti lined a shot to center to score two runs in the fourth.

“It was a great pitch, right down the middle,” Badalamenti said. “I got a nice piece of it and had to do what had to be done.”

He also took the same approach when making an outstanding diving catch with a runner on first and nobody out in the seventh inning after sophomore Easton Sikorski relieved Puckett following a leadoff walk.

“I got a great job on the ball,” he said. “I had to use my speed. It was a big play for a big inning — had to be done. It was clutch timing.”

As the game wore on, Puckett eventually found his control and the Titans struggled against him.

“I was getting ahead in the count,” he said, “and then I was using my slider for a strikeout pitch.”

This has been an amazing tournament for the Pilots (27-13), who were a pedestrian 10-10 in the Catholic League.

“We had some real close losses, especially in the Catholic League,” Cook said. “In a great league we’re playing in, it put us in position for games like today to not be able to shy away from the moment.”

It has also been a surprising tournament run for Puckett.

“Don’t let his record make you think he’s not a good pitcher,” Cook said. “Those five losses were all in the league. The fact that he came out today and threw a great game does not shock me at all.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1

Division 2 baseball: Holland Christian slips past DeWitt

Monroe St. Mary players cheer on their team on the field during their game against Gladstone on Friday, June 17, 2016 at the MHSAA Division 3 softball semi finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Monroe St. Mary’s won the game 13-0 in 5 inning to reach the division 3 finals on Saturday.

EAST LANSING – Meghan Beaubien was perfect … and then some.

Beaubien struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced this afternoon as Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central defeated Gladstone, 13-0, in a five-inning mercy-rule, perfect game in a Division 3 softball semifinal game.

■Full scoreboard:Softball, baseball and soccer finals

You had the feeling Beaubien (22-1) was headed for a special game when the first three Gladstone hitters were called out on strikes.

“We didn’t work inside as much as I normally do,” Beaubien said. “We went out because that seemed to be working for us. We’d go up a lot and, mainly, just the rise and the change combination — that’s really hard for hitters to get, and that worked all day.”

St. Mary CC (27-5) wrapped up this one early by scoring four runs in the top of the first inning.

“We have just hitting practices and we really go really hard on it,” said catcher Kenna Garst, who used two triples and a single to drive in three runs. “We like to pounce first — jump on you first — and then go from there. We take our energy and work.”

The Kestrels added a pair of runs in the second inning, and Beaubien was able to cruise.

“Anytime you can open up a first inning and put up four runs … ” said CC coach John Morningstar. “I always say three to four runs is the kiss of death when you’re facing her. Her ERA is 0.36.”

CC will try to win its second consecutive title at 3 p.m. Saturday when it faces Grandville Calvin Christian.

The experience Beaubien gained here last year made her more comfortable when she faced Gladstone (27-14), which won its latest state title two years ago.

“I wouldn’t tell anybody, but last year, I was pretty nervous. Both games,” she said. “This year, I’m super comfortable. You always have butterflies in your stomach, but I wasn’t near as nervous as I was last year. I was just really confident.”

The first five Gladstone batters struck out before No. 6 bunted and was thrown out at first. Only one other batter hit the ball in fair territory, and that was a grounder to the first baseman in the fifth inning.

“I guess I was kind of aware of it the whole game,” she said. “I knew nobody had gotten on or, otherwise, I would have remembered when they came back up in the order — what they did and how I want to pitch them the next time.”

The 13 strikeouts raised Beaubien’s season total to 371 in 180 1/3 innings.

“I get a lot of them, but I don’t want to say I expect it,” she said. “If you go in expecting strikeouts, you’re not going to be as precise as you want to be. It just comes when you execute your pitches really well, and I’ve always worked on them really hard and I know what I want to throw, and Kenna does a great job knowing what to throw batters, too.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

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New Lothrop #14 Cam Pope gets a hit against Jackson Lumen Christi on Friday, June 17, 2016 at the MHSAA Division 3 baseball semi finals at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. New Lothrop won the game 6-1 to reach the division 3 finals on Saturday. Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING – New Lothrop players and coaches will admit they’re not flashy, yet they get the job done. So it was business as usual Friday when the Hornets defeated defending Division 3 state champion Jackson Lumen Christi, 6-1.

“Instead of getting the big home runs or hits, we put a whole bunch of singles together for runs, just one run at a time,” first baseman Carter Hemgesberg said. “That’s how these games go now that we’re so far into it, and that’s why we’re going to keep going.”

Only one of the Hornets’ 10 hits went for extra bases, yet they put things together in an efficient fashion: eight different players contributed hits, four of the six runs came home from second on singles, and two of those were bloopers which barely cleared the infield.

“That’s part of what we work on: refuse to strikeout, put it in play and give yourself a chance,” New Lothrop coach Benjamin Almasy said. “A lot of those two-strike dingers were just reaching out and seeing what happens. That’s how we play. We don’t have enough bit hitters so we have to make do with what we have.”

The Hornets (41-3) strung their runs together, too, breaking open a tie game with two runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.

“We saw a lot of strikes to the outside, we were just looking to drive the ball, and it paid off,” said third baseman Max Wendling, who drove runners home on two separate occasions. “Coach has been telling us all season when we get this deep in the playoffs, the pitching’s going to be tough and they’re going to be locating it down in the strike zone, both inside and out. That’s what we worked for and it paid out for us.”

It also helped that New Lothrop got a solid outing from senior Cam Pope, who went the distance and struck out six.

“We’re kind of a streaky team; we can have a one-run inning or maybe a six-run inning,” Pope said. “One of the innings we came out for three runs and that made it a lot less stressful (for me). Getting those three runs really helped. As soon as we get some runs, we’re trouble.”

Lumen Christi bows out at 25-14.

“Traditionally, our school is known for football and other things,” coach Phil Clifford said. “Our seven seniors have brought us here two years in a row and that’s a great accomplishment. I’m very proud of them.”

Scores/schedules: Baseball, softball, soccer state finals

Preps!

EAST LANSING – Junior shortstop Marissa Morton came up one hit short of the cycle, but led Unionville-Sebewaing Area (USA) with a single, double and triple for two RBIs — good for a semifinal win by the defending champs Friday, 12-3, over Morenci.

“I tried, but it hit the fence,” she said with a smile about not recording a home run. “I feel really good about my offense. I hit the ball and I did what I had to do. And our team did what we did and we just got the job done.”

USA scored in bunches, recording three runs in each of the second and fifth innings, plus a 5-run sixth to seal the victory and a return trip to the finals at 5:30 Saturday afternoon.

“That’s just how it comes,” Morton said about big innings for the Patriots (35-7). “Some games we’re on, like right on, and then some games it takes us a while to get in. In this game we just hoped right on.

“The nerves are down. We’ve been here before and know what we have to do, and just go.”

Winning pitcher Nicole Bauer gave up only one run in the postseason before this game, but helped her own effort with a bases-loaded double, knocking in three USA runs in the third.

“I think it’s very important,” Bauer said about contributing at the plate in addition to the mound. “Because it’s a lot to expect of my team to get runs and to not help too. And I just sort of figured out my swing toward the end of the season so I’m really confident at the plate (now).

“In the summer I don’t really hit so I kind of lost my swing, but got it back.”

Bauer gave up six hits — two each to Madysen Schmitz, Angela Davis and Hannah Borton — while recording eight strikeouts. But Morton said it was good for the defense to be forced to field some balls at this time of year.

“We don’t get a lot of balls hit to us when Nikki’s pitching, so once we do we have to execute and then make our plays,” said Morton, who moved to shortstop from rightfield last year. “We didn’t do that too well today so we have to pick it up the next game.

“We weren’t expecting them to hit the ball as well as they did,” she added about Morenci (25-15). “We reacted well with it (on defense). We were off a few times but then we just come back up with our hitting and got ourselves back in.”

Alexis Cady also had three hits and two RBIs for USA, and Sara Reinhardt had three hits but was stranded on base twice.

Scores/schedules: Baseball, softball, soccer state finals