Dakota Wins Battle of Aces, Hartland's Crowe Brothers Come Through in Clutch
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2025
EAST LANSING – Luke DeMasse wouldn't be opposed to continuing as a two-way threat in college, but for now he'll settle for mastery on the pitching mound.
Especially if it contributes to a Division 1 championship.
The Macomb Dakota senior was outstanding both pitching and at the plate in Friday's 6-2 Semifinal win over Bay City Western at Michigan State's McLane Stadium.
In a matchup of the top two ranked teams in Division 1, DeMasse remained unbeaten as a pitcher (8-0) in tossing a three-hitter while also contributing a two-run single that sparked a five-run fourth inning. He also singled, stole second and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Gjonaj in the sixth inning.
On top of his eight straight wins as a pitcher, DeMasse, bound for Ball State next season, is a key to the offense. He's third on the team in extra-base hits (11), fourth on the team in RBIs (26) and batting (.351), and fifth in runs (29). Still, DeMasse said he's a pitcher first.
"Definitely I'm a pitcher who also hits," he said. "It'd be cool to two-way (in college); maybe if I worked at it. But when I pitch, I focus on pitching. I just try to help the team on both sides, especially in high pressure situations. I just try to stay calm."
DeMasse's three-hitter furthered an amazing stretch of pitching for No. 1-ranked Macomb Dakota, which will play Hartland in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. Final. Cougars pitchers have allowed two runs or fewer in six tournament games while giving up one run or fewer or tossing a shutout 16 times this year.
"I knew going into the season we had some very good arms," Macomb Dakota coach Angelo Plouffe said. "I've been around for years, and I'm not surprised. They way they act on the mound, they know how to throw it."
Gjonaj, a junior shortstop, said it's a huge positive playing behind such talented arms. Gjonaj and Jadon Ford each had RBI singles during the five-run fourth inning.
"We probably have the best pitching in the state, and the offense comes through when we need it," Gjonaj said. "Our pitchers get groundouts and easy fly balls, and that's good for us."
Bay City Western, ranked No. 2 in Division 1, got a two-run single by Brayden Simmon in the fifth inning.
Plouffe said the five-run inning was a game-changer.
"The big inning was there for us," he said. "The kids kind of grinded out at-bats against a great, great pitcher."
Warriors coach Tim McDonald said he saw Dakota (36-6-1) in two tournaments this year, but his team hadn’t played the Cougars.
"That's impressive from (DeMasse), but I'll take my chances with (Warriors starter Luke LaCourse)," he said. "He's carried us so many times this year. I told them after the big inning that we need to pick him up, he's carried us so much this year. And we made some noise."
Hartland 4, Grosse Point South 2
Making good on a guess was just enough for Dylan Crowe to help Hartland advance to the Division 1 championship game.
The Eagles sophomore third baseman lined a two-out, two-run double in the third inning to give Hartland a 4-2 win over Grosse Pointe South. The clutch hit wiped out a 2-1 deficit and was another step in Crowe overcoming a personally-tough second varsity season.
"I got a first pitch changeup, he came back with it and I stayed back and drove it," said Crowe, who drove in all four Hartland runs. "We've been barreling the ball against people, and today they just fell.
“(The win) means a lot because I've struggled with adversity. My dad passed away last November, and it's been tough. But I wouldn't want to do this with any other team."
Crowe's father died last fall after battling cancer, but Crowe has responded by leading the team with 36 RBIs while batting in the middle of the team's order. His first inning sacrifice fly gave Hartland a 1-0 lead, his two-run double made it 3-2 in the third inning and Crowe added a fifth-inning RBI double for the 4-2 win.
"He's had a tough season obviously when you lose a loved one," Hartland coach Brad Guenther said of Crowe, whose brother Brayden singled, doubled and scored a run Friday. "His dad was a rock, and it's hard not to have him around for that support. But (the brothers) have handled it. Dylan kind of grinds it out with the tough times."
Brayden Crowe, a senior catcher, said it doesn't surprise the Eagles that they find themselves in the Final.
"We're always the underdog, but we feel like we should be here," he said. "We were hoping to get hot for the playoffs, and we have been. We have a lot of trust in our pitching and defense – they keep us going."
The win upped unranked Hartland to 27-15-1, while Grosse Point South finished 35-8. The Blue Devils, who had outscored five tournament opponents by a combined 38-9, set a school record for wins while playing in their ninth Semifinals.
Coach Dan Griesbaum, finishing his 42nd year as coach, credited Hartland starter Ty Kraut with an excellent showing. Kraut scattered eight hits, allowing an RBI double to Evan Bernard and sacrifice fly by James Michelotti during the second inning.
"He did a real nice job of keeping us off-balance and throwing strikes,' Griesbaum said. "That's the name of the game, and I give him a lot of credit. Our starting pitcher doesn't throw that hard. He needs to hit his spots, and the strike zone was tight for both teams. But I give them credit for playing hard and being well-coached."
PHOTOS (Top) Macomb Dakota’s Luke DeMasse throws a pitch during his team’s Division 1 Semifinal win Friday. (Middle) Grosse Pointe South’s Henry Domzalski slides into second base as a Hartland throw approaches.
Softball Standout Finds New Home in Addison Baseball Lineup
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
April 23, 2024
ADDISON – Alisha Gahn has a new bat, new mitt, and new uniform this season.
The Addison senior didn’t transfer schools or move into a new district. She picked up a new sport – baseball.
“She’s doing really well,” said Addison head coach Rick Gramm. “She’s adjusted just fine.”
Gahn has had a love for softball from a young age and jumped into recreation and travel leagues early on while starting to pitch to her dad, Kelly.
She played for three years with the Addison varsity with her dad a co-head coach. When Addison decided to re-post the coaching job this past offseason, Kelly said he stepped aside. In the aftermath, Alisha decided to not play softball for Addison this spring.
Baseball became a possibility, and Kelly Gahn told his daughter he’d support whatever she decided.
“I just wanted to do something,” Alisha Gahn said. “I didn’t want to sit around and be sad that I didn’t play softball.”
She started attending Addison’s offseason baseball workouts.
“She told me she was leaning toward playing baseball rather than softball,” Gramm said. “We talked about it and checked into it. Opening day came, she showed up to the tryouts and she did well in the cage, and she throws the ball well.
“She’s just got a mind for the game. The rules of baseball and softball are basically the same, so she knows what she is doing out there.”
Gahn, who recently turned 18, is having a blast.
In a doubleheader against Tekonsha on Friday, Gahn went 2-for-3 at the plate. She’s playing mainly rightfield but also has been penciled into the Panthers lineup as a designated hitter.
The biggest thing for her personally is she’s no longer a pitcher. Last year she went 12-6 with 177 strikeouts in 107 innings for the Addison softball team in earning a Division 4 all-state honorable mention.
“Pitching is my thing,” she said. “That’s what I’ve done for years. That is what I did. That was my place on a team. That’s not my place in baseball.
It took some time to adjust to high school baseball pitching as well.
“The hitting is definitely different,” she said. “But I think that is what we work on as a team the most, so that helps.”
Gramm said Gahn - who hit .357 in 115 at-bats in softball last year - can hit on this diamond as well.
“We didn’t know how she would adjust to the pitching – the smaller ball, the distance (from the pitcher’s mound to home plate). She connects. She puts the ball in play. She does very good at the plate.”
Gahn said she likes baseball so far. She's even adjusting to her new mitt.
“I always knew there were differences between baseball and softball,” she said. “Whenever I watch Major League Baseball on TV, it looks like a bunch of guys trying to get home runs. After playing it, I like it. It’s pushed me and forced me to grow in the other positions.”
One of main differences is on the basepaths.
“On Friday, I got a hit and got on base,” she said. “My first base coach was talking to me. I got a little bit distracted, and I got picked off. I definitely learned something.”
Gahn said her new teammates have been great.
“Getting to know how to interact with a team of guys is different,” she said. “I have to find ways to connect with them. We are all playing the same sport, though. We are just players on the same team, just playing baseball. It’s slowly getting more comfortable. (But) there are times I miss playing on a team of girls.”
“She fits in just fine,” Gramm said of her move to baseball. “She’s part of the guys and part of the team. They just want to play and just want to win. The team has taken to her. They know her, and she’s part of that senior group anyways. I think she is having a good, fun time. It hasn’t been much of a transition at all. She’s been a welcome addition.”
Softball is still part of Gahn’s life.
Missouri is one of the few states that plays softball in the fall, which means travel softball season is in the spring. Gahn and her family pack up on the weekends and head south to play on a travel team, something the MHSAA allows since she is not currently playing softball in Michigan. It’s a seven-hour drive, one way.
“At first I was just going to go down south on the weekends and play softball,” she said. “Then I got to thinking what about baseball. We looked it up, went through the rules and it worked out perfectly. The MHSAA says softball is not the same sport as baseball. I can play baseball for Addison and go down south to play softball.”
Gahn, who also dances competitively and golfs – she tied for 18th in the latter at the Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final in the fall – wants to play softball in college. She’s talked to a few coaches, she said, who are supportive of her decision to play baseball this spring.
“I’ve put so much work into softball,” she said. “College is the next step for me. I’m super excited. At the end of the day, I just want to play softball.”
Gahn said her and her family did have a conversation about moving to a new district, but she was against that.
“I just want to graduate with my friends,” she said. “Sports are important to me, but I didn’t want to uproot my life. The easiest decision might have been to just move and go somewhere else. I didn’t want to do that. I’m happy right now.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Alisha Gahn hangs out with her baseball teammates in the dugout this season. (Middle) Gahn, at bat, steps into a swing. (Photos courtesy of Kelly Gahn.)