1st-Time Semifinalists Walled Lake Northern, Grand Haven Earn Championship Chance
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 11, 2026
EAST LANSING — When Walled Lake Northern senior ace pitcher Lyla Turmell faced Northville in a tournament at New Baltimore Anchor Bay on April 25, things didn’t go as planned in a 6-3 loss.
Getting another chance at Northville in a Division 1 Semifinal at Michigan State’s Secchia Stadium on Thursday, Turmell said there were plenty of mental notes to recall from that first meeting.
“We played them earlier in the season, so I kind of knew some of them,” Turmell said. “I knew the hitters, (that) I had to move the ball out more or in more. It 100 percent helped.”
It certainly did, as Turmell limited a powerful Northville offense to just five hits in a 2-1 Northern victory.
In doing so Turmell, who has signed with Toledo, also helped guide the Knights to their first state championship game, where they will meet Grand Haven at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Northern head coach Kristen Woodard said she didn’t offer any special advice to Turmell before the game – other than to just be herself.
“To hit her spots, and I know she’s tough and can do that,” Woodard said.
While Turmell led the Knights in the run-prevention category, sisters Aubrey Kresbaugh and Makenna Kresbaugh provided the offense.
A sophomore, Aubrey Kresbaugh opened the scoring, leading off the game with a home run to right field to give Northern a 1-0 lead.
Northville countered with a run in the bottom of the first inning, tying the game at 1-1 on an RBI single by sophomore Jocelyn Burns after senior Kendall Heron had tripled.
It was the predictable pitcher’s duel from that point between Turmell and Northville senior ace Mary Gugala, until Northern broke through in the sixth.
With Aubrey Kresbaugh on third base and two outs, Makenna Kresbaugh hit a liner to right that ended up dropping for an RBI single that gave the Knights a 2-1 lead.
Northville got its leadoff hitter on base in the seventh inning on an error, but a double play on a popped up bunt, plus a strikeout, ended the game.
Gugala was just as brilliant in defeat for Northville, tossing a four-hitter and striking out 10.
The Mustangs (35-5-1) were making their first Semifinal appearance as well.
“That’s been Mary Gugala for three-plus years,” Northville head coach Scott DeBoer said. “She’s been somebody that just digs deep, and things don’t bother her. She’s only 5-foot-3, but she’s got a heart that’s bigger.”
Grand Haven 8, Macomb Dakota 3
It’s not a formula that Grand Haven head softball John Hall coach wants to consistently follow, but it has sure worked for his team thus far in the MHSAA Tournament.
The Buccaneers have consistently fallen behind in games, but rallied for victories, which happened again against Dakota in the first Division 1 Semifinal.
Grand Haven spotted Dakota a run in the bottom of first inning, but once again roared back in advancing to its first championship game.
“To me, we’re the hunters,” Hall said. “We were down 1-0 to Reeths-Puffer. We were down 4-0 to Rockford. We were down 1-0 to Hudsonville, we were down 1-0 to Traverse City Central and came back to win every game. It wakes them up. I’m not saying we want to go down 1-0 in every game. But it fires them up and wakes them up.”
After Dakota took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single by senior Kiley Phelan, Grand Haven responded with a run in the top of the second on an RBI groundout by senior outfielder Claire Sova to tie the game at 1-1.
The Buccaneers then plated two runs in the third inning on an RBI sacrifice fly by senior Lorelei Chiciuk and an RBI single by junior Makenna VandenBrink. Grand Haven then broke the game open in the fifth, scoring four times to take a 7-1 lead. VandenBrink had an RBI single and Sova another RBI groundout during the rally that was aided by a Dakota error.
The run support was more than enough for Chiciuk, the team’s ace who settled down after a rocky first inning.
Chiciuk didn’t allow a hit in the second, third and fourth innings and pitched out of some trouble, most notably in the sixth when she got out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam with two strikeouts. Sova also made a diving catch to end the fifth inning and save a run.
Chiciuk finished with 15 strikeouts as she moved toward 400 on the season.
“I’ve noticed through every game, the first inning is always the ice-breaker where I go through rocky stuff,” Chiciuk said. “There’s going to be something that happens. But it’s the comeback that happens.
Grand Haven (34-7-1) collected 10 hits.
“We hit all our metrics today,” Hall said. “We love 8 to 10 hits, we love to score four or five runs, and you need about one or two ESPN plays (defensively).”
Dakota made somewhat of an unexpected run in the tournament, with the signature win a 7-5 triumph over No. 2 New Baltimore Anchor Bay in a District Final.
The Cougars advanced to the Semifinals for the first time since finishing Division 1 runner-up in 2022.
“We applied pressure, we got runners in scoring position,” Dakota head coach Shelby Weeks said. “We just couldn’t come up with those key hits today. That’s just how it was for us. The girls fought the whole seven innings.”
PHOTOS (Top) Walled Lake Northern players celebrate after their Semifinal win over Northville on Thursday at Secchia Stadium. (Middle) A Grand Haven hitter drives a pitch during her team’s Semifinal victory.
Holton Stops Record Scoring Attack, USA Earns Record-Setting Opportunity
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
June 14, 2024
EAST LANSING – Hillman scored more runs this season than any team in state history, averaging more than 13 per game.
But the machine never got cranked up on the big stage of Secchia Stadium on Friday, due in large part to the combination of crafty Holton junior pitcher Kenzie Greene and terrific defense behind her.
Then senior slugger Ryann Robins did the rest.
Robins lined a two-run single in the second inning before putting the game away with a monstrous three-run shot over the rightfield wall to power Holton to an 8-0 victory in Friday’s Division 4 Semifinal – and earn the Red Devils a spot in the Softball Finals for the first time.
“This team has worked so hard and really improved and here we are, in the state championship game,” said 10th-year Holton coach Kirk Younts, who has guided the Red Devils to the Semifinals four times. “Our defense was great today, but I’m telling you, at the beginning of the year it was terrible. We have really improved, and it’s great to be playing our best right now.”
Holton (29-12-1) will play in its first softball championship game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against perennial softball powerhouse and No. 1-ranked Unionville-Sebewaing (30-11), which has won nine championships, including the last four in Division 4.
If the Patriots win Saturday, they will tie Kalamazoo Christian (which won titles from 1996 to 2000) for the state record with five consecutive softball championships.
Speaking of history, Hillman broke the all-time state record for runs scored in a season this spring with 561, an average of 13.4 runs per game heading into this weekend – which made it even more impressive that Greene and the Red Devils held the Tigers to just four singles and zero runs.
Greene, a junior and one of three pitchers Holton uses on a regular basis, kept Hillman off balance with plenty of spin on her pitches.
“I didn’t know anything about their lineup and all of their records,” said Greene. “We played harder competition this season, and that got us ready for this.”
Green benefitted from outstanding defense behind her. She had only two strikeouts, so the Tigers were putting the ball in play, but the Red Devils were executing in the field – finishing with just one error.
Shortstop Abbie Fowler made a nifty stop and throw to first in the third inning, the outfield trio of Chloe McKee, Aubrey Goyings and Emma Monette was nearly flawless, and third baseman Monica Mullins ended the game with a diving grab in front of Hillman’s dugout.
Holton scored all the runs it would need in the first inning on RBI singles from Sydney McCormick and Monette, then Robins did the rest.
Robins, a senior who started as a freshman the last time Holton made it to the Semifinals in 2021, knocked in the final five runs. Her towering home run in the sixth inning, which capped the win, was her 20th of the season and 50th of her career.
“I am so happy, not for me, but for my school and my town,” said Robins. “We’ve never made it this far before, but if we are able to shock the world tomorrow and win it all, wow, I get goosebumps just thinking about that.”
Holton, ranked No. 5 in the state, finished with 10 hits. Lexi Bartolameolli, Robins, McCormick and McKee all had two.
Hillman pitcher Gretchen Weiland went the distance, allowing 10 hits and five walks, while striking out nine. Autumn Kazyaka went 2-for-3 and was the only Tiger with multiple hits.
Hillman coach Jason Weiland, whose team was ranked No. 7 coming in and finished 41-3, said his players tightened up on the big stage.
“Playing in this atmosphere, if you’re not used to it, can take you out of your game,” said Weiland. “Take nothing away from Holton, they have a great team, but our kids were really tight from the start.”
Unionville-Sebewaing 6, Mendon 5
For the second-straight year, Mendon pushed USA right until the final out before coming up one run short.
In a rematch of last season’s Division 4 championship game, Mendon trailed 6-4 entering the bottom of the seventh inning and appeared to be done when the first two batters were retired. But after two walks, sophomore Cienna Nightingale ripped a solid base hit to score a run.
After USA second-year coach Marc Reinhardt and fourth-year starting catcher Gabby Crumm had a conference with Olivia Green on the mound, she calmly struck out the next batter to put the Patriots back in the championship game.
“I just simplified everything, because all we needed was to get one more out,” said Crumb, who will play at Saginaw Valley State next year. “Softball is like 90 percent mental. I knew Olivia would come through, and she did.”
USA (30-11) scored three runs in the third inning on hits from Ella Neumann and Crumb, and scratched out single runs in the first, fifth and seventh innings to get the win.
Leadoff hitter Rylie Betson and Crumm each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Green went all seven innings, allowing 10 hits with three walks and 11 strikeouts.
“I have a heart attack every 30 seconds in games like this,” joked Reinhardt. “We were able to pull it out because our nucleus of seniors have been here before and they know how to win here. Now, hopefully, they can go out like they are supposed to and get one more.”
Mendon, which was ranked third and finished 38-5, had more hits (10-7), but hurt itself with four errors – and also left nine runners on base.
The Hornets, who lost to USA 5-4 in last year’s championship game, were led by Jadyn Samson, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs; and Nightingale, who was 3-for-4 with one RBI.
Sophomore Rowan Allen pitched all seven innings, allowing seven hits with no walks with five strikeouts.
Mike Smith, the co-head coach of the Hornets along with Steve Butler, emphasized how proud the coaches are of the team, which reached the Semifinals again without a single senior on the roster. However, he said his program has had plenty of moral victories at this point.
“Close is great, but close isn’t what our goal is,” said Smith. “USA is a great program, but I’m sick of running into them and losing. Maybe next year we’ll figure out how to beat them.”
PHOTOS (Top) Holton’s Aubrey Goyings (4) celebrates as teammate Chloe McKee pulls in a ball during their team’s Semifinal win Friday. (Middle) USA’s Olivia Green fires a pitch during her team’s victory at Secchia Stadium.