Mendon Closes 2026 Season with Now-Familiar Finish - as Division 4 Champion
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2026
EAST LANSING – There’s nothing like repeating as a state champion.
Just ask the Mendon softball team, which downed Brown City 6-2 to repeat in Division 4 on Saturday at Secchia Stadium.
But getting there, especially for the first time, is special, too, as Brown City learned during a first-of-its-kind season for the program.
Mendon, which won its first Finals title a year ago, got on top early against the Green Devils, scoring two runs in each of the first, second and fourth innings. The Hornets then turned things over to pitcher Rowan Allen, who allowed only three hits, walked two and struck out 14.
It was a big day for Allen after what she described as an inauspicious start.
“I didn't feel good when I woke up this morning,” she said. “But once we got to the Final, I started feeling good.”
The Hornets (32-3) were feeling better after taking a 6-0 lead. “I felt good when we were six runs up,” Mendon co-coach Steve Butler said.
Allen contributed to the good feelings with a two-run double in the second inning. She went 2-for-2 at the plate and scored three runs.
Brown City made a bid in the seventh inning, scoring a pair of runs before Allen got out of trouble with a final strikeout.
For the Green Devils, it was a season to savor. They had never gotten past the Regional rounds before.
“Last year, we didn’t have Maddie,” Brown City coach Scott Parr said, referring to senior pitcher Maddie Hohne, who missed last season with an injury. “That kid is tough. It’s going to be tough to replace her.”
Hohne struck out 10 for Brown City (26-12).
Mendon will need to replace Allen, too. She kept the Green Devils at bay.
“She has a phenomenal changeup,” Hohne said.
After Brown City scored in the seventh inning, Allen put the final touches on a repeat title.
“I knew I had to buckle down,” Allen said. “I knew I couldn’t give up. My defense was behind me. I just had to finish.”
Senior shortstop Jadyn Samson also had two hits and scored three runs, and senior center fielder Taya Bingaman had two hits and drove in a run. Senior catcher Cienna Nightingale also drove in a run; those three and Allen were the team’s only returning starters from a year ago.
PHOTOS (Top) Mendon’s Rowan Allen (33), Brynley Jungers (12) and Brooke Gerth (6) get ready to start an inning Saturday at Secchia Stadium. (Middle) Jadyn Samson (15) rounds third base as her coach signals her home.
Moment: Tinner Proves Strong as Steel
May 11, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
An injured ankle couldn’t keep Tinner Sharon from carrying Gladstone into the 2014 Division 3 Softball Final.
Nor could surrendering back-to-back home runs and a three-run lead when needing just one more out to secure a Semifinal win – a scenario that surely would rattle most.
Only minutes after watching a 4-1 advantage disappear with a pair of Coloma homers in the bottom of the seventh inning of that June 13 Semifinal, Sharon led off the eighth inning with a single, then raced to second base on a fielder’s choice and scored on a throwing error.
But the lasting memory of the eventual Braves’ 5-4 win came in the bottom of the inning, as Sharon snagged a popped-up bunt and shoveled a throw to first base for a game-ending double play.
“All season we’ve had this motto of ‘never say die,’ and you never know what can happen in the bottom of the seventh, which was very important to (Coloma) today,” Gladstone coach Ashley Hughes said that afternoon. “Tinner was struggling with her foot today, but she’s one incredible kid and definitely a leader for us.”
The next day, Sharon would score Gladstone’s first run and strike out 12 as the Braves defeated previously-unbeaten Unionville-Sebewaing 2-1 in the Division 3 championship game.
Click for Semifinals coverage from Second Half and watch below for Sharon’s game-ending double-up against Coloma.