Ravenna Ends Grass Lake's Reign to Become Finals Champion for 1st Time
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2026
EAST LANSING – Ravenna softball coach Dave Sherman didn’t worry after his team fell behind 1-0 in the first inning of the Division 3 championship game Saturday at Secchia Stadium.
“If you look at the outs we made, we scalded a couple of them, so I had a pretty good idea we would score enough runs,” he said.
His faith was rewarded in the third inning when the Bulldogs, sparked by two-run singles by Reese Herremans and Sydney Morrissey, scored four times en route to a 4-2 victory over 2025 champion Grass Lake.
It was the first softball title for Ravenna, which also has won the Division 4 girls bowling title the past two seasons.
“It’s awesome to see these girls have success in these sports,” Sherman said.
Ravenna’s softball title came in part due to the left arm of junior Natalie Rosel, who walked two, struck out 11 and allowed only four hits Saturday.
“My changeup felt good in warmups,” she said.
It deserted her temporarily in the seventh inning, when Grass Lake scored and had runners on second and third base with two outs.
But Rosel got a strikeout to end the threat and seal the win.
"It's amazing. It’s what we’ve been working for this entire year," she said. "Since January, our mindset was getting the state championship. It’s beyond golden. It's really nice to finish."
The Bulldogs (40-1) had 10 hits off two Grass Lake pitchers, with Rosel totaling three hits from the leadoff spot.
“We ran out of magic,” Grass Lake coach Roger Cook said. “We gave up 10 hits to our four, and you’re not going to win many games like that.
"I’m proud of the girls," Cook added. "We may have lost the game, but they left their mark on Grass Lake."
Grass Lake (36-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI double by starting pitcher Morgan Conrad. Catcher Chloe Hollifield had an RBI single in the seventh.
While Saturday’s championship game was Ravenna’s first, the Bulldogs were finishing a second-straight trip the championship weekend and third over the last four seasons.
Their only loss this spring came during a split with Morley Stanwood – which Ravenna avenged in the Regional Final.
PHOTOS Ravenna catcher Emily Postema and her teammates plant their school down on the bracket after clinching the Division 3 title Saturday at Secchia Stadium. (Middle) Taylor Nutt (9) drives a pitch for the Bulldogs.
Senior Slugger Capozzo, Armada Put Powerful Finish on Historic Championship Run
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2026
EAST LANSING – Taylor Capozzo had a couple of key roles on the Armada softball team this year.
One was at the plate, where her 14 home runs led an explosive offense.
The other was in the field. On a team with only two seniors, her leadership kept the Tigers focused on the way to the school’s first MHSAA Finals softball championship.
“My job is to lead the best I can,” said Capozzo, whose two-run homer in the first inning Saturday proved to be the only runs Armada needed in a 9-1 victory over Farmington Hills Mercy in the Division 2 championship game.
The title capped a magical season for the Tigers, who got off to a shaky start.
“We had seven errors against Richmond early (in the season),” Armada coach Rob Gilpin said. “We said if we can clean up in the field, we can be pretty good.”
That’s not the only thing Gilpin saw in his team.
“I told Taylor before (Saturday’s) game that I dreamed she hit a home run,” Gilpin said.
Her clout helped relax the Tigers (37-8), who scored in every inning but the seventh.
Charlotte Stang homered and drove in three runs for Armada, which also took advantage of five Mercy errors in the field.
Meanwhile, freshman lefty pitcher Megan Cox was dominant, striking out 13 and allowing just four hits and one unearned run two days after she shut out top-ranked Stevensville Lakeshore in the Semifinal to send her team to the weekend.
In addition, the Tigers had a good-luck charm courtesy of fifth-grader Cody Ballard. He gave Gilpin a courage coin given to him during his treatment for leukemia.
“I’ve had it in my pocket since school ended," Gilpin said. "I can’t wait to call his mother.”
Mercy coach Alec Lesko, whose team had a similar unexpected tournament run, had no regrets. The Marlins went 6-1 during the tournament to push past .500 and finished 21-18.
“We kept getting better,” Lesko said. “You could see the progress at the end. It was a blessing to coach with my daughter and my grandchildren. I have a big family, and they were all here today.”
PHOTOS (Top) Armada players celebrate their Division 2 championship Saturday at Secchia Stadium. (Middle) Tigers shortstop Helena Fettue applies a tag on Mercy’s Sophia Chaput (28) as she slides into second base.