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.

Taylor Nutt (9) drives a pitch for the Bulldogs.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.

Click for the full box score.

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.

Be the Referee: Base Runner Interference

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

April 1, 2025

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Base Runner Interference - Listen

Let’s head to the softball diamond today for a “You Make the Call," and how to score the play in the book.

We’ve got a runner on second with one out when the batter hits a grounder in the hole between short and third. The baserunner on second interferes with the shortstop attempting to make a play on the ball. 

What’s the call? What happens to both the runner and batter?

The runner on second is out for interference. And the batter is awarded first base. There are now two outs with a runner on first.

In the scorebook, the batter is credited with a fielder’s choice, not a base hit. But if the interference is ruled intentional, both runner and batter are out.

Previous 2024-25 Editions

March 25: Pine Tar Usage - Listen
March 11: Basketball Replay - Listen
March 4: Gymnastics Deduction - Listen
Feb. 25: Competitive Cheer Inversion - Listen
Feb. 18: Ice Hockey Delay of Game - Listen
Feb. 11: Ski Helmets - Listen
Feb. 4: Wrestling In Bounds or Out? - Listen
Jan. 21: Block or Charge? - Listen
Jan. 14: Out of Bounds, In Play - Listen
Jan. 7: Wrestling Scoring - Listen
Dec. 17: Bowling Ball Rules - Listen
Dec. 10: Neck Laceration Protector - Listen
Dec. 3: Basketball Goaltending - Listen
Nov. 26: 11-Player Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 19: 8-Player vs. 11-Player Football - Listen
Nov. 12: Back Row Setter - Listen
Nov. 5: Football OT - Listen
Oct. 29: Officials Registration - Listen
Oct. 22: Volleyball Serve - Listen
Oct. 15: "You Make the Call"
- Soccer Offside - Listen
Oct. 8: Roughing the Passer - Listen
Oct. 1: Abnormal Course Condition - Listen
Sept. 25: Tennis Nets - Listen
Sept. 18:
 Libero - Listen
Sept. 10:
 Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen