Did you see that?
April 16, 2012
Check out our must-know scores and news from April 9-14.
(Click on links for coverage.)
Baseball
Milestone victory: Johannesburg-Lewiston coach Rick Guild won his 700th game, becoming the ninth Michigan baseball coach to do so according to the MHSAA record book. Guild took over the Cardinals program in 1975. (Gaylord Herald Times)
No-no No. 2: Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett’s Alex Daar threw his second no-hitter of this young season, striking out 15 in a 4-0 win over Livonia Clarenceville. He also struck out 15 in his first no-hitter this spring. (Detroit News)
Softball
One day, two no-hitters: Saginaw Valley Lutheran pitchers Sarah Appold and Kelsey Schaus combined to no-hit Flint Southwestern for the day on Saturday. Appold threw a no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader, striking out 14, while Schaus did the same in the second game while striking out 11. (Saginaw News)
Soccer
Hornets sting Mason: In a matchup of reigning District champions in Divisions 3 and 2, respectively, Williamston downed Mason 3-1. Both teams likely will be ranked when the first polls are released this week. The Hornets are 4-1, with their lone loss to Birmingham Marian, and with Hudsonville Unity Christian and a tournament including Flint Powers Catholic, Detroit Country Day, Frankenmuth, Plainwell and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard coming up over the next two weekends. (Lansing State Journal)
Tennis
West Ottawa wins at Lowell: Holland West Ottawa, which tied for 12th at last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final, edged currently-ranked Division 3 No. 8 Grand Rapids Catholic Central 47-44 to win the Lowell Invitational. (Holland Sentinel)
Media
Thanks, Jim: Longtime Port Huron Times-Herald sports editor Jim Whymer retired from the paper after more than 33 years. An enthusiastic advocate of high school athletics, Whymer has been a tireless presence both in his community and statewide serving as a voting member of various Associated Press committees for football and basketball rankings and all-state teams. (Port Huron Times-Herald)
Editor's note: Did we miss something? Comment below and tell us about it. Is there an event coming up that we should make sure to note? Comment or e-mail [email protected].
St. Francis Makes Good on Great Expectations by Completing Repeat Run
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2026
EAST LANSING — Repeating as an MHSAA Finals champion in baseball might be more difficult than any other sport given its fickle nature.
But from the start this spring, Traverse City St. Francis appeared capable.
After claiming the Division 3 title last year, St. Francis returned both its best pitchers and a core of eight seniors from the 2025 squad.
It’s no wonder why a repeat was expected by many – and the Gladiators fulfilled those expectations Saturday.
St. Francis (34-5) finished its mission with a 9-0 victory over Kalamazoo Christian in the Division 3 Final at Michigan State’s McLane Stadium.
“Yeah, we had confidence the entire season,” said Gladiators senior Lanse Vos. “We knew there was a good group. Having this group again, we’ve grown up together. We only expected this. Our goals were only this.”
Vos was a big reason why St. Francis repeated, allowing just three hits and no runs in six innings of work in what was an unexpected start until Thursday’s Semifinal against Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest – which he also began on the mound.
With St. Francis holding an 11-1 lead over Lutheran Northwest, Gladiators head coach Tom Passinault pulled Vos before he exceeded the 49-pitch limit that would have prevented him from throwing Saturday.
The plan worked out brilliantly for St. Francis, which got to start Vos and bring on senior Tyler Endres in the seventh inning to close the game.
“We watched Kalamazoo Christian on Thursday, and they are a tremendous fastball-hitting team,” Passinault said. “Since we had Lanse available, he is our best combination of fastball and off-speed. He had them on their front foot all day. It was a huge bonus to be able to throw him today.”
Vos also was instrumental to the team’s offense, contributing two hits and four RBI.
A week earlier, it didn’t look like the Gladiators would even make it to East Lansing when it trailed Sanford Meridian 10-7 going into the last inning of their Regional Final.
St. Francis rallied to score four runs in the seventh to win, and never looked back.
“Once we got here to East Lansing, I just thought we were rolling,” Passinault said. “We were playing great baseball.”
Making its first trip to a Final, Kalamazoo Christian finished 26-9.
“There’s a lot to be able to reflect on and enjoy,” Kalamazoo Christian head coach Russ Meyer said. “But it stings now. They believed in it. They believed they had a chance to be in this game. It just didn’t happen to go our way.”
The Gladiators jumped all over Kalamazoo Christian early, scoring two runs in both the first and second innings to take a 4-0 lead.
St. Francis scored the first pair on a walk with the bases loaded and an RBI sacrifice fly by freshman John St. Peter, and added the next two in the second inning on a two-run double by Vos.
The Gladiators added a run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Vos, and then put the game away by scoring four in the bottom of the sixth inning – the big blow of that rally a two-run single by senior Evan Belanger.
PHOTOS (Top) Traverse City St. Francis' Tyler Thompson (2) runs back to his dugout after crossing the plate during the Division 3 Final on Saturday. (Middle) The Gladiators' Lanse Vos delivers a pitch during his winning performance on the mound.