Today in the MHSAA: Softball Quarterfinals
June 13, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Girls Softball Finals will be played Thursday and Friday at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium. Below is a sampling of coverage of how the 16 qualifiers advanced.
Division 1: No. 2 Clarkston downed No. 1 Hartland 11-3 to advance – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Division 1: No. 3 Howell earned a return to Secchia Stadium with a big win over honorable mention Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
Division 1: No. 6 Warren Regina will play for another Division 1 championship after downing Garden City – Detroit News
Division 1: No. 7 Bay City Western got past Lowell 4-1 to earn a return to East Lansing – Midland Daily News
Division 2: No. 3 Eaton Rapids shut out Ida to move on, 2-0 – Lansing State Journal
Division 2: A freshman and junior pitched No. 4 Stevensville Lakeshore past No. 6 Spring Lake, 3-1 – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
Division 2: Top-ranked Escanaba earned an opportunity to repeat as champion with a 2-0 win over honorable mention Freeland – Escanaba Daily Press
Division 2: Reese Ruhlman hit three home runs to lead North Branch past St. Clair Shores South Lake – Detroit News
Division 3: No. 7 Standish-Sterling hit a pair of home runs to get past No. 10 Negaunee – Iron Mountain Daily News
Division 3: A big sixth inning pushed No. 2 Dundee past Riverview Gabriel Richard 8-3 – Monroe News
Division 3: Honorable mention Schoolcraft won a high-scoring Quarterfinal over Grandville Calvin Christian 14-6 – Three Rivers Commercial News
Division 3: Top-ranked Millington booked its return to the Semifinals with a big win over Marine City – High School Sports Scene
Division 4: No. 1 Coleman earned another Semifinals trip with a big win over No. 7 Holton – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Division 4: No. 4 Rogers City edged Rudyard 2-1 to also return to the Semifinals – Alpena News
Division 4: No. 2 Kalamazoo Christian won big over Hudson to advance – Kalamazoo Gazette
Division 4: No. 9 Unionville-Sebewaing earned its 13th trip to the Semifinals over the last 14 seasons with a big win over honorable mention Allen Park Inter-City Baptist – Huron Daily Tribune
Today in the MHSAA: 5/15/19
May 15, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The softball diamond was the scene Tuesday for a historic accomplishment up north and an inspiring performance in the Kalamazoo area as well.
1. Softball: Mackinaw City swept Ellsworth to claim its first Northern Lights Conference championship since 1999 – Petoskey News-Review
2. Softball: Alpena swept Traverse City Central to lock up a share of its ninth straight Big North Conference championship – Alpena News
3. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 2 Grandville locked up the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red title outright with a 1-0 win over Rockford – FOX 17
4. Softball: Division 3 No. 3 Sanford Meridian clinched a share of the Jack Pine Conference title with a 4-1 win over Beaverton, but fell in the second game 6-4 – Midland Daily News
5. Track & Field: Reese’s girls and Caro’s boys (No. 7 in Lower Peninsula Division 3) won the Greater Thumb Conference West league meet championships – Huron Daily Tribune
6. Boys Lacrosse: Dexter closed the regular season with a 15-7 win over Chelsea to clinch a share of the Southeastern Conference White title – Chelsea Sun Times News
7. Softball: Division 4 honorable mention Beal City clinched a share of the Highland Conference championship with a sweep of Evart – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
8. Softball: Division 2 top-ranked Escanaba and Division 3 No. 10 Gladstone split in a league matchup of state powers – Escanaba Daily Press
9. Baseball: Division 2 No. 3 Holland Christian and Chris Mokma got past Zeeland East and Adam Berghorst in a matchup of future Michigan State teammates – Holland Sentinel
10. Girls Soccer: Bloomfield Hills scored the game-winner late to upset Division 1 No. 7 Troy 2-1 – Oakland Press
Also of note …
Softball: We’re all rooting for Portage Central freshman Sophie Varney, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in December but continues to take the field as she fights the disease – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Golf: From Monday, Centreville claimed the final Southwest 10 Conference jamboree to lock up the league title – Three Rivers Commercial News
Girls Tennis: From Saturday, Niles Brandywine locked up its seventh straight league title, in the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Conference – Niles Daily Star