2011 Escanaba HS Softball Results

Date	Result	Opponent	Record
Apr 14 Apr 14 Apr 19 Apr 19 Apr 22 Apr 23 Apr 23 Apr 28 Apr 28 Apr 30 Apr 30 Apr 30 May 7 May 7 May 7 May 13 May 13 May 14 May 14 May 14 May 17 May 17 May 19 May 19 May 21 May 21 May 21 May 24 May 24 May 26 May 26 May 31 May 31 June 4	Cancelled Cancelled W, 3-1 W, 5-0 W, 9-0 W, 1-0 L, 2-3 PPD PPD L, 1-11 L, 6-14 L, 0-2 L, 1-5 L, 1-9 L, 1-2 L, 2-12 L, 3-4 L, 3-5 L, 0-2 Cancelled L, 2-3 L, 0-1 L, 1-2 L, 3-9 W, 1-0 L, 0-7 L, 3-6 W, 5-4 L, 6-9 L, 5-6 L, 4-8 W, 7-1 W, 9-4 L, 7-8	at Oconto Falls, Wis. at Oconto Falls, Wis. NEGAUNEE NEGAUNEE vs Sault Ste. Marie (@Dome) vs Marquette (@Dome) vs Gladstone (@ Dome) at Munising at Munising vs Kaukauna (@Ash) vs Kenosha Bradford (@Ash) vs Germantown (@Ash) vs Pulaski (@Pulaski) vs Wausau West (@Pulaski) vs Wausau East (@Pulaski) at Alpena at Alpena vs South Haven (@Petoskey) vs F. Hills Mercy (@Petoskey) vs Country Day (@Petoskey) at Negaunee at Negaunee GLADSTONE GLADSTONE NEENAH (LIONS CHALL) KENOSHA BRADFORD PETOSKEY at Gladstone at Gladstone MARQUETTE MARQUETTE at Marquette at Marquette CHEBOYGAN (Districts)	Cancelled Cancelled 1-0 2-0 3-0 4-0 4-1 PPD PPD 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 4-7 4-8 4-9 4-10 4-11 Cancelled 4-12 4-13 4-14 4-15 5-15 5-16 5-17 6-17 6-18 6-19 6-20 7-20 8-20 8-21

DOING THE SPLITS                         Escanaba's Mallory McPhee (14) pitches as Cassie Matthys plays first and Zoe Berquist plays third. Left photo: Gladstone's Katie Becker (17) rounds first on the way to a triple on Tuesday. (Mike Dagenais photos) Battle Of Delta County Goes Down To The Wire GLADSTONE---The Escanaba Eskymos celebrated like they had just won the World Series. The Escanaba girls had just rallied to beat their rivals, the Gladstone Braves, 5-4, in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the Gladstone High School softball field. Even though it was just a regular season victory, the Esky girls posed for pictures and got on their cell phones to call their friends and loved ones to share the news. The result broke an eight-game Gladstone winning streak in the cross-bay series. Even though Gladstone rebounded to win the second game, 9-6, the Esky girls were happy. "It was the best feeling in the world," Escanaba's Zoe Berquist said. "It was just like a present to our seniors, because you just know that they wanted to win this one so bad. And we put up a good battle in the second game, too, so you can't really complain about that." "We were pretty pumped to come back after we got down early, and to battle back," Escanaba's Mallory McPhee added. Eskymo Coach John LaMarch was just as happy as the girls were. "Today was softball at its finest," the longtime coach said. "We won one, they won one. Both games were exciting all the way through. Our girls gained confidence one at-bat at a time. Today, they got rewarded, and they know what they're capable of. They know it, because beat one of the best teams in the state." Escanaba entered the doubleheader with a 5-17 record, and Gladstone had swept two from the Eskymos last Thursday. But Gladstone Coach Jerry Smith warned his girls not to pay attention to that record, but he feels that his girls took the Eskymos lightly. Escanaba center fielder Erin Gregoire>>> "We got what we deserved," Smith said. "We didn't hit the ball, and what we did hit, we hit a lot of fly balls. We needed more ground balls. Every time we play them, I say we can't take them for granted, and today, I think we were a little over-confident." Escanaba got a two-run home run from Mallory Zimmerman in the first inning of the opener. The Braves tied it in the bottom of the inning on an error and an RBI single by Nicole Sharon. In the second inning, Katie Becker's two-run double put the Braves in front, 4-2. Who knew that Gladstone would not score again for the rest of the game? Bre Belanger made a diving catch of a Sharon drive to the left field corner in the third inning to keep it 4-2. Escanaba got a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Cassie Mathys to close the gap to 4-3. In the top of the fifth, Gladstone pitcher MacKenzie Shepeck got into a jam when Codi Jenshak singled and Zimmerman walked. But she got out of the jam by getting the next two outs. In the bottom of the fifth inning, two errors and a Sharon single loaded the bases, but Jammie Botruff flew out to end the inning with the scorre still 4-3. In the seventh inning, the Eskymos got two runners on base, and Mallory McPhee, who pitched a complete-game five-hitter, was at the plate. McPhee struck out to end the game, but the ball got away from Gladstone catcher Jordan Kowalski, and the tying run scored. "It was a change-up, and we've been blocking the change-up all year," Coach Smith said. "Sometimes, they spin the wrong way, and that one caught the ground at the opposite direction. It kind of fools you, but we have to get ready for that." Then Braedyn Bosilovatz came up and hit a pop fly down the right field line to score Zimmerman with the go-ahead run. <<<Gladstone's Courtney Nevala gets ready to bunt Tuesday. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Becker got a base hit, but Eskymo catcher Brianna Grimm threw Becker out trying to steal second base. Game over. "We really just kept the intensity up in the dugout," Berquist said. "We had a never-say-die attitude, and we just went up there with confidence, and just smashed the ball, really." For the Braves, it was just their third loss of the year, and second straight to a Delta County team, after losing to Rapid River on Saturday. And the Gladstone girls were angry about their loss. "Escanaba's record, it kind of fools you," Gladstone's Coach Smith said. "It's better than it actually is, because they're playing better ball than that. They were just missing by that one run. "We all went to the cages and started hitting again," Gladstone's Courtney Nevala said. "Especially against us, they (Escanaba) are always out to get us." "We were all getting down on ourselves, but then we realized that we needed to 'pump up' and take it out in the second game," Gladstone's Sammy Strasser added. The game was played under gusty winds that were blowing out, making fly balls an adventure for the outfielders. "It was tough because the line drives stayed up there, so you had to go back on them," said Nevala, who made several nice catches. One of Nevala's catches on a Bre Belanger drive took her to the fence. "All I could hear is my dad saying 'you have room, you have room'," Nevala said. "That helped, but I thought I was going to hit the fence for sure." In the second game, Kowalski clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning, and then in the third inning, Becker had an RBI triple and Shepeck ripped a two-run homer to make it a 5-0 Braves lead. But the Eskymos did not give up. They scored three runs in the fourth inning off Shepeck, with McPhee scoring on a fielder's choice groundout, and Belanger adding an RBI grounder and Matthys getting an RBI single. It was a 5-3 game. The Braves got a run back when Strasser doubled and scored on a single by Becker. Strasser, batting in the #9 hole, was happy to contribute, especially against a good pitcher like McPhee. "It was difficult, but I like her speed," Strasser said. "That double felt great. It just felt like it 'popped' off the bat." But Escanaba fought back again to tie it at 6-6 in the top of the fifth when Zimmerman and McPhee had RBI hits, and Bosilovatz produced a long fly ball for a sacrafice fly. McPhee was three-for-three against Shepeck in that second game. "I was just feeling really good at the plate today," McPhee said. "I've been struggling with my hitting all year, and it's starting to come around. That's good to see!" Smith saw that Shepeck was gassed. He pulled her off the mound. <<<Shepeck pitches as Alex Saunders gets ready at third. Gladstone regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Whitney Wells led off with an infield hit and was bunted to second by Strassser. After Nevala walked, Becker was safe on an error. Shepeck followed with a sacrafice fly to put the Braves in front, then Kowalski got a hit for an insurance run. A second run scored on that play as there was confusion over whether the play was dead or not. Sophomore Allison Austin got the win for Gladstone, as she pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings in relief. McPhee took the loss, but she was still happy with how things went on Tuesday. "I was throwing a lot of fastballs, and mixing in the change a little bit," McPhee said. "It feels good to play like this, especially against Gladstone." Gladstone closes the regular season with a 22-3 record. The girls will play in the district tournament on Saturday, June 4, in Negaunee. Escanaba is now 6-18, and will host Marquette in a doubleheader Thursday afternoon at 4:00 at Lemmerand Park. WATCH ESCANABA vs GLADSTONE VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to see a replay of Mallory Zimmerman's two-run home run. CLICK HERE  to see Brianna Grimm throw out Katie Becker to win the game. CLICK HERE to see a replay of Jordan Kowalski's two-run home run. CLICK HERE to see a replay of MacKenzie Shepeck's two-run home run. Gladstone's Senior Players Honored Before Game                 Gladstone's two seniors were recognized with plaques before Tuesday night's games. Left photo: Braves senior MacKenzie Shepeck is hugged by her mom, and coach, Teresa Shepeck. Right photo: Braves senior Ashlee Anderson gets a hug from Head Softball Coach Jerry Smith. (Mike Dagenais photos)

2011 Escanaba Eskymos Roster #5.........Lisa McGraw.................Junior #6.........Brianna Grimm.............Senior #7.........Maddy Rogers...............Senior #8.........Erin Gregoire................Junior #9.........Mallory Zimmerman.....Junior #10.......Brianna Belanger...........Sophomore #11.......Nicole Juhl....................Sophomore #12.......Cassie Matthys..............Senior #14.......Mallory McPhee............Senior #16.......Kayli VanEffen..............Junior #18.......Zoe Berquist..................Sophomore #19.......Braedyn Bosilovatz........Sophomore #21.......Allyson Kane.................Junior #22.......Codi Jenshak.................Sophomore Head Coach: John LaMarch Ast. Coach: Heidi Perryman Ast. Coach: Carolyn Kobasic Student Managers: #13.................Saliena Waller #17.................Jane Baribeau

Eskymos Compete Hard; Break Long Skid                 The Escanaba HIgh School softball team broke its 15-game losing streak Saturday by beating Neenah (Wis.), 1-0, in the first round of the Escanaba Lions Club Challenge. Mallory McPhee pitched a shutout and Bre Belanger scored the winning run on a passed ball as the Eskymos tasted victory for the first time since early April. Escanaba later lost to Kenosha Bradford (7-0), and Petoskey (6-3). Pictured at top: Maddy Rogers (7) slaps at the ball during the game against Kenosha Bradford. Left picture: Escanaba's Zoe Berquist gets ready at third base (Lisa Dagenais photo)                 Escanaba's Erin Gregoire (8) waits for a pitch against Kenosha. Bottom photo: Traverse City's Sara Laisure is tagged out by Neenah's McKenna Newman.                 ESCANABA ESKYMOS INVITATIONAL SCOREBOARD Escanaba 1, Neenah, Wis. 0 Kenosha Bradford, Wis. 10, Petoskey 1 Marquette 16, Sault Ste. Marie 3 Negaunee 9, Traverse City Central 2 Kenosha Bradford, Wis. 2, Marquette 0 Negaunee 2, Petoskey 0 (9 Inn) Marquette 7, Traverse City Central 0 Kenosha Bradford, Wis. 7, Escanaba 0 Negaunee 7, Sault Ste. Marie 0 Petoskey 6, Escanaba 3 Neenah, Wis. vs Sault Ste. Marie Neenah, Wis. vs Traverse City Central

RIVALRY SWEEP                     Gladstone's MacKenzie Shepeck fires a pitch as Mallory Zimmerman leads off of second. Left photo: Zimmerman scores Escanaba's only run. (Lisa Dagenais photos) ESCANABA---MacKenzie Shepeck pitched two complete games Thursday as the Gladstone Braves swept two from the Escanaba Eskymos, 2-1 and 9-3, at Escanaba's Lemmerand Park. Shepeck threw a three-hitter in the first game, then struck out eleven batters in the nightcap before settling for a five-hitter to complete the doubleheader. The first game was tight all the way, with a 0-0 score through four innings. Both teams played good defense, with both turning double plays. But in the fifth inning, Nicole Sharon was safe on an error. She scored on a triple by Jammie Botruff, then Alex Saunders followed with an RBI double. Just like that, the Braves led the game, 2-0. "That's pretty much the story of our season," Eskymo Coach John LaMarch said. "We get a little bit of momentum, then we can't capitalize on it, and then we can't stop their momentum." Escanaba tried to rally against Shepeck in the bottom of the seventh when Mallory Zimmerman singled and was bunted to second by Brianna Grimm. With two out, Bri Belanger's ground ball was missplayed, giving her first base and scoring Zimmerman. That cut the Gladstone lead to 2-1. But Cassie Matthys struck out to end the game. "When they scored their run, I got a little bit nervous," Braves catcher Jordan Kowalski admitted. "But I knew that our defense would pull through, and we did." "Every time we play Escanaba, it's a challenge," Gladstone Coach Jerry Smith said. "No matter who's up, and who's down, we always have a good game, and they have a good game." Mallory McPhee took another tough loss on the mound for Escanaba. "Mal pitched awesome," LaMarch said. "A lot of people don't really know a lot about Mallory. She is a workhorse for us. She hits her spots, she has three pitches that she's very good with. Gladstone has a nice team and Mal was pretty much in control but for a couple hits." In the second game, it was all Gladstone. The Braves pounded Esky pitcher Kayli VanEffen for 12 hits in four innings of work. Gladstone scored four runs in the second inning on RBI hits by Sam Strasser and Whitney Wells, and a two-run infield hit by Katie Becker. "Kayli hasn't been hit very hard lately," LaMarch said. "Again, it's a momentum thing. We just couldn't find a way to get out of innings, and before you know it, you get four, six runs up there, and it changes the whole complexion of the game." Gladstone added single runs in the third inning (RBI hit by Ashlee Anderson) and in the fourth (SAC Fly by Kowalski). The Braves added two more runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh to take a 9-0 lead entering the bottom of the seventh inning. In the bottom of the seventh, the never-say-die Eskymos tried to rally against a tiring Shepeck. Zimmerman and Grimm led off with hits, then a scary moment, as Braedyn Bosilovatz hit a pop fly to short left-center. Wells, playing third, and Botruff, playing short, collided. The ball fell in and the Eskymos got a run, and Wells was down. After a few minutes, she got up and walked gingerly to the dugout. "I think I'm all right," Wells said after the game. "Got a big headache, though. I was just going as fast as I could, and it didn't look like Courtney (Nevala) was gonna make it. Jammie was coming, but I didn't think she was that close, so I didn't think I needed to call anything, so I went for it. And that was kind of the end of the story." Smith was worried when the colission occurred. "I was just praying that she wasn't hurt very bad," Smith said. "I seen their heads hit, but I didn't know what part of the head hit what part of the head. It was Jammie's head on her (Wells') nose." Yep, Wells turned out to be OK. "I just kind of laid there," Wells said, with a big gash on the bridge of her nose. "I was like, 'Oh, God, are my glasses broke? But they were not, thank God." Shepeck got the next three outs, although a run scored on a passed ball on a strike out, and the game was over. Smith says he never considered pullimg Shepeck, even though she was clearly tired. "She needs the work," Smith said. "As we hit our districts and our playoffs, she's it. She's going to be the pitcher that will take us to hopefully to the state title, if we can get there. She needs the extra innings." Shepeck won't be on the mound Friday as the Braves battle the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils in a doubleheader in the Soo. But she will pitch on Saturday when Gladstone (17-1) plays three (and maybe four) games in a tournament in downstate Tawas. Escanaba (4-15) hosts a tournament on Saturday, with games at 10 a.m. against Neenah (Wis.), at 2:00 against Kenosha Bradford (Wis.), and at 4:00 against Petoskey, a potential post-season opponent. WATCH BRAVES vs ESKYMOS SOFTBALL VIDEOS CLICK HERE  to see Mallory McPhee catch a pop up for a double play. CLICK HERE  to see Jordan Kowalski get a single but get thrown out at second. CLICK HERE  to see Alex Saunders double home Jammie Botruff. CLICK HERE  to see MacKenzie Shepeck strike out Mallory McPhee. CLICK HERE  to see Escanaba's Zoe Berquist get a base hit.                       Escanaba's Brianna Grimm (6) squares to bunt as Gladstone catcher Jordan Kowalski (26) sets up defensively. (Lisa Dagenais photo)

Eskymos Get Swept At Pulaski Tournament  PULASKI, Wis.---The Escanaba Eskymos were swept in a Wisconsin softball tournament for the second straight weekend, dropping three games at the Pulaski Invitational. The girls also lost three games last week at the Ashwaubenon Jaguars Inivitatioal in Green Bay. This weekend, the girls were at a severe disadvantage, as literally half of the team was missing because of a EHS Band field trip to New York City. So, Manager John LaMarch brought up a few junior varsity girls to field a team for this trip to Wisconsin.  Escanaba opened the tournament with a 5-1 loss to Pulaski, then fell to Wausau West, 9-1. In the sixth place game, the Eskymos battled hard before losing in extra innings to Wausau East, 2-1.

Eskymos Get Swept At Wisconsin Tourney  ASHWAUBENON, Wis.---The Escanaba Eskymos had a tough day at the Ashwaubenon Jaguars Inivitational Saturday in suburban Green Bay. Escanaba opened the tournament with an 11-1 loss to Kaukauna, then fell to Kenosha Bradford, 14-6. Mallory McPhee absorbed the pitching loss in both of those games. The Eskymos finished the day with their best performance, but fell to Germantown, 2-0. Kayli Van Effen suffered the tough loss. Escanaba is now 4-4.

Eskymo Girls Take Two of Three At Dome MARQUETTE---The Escanaba High School girls softball team shivvered through a doubleheader against Negaunee on Tuesday at Lemmerand Park. But this weekend, the girls played three games inside the cozy, 70-degree Superior Dome as part of the Northern Michigan University Spring Swing Invitational. Escanaba performed well, beating Sault Ste. Marie (9-0) and Marquette (1-0) before losing a tough 3-2 decision to Gladstone. <<<Esky senior catcher Brianna Grimm sets up during last Tuesday's game. She was warmer Saturday in the Dome! In Friday's win over the Soo, Mallory Zimmerman had a single and a home run. On the mound, Mal McPhee and Kayli VanEffen combined on a two-hitter. In Saturday's 1-0 win, VanEffen handcuffed the Marquette girls in a complete-game effort. The game was scoreless until the Eskymos got an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning off Marquette ace Morgan Seibert. VanEffen then got the final three outs in the seventh. In the team's final game of the tournament, McPhee pitched well against Gladstone's MacKenzie Shepeck, but the Eskymos came up a run short. Escanaba (4-1) will travel to Munising for two on Thursday.

Esky Girls Shivver; Sweep 2 From Miners   The Escanaba High School girls softball team opened the 2011 season with a pair of victories on Tuesday. Playing in 36-degree weather and windchill factors even colder, the girls bundled up in sweatshirts and blankets and topped the Negaunee Miners, 3-1 and 5-0, at Lemmerand Park.  In the first game, Mallory McPhee (pictured at left) pitched the whole way, losing her shutout in the final inning. In the nightcap, Kayli VanEffen was the winning pitcher. Brianna Grimm drove in two runs to put the Eskymos in front, then Braedyn Bosilovatz and Mallory Zimmerman each had RBI hits as part of a three-run fifth inning that put the game out of reach. WATCH ESKYMOS vs MINERS VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE  to watch a replay of the RBI double by Braedyn Bosilovatz. CLICK HERE  to watch a replay of the RBI single by Mallory Zimmerman. CLICK HERE  to watch a replay of a single by Brianna Grimm.               The Negaunee girls are bundled up in blankets and jackets (left photo), while Eskymo pitcher Kayli Van Effen talks with a winterized Assistant Coach Heidi Perryman.