Gladstone Loses Heartbreaker, 2-1 Not this time. After Gladstone snuck past Mattawan on the way to a World Series berth in the Majors division last year, Mattawan got the upper hand Tuesday in the state semifinals at the Junior Softball State Tournament in Jackson. In a classic Gladstone-Mattawan battle, the District 15 team scored two runs in the sixth inning to post a 2-1 win at Cascade Falls Park. It was a heartbreaking loss for Gladstone, which played great defense and held a 1-0 lead from the first inning until one little mistake cost the team big in the sixth inning. With one out, Mattawan's Bekka Crow hit a bouncer that third baseman Courtney Nevala bobbled slightly. She recovered, but her throw to first was late, giving Mattawan a baserunner. Pitcher Jordan Schwartz tried to keep the ball low to prevent a sacrifice bunt but threw a wild pitch, putting Crow at at second. Unfortunately for Gladstone, the girl at the plate was Emily McCarty, a member of the 2006 Little League World Series champion Mattawan team. When Schwartz fell behind in the count 3-1, she threw one down the middle that McCarty drilled to the fence for an RBI triple, tying the game. Then #4 hitter Allison Amsbury hit grounder to center field to score the go-ahead run, and Mattawan had come from behind. "They just strung together a couple of hits after that (the error)," Gladstone Coach John Nevala said. "It's part of the game. People that take advantage of mistakes usually win the game. We knew they were gonna put the ball in play, and we knew we had to play good defense, and for the most part, we did." Mattawan's rally changed the momentum in a game that was tense throughout. Gladstone came out swinging against McCarty, the ace of the Mattawan pitching staff. Jammie Botruff started the game with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a hard-hit single by Whitney Thull. Thull was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double, but Gladstone had a 1-0 lead. Who knew that Gladstone would get only one more baserunner (a single by Schwartz in the fifth inning) the rest of the way? McCarty clamped down on the girls, mixing her fastball with a wicked change-up. And when Gladstone hit the ball, the Mattawan defense made the plays. In the end, Gladstone got no help from Mattawan's defense in the form of errors, and McCarty did not come close to walking a batter. "Her control really improved from last year," John Nevala said. "And she didn't have a change-up last year either. She improved quite a bit from the last time we faced her." Schwartz nearly matched her, pitch for pitch, as Gladstone switched strategies from the previous four games in the tournament. Instead of pitching Schwartz three or four innings and having Heather Sanderson pitch the other three or four, Schwartz was throwing so well that she was kept in the game. At one point, Schwartz retired seven in a row, and set down 15 of the first 18 batters she faced. And she got some help from her defense, as right fielder Ashley Hough made three nice catches and Sanderson had four assists at short. Schwartz wound up allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits in six innings of work. She struck out one and walked no one. Sanderson pitched the seventh inning and gave up no runs on one hit. McCarty pitched all seven for Mattawan, giving up one run on three hits. She struck out six Gladstone batters and did not walk anyone. The sixth inning rally for Mattawan turned things around, and Gladstone went out 1-2-3 in both the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, sending Mattawan to the state championship game...and sending Gladstone north up US-127. Even so, the girls have nothing to be ashamed of. "We told them before the game that we're proud of them no matter what happens today," John Nevala said. "Someone has to lose. Too bad it was us. They tried their hardest. What else can you ask for?" Mattawan did not win the state championship, however. Grandville did, beating South Portage in the other semifinal, 9-2, then beating Mattawan, 9-2. So it is Grandville that will represent Michigan in the Regionals in Akron, Ohio.

Junior Girls State Tourney Scores Tuesday's Games Mattawan 2, GLADSTONE 1 Grandville 9, South Portage 2 Championship: Grandville 9, Mattawan 2 Monday's Games GLADSTONE 3, Cheboygan 1 Mattawan 16, Gladwin 0 South Portage 5, Croswell-Lexington 4 Grandville 10, Adrian 0 Sunday's Games GLADSTONE 17, L'Anse Creuse 0 South Portage 7, Cheboygan 5 Grandville 9, Musk. Tri-City N 1 Taylor NE 14, Hanover Horton 9 Gladwin 8, Adrian 6 Croswell-Lexington 10, Caro 0 Mattawan 10, West Branch 2 Saturday's Games GLADSTONE 2, Gladwin 0 Croswell-Lexington 13, L'Anse Creuse 0 Adrian 4, Taylor NE 1 Grandville 11, Cheboygan 1 South Portage 16, West Branch 2 Hanover Horton 10, Caro 0 Mattawan 12, Muskegon Tri-City N 1 Friday's Results GLADSTONE 9, Taylor NE 0 Mattawan 7, South Portage 2 Gladwin 7, L'Anse Creuse 6 Caro 3, Adrian 2 Croswell-Lexington 8, Hanover Horton 5 Grandville 6, West Branch 2 Cheboygan 7, Muskegon Tri-City N 2

Gladstone Advances To Final Four The Gladstone Junior Girls (age 13-14) got a tough challenge from Cheboygan on Monday, but were able to squeak by with a 3-1 win to advance to the state semifinals at the state tournament in Jackson. Gladstone had 11 base hits, but had three runners thrown out at the plate and two others thrown out at second base. But the three runs, two of which scored on wild pitches, were enough because Jordan Schwartz and Heather Sanderson were tough again, allowing only two hits and walking just one batter. Gladstone will play Mattawan in the state semifinals on Tuesday. Mattawan beat Gladwin, 16-0, in Monday's other afternoon quarterfinal game. "We had a lot of opportunities and took a lot of (baserunning) chances," Gladstone Manager Andy Schwartz said. "We didn't get many of them. we were hoping for a bad play and they made their plays. You've got to give Cheboygan all the credit in the world. They made some big plays." Jordan Schwartz walked the first batter she faced, then struck out the next nine batters before giving way to Sanderson on the mound in the fourth inning. "I had to get used to his strike zone because it was different than the other umps," Schwartz said. "It was a lot tighter." Gladstone scored its first run in the second inning as Schwartz led off with a bunt single, then went flying as she went into first base. The result: a cut on the bridge of her nose that needed a Band-Aid to stop the bleeding. "I tripped over her (first baseman) foot," she laughed. "She was blocking the base." Ashleigh Monticello followed with a bunt single, and Schwartz went all the way to third. She scored when pitcher Jesse Beaubien uncorked a wild pitch. Gladstone later had a runner thrown out at the plate, then a two-out single by Whitney Thull was wasted in the third inning. In the fourth, Nicole Sharon led off with a hard-hit single to center. Schwartz put down another bunt single, then Monticello bunted both runners over. But Shannon Wolf's attempt to bring home the run failed when her bunt was thrown to the plate to retire Schwartz. Sharon, though, had already scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Cheboygan's Katie Litzner ripped a double to open the fifth inning, the first hard-hit base hit against Gladstone in the tournament. But Sanderson struck out the next two batters and got a pop up to end the threat. Gladstone had two runners in the sixth as Monticello was safe on an error and Ashley Hough singled to center. But Monticello hestitated as she rounded second base and was thrown out at third. In the seventh, Gladstone got a big insurance run as Courtney Nevala walked, advanced on a single by Thull, and scored on a single by Sanderson. Cheboygan came back in the bottom of the seventh as Ricci Swidereclk walked, went to second on a grounder, and scored on a single by Litzner. It was the first run allowed by Gladstone all tournament, districts and states included, but Sanderson recovered to get Jennifer Arnold to pop up to end the game. Cheboygan was only 1-2 in the tournament coming into the game, but that was misleading, as Cheboygan's two losses were to Grandville and South Portage. Both of those teams will be in the semifinals Tuesday, along with Gladstone and Mattawan. "They were the toughest team we faced," Jordan Schwartz said. "It was nice to get a harder challenge." So, what about playing Mattawan, a traditional powerhouse from southwest Lower Michigan? "Mattawan has an excellent ball club," Andy Schwartz said. "I think the intensity will be high. My girls know who they're going against, and I believe they're ready and are up for the challenge."

Shutout #3: Gladstone 'Creuses' Jordan Schwartz and Heather Sanderson combined to throw another no-hitter, and their third straight shutout of the tournament, as the Gladstone Junior Girls (age 13-14) beat L'Anse Creuse, 17-0, Sunday in Jackson. The win kept Gladstone a perfect 3-0 in the 14-team state tournament, moving the girls into the state quarterfinals on Monday against Cheboygan. "We wanted to make sure we hit the ball today, after yesterday (scoring only two runs)," Gladstone Coach John Nevala said. "We were a little more patient toady and put the ball in play, instead of hitting foul balls to left field." The District Six champions got their leadoff batter on against Gladstone starter Schwartz as Christine Sawicki was safe on an error by Sanderson at short. But L'Anse Creuse never did get another baserunner as Schwartz retired the next six batters she faced, two of them on strikes. Then, seeing that it was going to be a mercy-shortened game, Sanderson was brought in to pitch in the third inning (instead of the fifth as in the previous two games). Sanderson got all nine batters she faced, five of them on strikes. "Those two girls never miss a beat," Nevala said of his two pitchers. "They've given up only one hit the whole tournament and they hardly ever walk anyone. That's huge. And whenever the ball does get hit, our defense makes the plays." The Gladstone offense did plenty to support the two pitchers, and L'Anse Creuse helped out by committing seven errors. Gladstone scored four runs in the first inning, two of them on a hit by Ashley Hough, the other two on errors. Gladstone added seven runs in the second inning. One run scored on a double by Whitney Thull, and a second run came on on her hit by an outfield error. Sanderson and Schwartz each singled in runs, and runs also came in on a ground ball by Katie Becker and on a fielder's choice grounder by Courtney Nevala. The inning's seventh and final run came home on a shot down the left field line by Shannon Wolf. Four more runs scored in the third inning, three of them on errors, the other on a ground ball by Hough. The final two runs scored in the fourth inning on RBI singles by Jammie Botruff and Thull. Gladstone had 12 hits. Botruff, Thull, Sanderson and Sam Strasser all had two hits each. Strasser, in the #9 spot, also made two good plays on defense, including a hard-hit grounder in the fifth inning that took a hop on her at second base. "I thought it was gonna get past me," Strasser smiled. "We've had lots of practices and it helps a lot, and gives us great defense." Strasser was not amongst the girls who played on the Gladstone team that qualified for the Little League World Series last year, but you'd neever know it. The girls all seem to enjoy each other as one big group. "We went shopping and went bowling," Strasser said. "It's been a lot of fun, and I fit right in." Gladstone went 3-0 in pool play, but didn't play the toughest competiton in the tournament field. Besides L'Anse Creuse, Gladstone also beat Gladwin and Taylor NE over gthe weekend (see stories on those games below). John Nevala knows that powers like Mattawan, Grandville, South Portage and Croswell-Lexington are looming in later rounds. "I think we can be right there with any of them," he said. "We have just as good as a chance as anyone else here."

Gladstone Blanks Gladwin, 2-0 Jordan Schwartz and Heather Sanderson turned in another overpowering pitching performance Saturday, combining for a no-hitter as the Gladstone Junior Girls (age 13-14) shut out Gladwin, 2-0, at the state tournament in Jackson. The performance came one day after the two girls combined to throw a one-hitter in a 9-0 win over Taylor Northeast on Friday. Schwartz walked the first batter she faced, then retired the next 12 in order. Eleven of them were on strikeouts. Then, Sanderson came on and retired all nine batters she faced, three of them on strikes. The ball was never hit out of the infield against either pitcher, a good thing considering there were 20 mile-per-hour winds blowing all afternoon long. Gladstone scored all the runs it needed in the second inning. Nicole Sharon led off with a single, and was bunted to second by Schwartz. Sharon stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Ashleigh Monticello was safe on an error at short, stole second, and scored on a double down the left field line by Katie Becker. Gladstone squandered two excellent scoring chances in the next two innings. Courtney Nevala and Whitney Thull had back-to-back singles to start the third inning, but the next three girls went out in order. then in the fourth, Monticello and Ashley Hough led off with singles, but again, the next three girls went out. Gladstone had a total of eight hits off of two Gladwin pitchers. Kayla Balzer took the loss, pitching four innings. Hannah Clement pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the District One champions.

Gladstone Overpowers Taylor, 9-0 Jordan Schwartz and Heather Sanderson combined to throw a one-hitter Friday as the Gladstone Junior Girls (age 13-14) beat Taylor Northeast, 9-0, in the opening round of the state tournament in Jackson. Gladstone poundeed out 11 base hits and took advantage of eight Taylor errors to gradually build a lead throughout the ballgame. "I thought we played pretty good," Gladstone Manager Andy Schwartz said. "Our pitching was outstanding, our defense was good. We made our plays. I thought we squandered a few scoring chances, and hopefully we don't see that happen anymore." Jordan Schwartz blew through Taylor's first three batters, then Gladstone's first two batters reached on errors. But with runners on second and third and no outs, the next three Gladstone batters went out, putting no runs on the board. In the second inning, Schwartz led off with a hit, Ashleigh Monticello added a bloop single to center, then Ashley Hough added a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. The next two batters hit into force plays, and Gladstone was in danger of wasting another scoring chance. But Courtney Nevala ripped one up the middle for a two-run single, giving Gladstone a 2-0 lead. "That was a huge hit with two outs," Andy Schwartz said. "It was due to get a timely hit." "I was just hoping for a good pitch so I wouldn't hit a weak grounder," Nevala said. "She threw a perfect one right down the middle." Schwartz walked Shelby Meade in the fourth inning, breaking a string of ten straight outs. Alexis Setser followed with a shot toward left field that Nevala caught. She turned and threw to first for an inning-ending double play. "I thought I was gonna drop it," Nevala laughed. "Then I saw the girl running to 'two', so I knew I had time on the throw. But I was scared on that catch!" Gladstone added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Monticello was safe on an error, got bunted to second by Shannon Wolf, then stole third. As she stole third, a bad throw sent Monticello home with the team's third run. Gladstone added three runs in the fifth inning. Whitney Thull was safe on an error, then couresty runner Hough scored on a hit by Sanderson. Nicole Sharon was safe on an error to score an other run, then Moticello's single to left drove in the team's sixth run. In the sixth inning, three more runs added icing to the cake. Thull's double scored one, then Sanderson and Sharon added RBI singles to close the scoring. Schwartz pitched the first four innings, giving up no runs, no hits, and one walk. She fanned four. Sanderson pitched the final three innings for the save. She gave up no runs, one hit, no walks, and she struck out four. Taylor's only hit was a pop fly to right by Setser with two outs in the seventh inning. Eight different Gladstone batters had hits in the game, with Botruff, Sanderson and Monticello each adding two hits apiece. And Manager Schwartz thinks the team can hit even better than they did in this one. "We were pretty aggressive with the bats, but I thought we could have hit the ball harder," he said. "I liked our performance. It was a good start. I've got a feeling that we'll hit even better (Saturday)."

Junior Girls State Tourney Sked At Jackson, Mich. Gladstone 9, Taylor NE 0 Gladstone 2, Gladwin 0 Gladstone 17, L'Anse Creuse 0 Quarter: Gladstone 3, Cheboygan 1 Semi: Mattawan 2, Gladstone 1 GLADSTONE FINISHES THIRD IN THE STATE

Gladstone Wins District Title The Gladstone Junior Girls (age 13-14) pitched another shutout on Saturday, earning a district championship at Escanaba's Lemerand Park. Gladstone scored five runs in the fifth inning to break open a close game, and took a 6-0 win over Escanaba to advance to the state tournament in Jackson. Jordan Schwartz pitched the first four innings to earn the win. She allowed just one hit in four innings of work, striking out four and walking one. Schwartz left with a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning, and Heather Sanderson pitched the last three innings to earn the save. She gave up only one hit and one walk. Gladstone's run in the first inning came after Jammie Botruff walked, got bunted to second by Courtney Nevala, and went to third on a fly ball by Whitney Thull. Botruff scored on an RBI single by Sanderson. It stayed that way until the fifth inning. Nicole Sharon led off with a single, then went to second on a wild pitch. Schwartz beat out a bunt single, then Ashley Huff reached base when she bunted and the throw to the plate was late to get Sharon. After Botruff walked again (for the third time), Nevala ripped a two-run double down the left field line to make it 4-0. Thull followed with a two-run single to center to make it 6-0. Escanaba's Mallory McPhee took the loss on the mound. She pitched a complete game and allowed six runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out four. McPhee had one of Escanaba's two hits (Alex Saunders had the other). Meanwhile, Gladstone's two pitchers....Schwartz and Sanderson...had a huge advantage: both pitched in the Little League World Series last summer. Gladstone hopes to make a similiar run this summer. The girls have taken the first step, and now advance to the state finals.

Gladstone Beats Escanaba The Gladstone Junior Girls (age 13-14) posted their first victory of the All-Star season Tuesday, beating Escanaba, 10-0, at Lemerand Park. Jammie Botruff went 4-for-4 and Whitney Thull went 2-for-3 in the victory for Gladstone. Jordan Schwartz pitched four innings of one-hit ball to earn the win, while Heather Sanderson pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning. Gladstone scored one run in the first inning, three in the third, and six in the fifth inning. Escanaba made four errors during that fifth inning Gladstone rally. Mallory McPhee took the loss for Escanaba. Bri Belanger had Esky's only hit.