Errors haunt Cheboygan softball at TCC; Chiefs, Bulldogs compete at Kingsley track meet
TRAVERSE CITY – When you’re facing a quality opponent, you know the mistakes must come at a premium.
Unfortunately for the Cheboygan softball team, errors proved costly as the Chiefs suffered 10-0 and 10-9 losses in a doubleheader at Traverse City Central on Saturday.
The Chiefs (4-2) and Trojans were scoreless heading into the bottom of the fourth inning of game one, but Cheboygan committed five errors over the next two innings and fell behind. Offensively, Cheboygan mustered zero hits against TCC pitching.
Libby VanFleet took the loss on the mound, striking out four, allowing 11 hits and walking one in five innings.
Cheboygan improved in game two, building a 9-5 lead with five and four runs in the second and third innings. But then errors came back to haunt the Chiefs, who lost their lead and were beaten in the bottom of the sixth.
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“We were plagued with errors again in that game, but we swung the bat a lot better,” Cheboygan coach Mike LaLonde said.
VanFleet, who doubled, led the Chiefs with two hits, two RBIs and a run scored while Tessa Lake, who also doubled, recorded two hits and scored twice. Other Cheboygan contributors included Jordan Ashley (double, run), Ella Kosanke (hit, two runs), Emily Clark (double, two RBIs, run), Marley Couture (hit, run) Presley Chamberlain (hit), Amelia Johnson (RBI) and Nataleigh Blaisdell (run).
Emerson Eustice started on the mound, striking out one and allowing nine hits in four innings of work, while Ashley struck out one in one inning, and VanFleet struck out one and allowed three hits in relief.
“All in all, I’m happy with the way the girls played,” LaLonde said. “I know we had a lot of errors, but we made some good plays. We turned two really beautiful double plays. The games were fun to watch. We had a good time there.”
Cheboygan hosts Traverse City West on Monday at 4:15 p.m.
Cheboygan, Inland Lakes solid at Rodes event
KINGSLEY – The Cheboygan and Inland Lakes track and field teams competed at the Rodes Relays in Kingsley on Saturday.
For the Cheboygan girls, who took fourth place with 62 points, Bella Ecker finished second in the high jump (4-8) and long jump (14-3), while the 4X800 relay team of Sammy Harke, Cloee Rupp, Nola Ecker and Ava Bury took second, and the shuttle hurdles relay team of Cheyanne Friday, Sam Bailey, Piper Stead and Andalee Bailey was second at 1:20.62. Earning third places were Sam Bailey in the 100 hurdles (18.71) and the distance medley relay team of Rupp, Olivia Patrick, Bury and Harke, who clocked a 15:13 time.
The Cheboygan boys (50.01), who also placed fourth, saw Lucas Sidlauskas finish second in the discus (142-0) and third in the shot put (42-8.5). Individual third places went to Gabe Sabolsky in the pole vault (9-0) and Leland Brendle in the 110 hurdles (18.39). The shuttle hurdles relay team of Brendle, Josiah Calhoon, Leland Steffen and Elijah Shaw were third at 1:14.67. Steffen earned fourth in the pole vault (8-6).
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The third-place Inland Lakes girls (64.5) were led by the 1600 team of Ava Weber, Maggie Newman and Elizabeth Furman, who took second. Securing third places included the shot put team of Chloe Robinson, Lexi Kovtun and Ashley Murray, the pole vault team of Frankie Bunker, Abby Zinke and Teague Meckstroth, the 100 team of Kaylee Taglauer, Kayley Papenhagen and Mary Myshock, and the 4X400 relay team of Taglauer, Josie Cooper, Mackenzie Biesel and Furman (4:47).
For the I-L boys (43.5), who registered sixth, the discus team of Sam Schoonmaker, Jack Wilson and Nate Skiera took second place. The shot put team of Jack Wilson, Damian Bradford and Skiera and the discus team of Schoonmaker, Wilson and Skiera each came third. Finishing third in the 4X100 relay with a 48.4 time were Schoonmaker, Jake Feagan, Tanner Howard and Dylan Zinke.
All events were either relays of combined scores.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan softball falls at Traverse City Central; Cheboygan, Inland Lakes track run in Kingsley
