Gaylord softball clinches third straight BNC title, back-to-back undefeated seasons
ALPENA ― It's had to put into words just how good the Gaylord softball team has been in recent years.
The Lady Blue Devils have been among the most dominant high school softball teams in Michigan for three years running now, with a talented group of ball players bringing a large number of wins and accolades to the Northern Michigan school.
Many of those wins in the past three years have come over their foes in the Big North Conference, entering the season with the last two BNC Titles in their trophy case and an undefeated 2022 season behind them.
The 2023 campaign has been no different in that regard.
Gaylord entered Tuesday, May 23 with a chance to wrap up a second-straight undefeated BNC record and a third-straight conference title with a sweep of Alpena, and they got all that and more with back-to-back emphatic wins of 10-0 and 25-0 over the Wildcats to clinch their second straight undefeated conference title.
Game one was relatively quiet for a GHS game until the Blue Devils offense found its stride in the third inning. There, they capitalized on five hits for six runs to pull ahead of the Wildcats for good, while Taylor Moeggenberg provided the big hit of the game with a three-run home run, helping the Blue Devils take the 6-0 lead.
Alexis Shepherd and Hali Lenartowicz both homered in the four-run fifth inning, helping push the Blue Devils to the 10-run mercy-rule limit and walk away with the game-one win.
Alexis Kozlowski had three hits including a double, while Braleigh Miller and Shepherd had two hits apiece. Aubrey Jones struck out ten batters while allowing just two hits in four innings pitched.
Meanwhile, with the Blue Devils' bats warmed up, their hitters wasted no time taking care of business in game two, scoring 10 runs in the first inning, five in the second and another 10 in the third en route to the 25-0, three-inning victory.
Gaylord hitters combined for 20 hits, four home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 23 runs batted in despite just three innings to work with. Moeggenberg and Lenartowicz both hit their second home runs of the day while Kozlowski and Abby Radulski got in on the long ball fest as well.
Kowloski had two doubles and six RBI on top of her home run, one of four Blue Devils to finish the game with three hits. Jayden Jones also had three hits including two triples, while Moeggenberg and Aubrey Jones had three hits apiece as well.
Radulski got the win in the circle, striking out two batters while allowing just one hit.
Gaylord outscored the Wildcats 35-0 on the day while putting up 33 base hits, 16 extra-base hits and seven home runs.
The Blue Devils have now gone 22 straight conference games without a loss, an impressive streak even for the most dominant teams in the state. They are currently the No. 1 ranked team in MHSAA Division 2, followed by Escanaba, Essexville Garber, Chelsea and Stevensville Lakeshore.
Gaylord will host yet another top-ranked, Division 1 program in Grand Blanc (No. 6) on Monday, May 29, a final tune-up matchup before districts start on May 30.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord softball clinches third straight Big North Conference title, back-to-back undefeated seasons
