Hartland continues high-stress softball playoff run by winning regional
KALAMAZOO — Maybe it’s time to come up with a nickname for Hartland’s softball team.
“Cardiac Eagles or something; I don’t know,” Hartland coach Taylor Wagner said.
Watching the Eagles progress through the state Division 1 tournament hasn’t been for the faint of heart.
Hartland rallied in the seventh inning for the second time in four postseason games to win its second straight regional championship with a 4-2 victory over Lansing Waverly Saturday at Kalamazoo Central High School.
The Eagles beat the host Maroon Giants, 7-6, in the regional semifinals.
In both games, Hartland got the final out while the opposition had the tying run on second and the winning run on first.
During districts, Hartland scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to beat Fenton, 6-5, then rallied from 4-0 down after four innings to beat Brighton, 10-6.
By contrast, Hartland trailed only once (by one run against Fenton) during its seven-game run to the state championship last spring.
“It just makes for good softball,” Wagner said. “As a coach and as a player, it’s stressful. I know it’s 10 times more stressful for everybody watching. Even with everything going on, the girls are so confident. When they get their opportunities and it comes down to it, they’re going to do it. You want things to happen quicker and a little more often sometimes. The game just needs to play out. They’re comfortable letting it play out. It’s fun to sit back and watch them do their thing.”
In the regional championship game, Hartland trailed Waverly 2-1 going into the top of the seventh inning. Kate McIntyre’s two-run single with one out gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead and Reese Dunny tacked on a run with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the inning, the first two batters were retired before Waverly got runners on first and second. Olivia Forrest struck out Abigail Delong swinging to end the game.
Against Kalamazoo Central, Hartland appeared to be coasting for a change, leading 7-1 after five innings. But the Maroon Giants scored once in the sixth and four times in the seventh.
When Addison Lehmann cut the lead to 7-6 with a single, there was only one out with runners on first and second. Forrest got a strikeout and fly out to end the game.
McIntyre hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs. Skylar Spisz was 2-for-2.
The Eagles (24-12-1) will continue their quest to win a second straight state championship when they face third-ranked South Lyon at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Albion College. South Lyon was the Division 1 champion two years ago. The winner will play Lakeland or Lake Orion at 10 a.m. Thursday at Michigan State University.
After enduring some ups and downs during the regular season, the Eagles entered the postseason listed as only honorable mention in the state rankings.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” Wagner said. “It’s good for the girls, especially some of the girls who were on the team last year and even the newbies to know they deserve to be there. They’ve been overlooked all season. They’re like, ‘We’re still here and ready to play.’ It’s fun to see them being in this position and showing they deserve this and they’re a force to be reckoned with.”
Hartland has won four regional championships in the past six seasons.
Brighton baseball ousted by Okemos
Brighton lost 8-6 to Okemos in a Division 1 regional championship game at Northville High School.
The Bulldogs (26-11) entered the seventh inning trailing 8-4. Lane Petit doubled home a run and scored on a sacrifice fly by Carter Gregg. Brighton had runners on first and second with one out, but two flyouts ended its season.
Okemos took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Brighton tied it with a run in the fifth. Okemos countered with a four-run fifth inning.
Brighton was issued 13 walks by five different Okemos pitchers, but had only six hits.
Howell 11th in state golf tourney
Howell finished in 11th place in its first Division 1 state tournament since the fall of 2004 at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek.
The Highlanders shot 312 Saturday to finish with a two-round total of 632. They were in eighth place after shooting 320 in Friday’s round.
Detroit Catholic Central won with a 597.
All five Howell golfers are juniors. Derek Kantola led the Highlanders, tying for 26th place with rounds of 82 and 73. Gavin Hill shot 75 and 83, Zach Spencer shot 81 and 79, Rory Sturos shot 82 and 79, and Luke Downing shot 82 and 81 for Howell.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Hartland wins softball regional by denying two 7th-inning rallies
