St. Clair Little League softball team wins 2023 Michigan state championship
Michigan has a new Little League softball state champion, one that the Blue Water Area is quite familiar with.
The St. Clair Little League team defeated Grosse Pointe, 2-1, to win the 2023 Michigan state title in Jackson on Wednesday.
With the victory, the team advanced to the Central Regional tournament later this month in Whitestown, Indiana.
"It feels great," St. Clair coach Ken Kern said. "We're proud of the girls. They worked hard. They put in the time, the effort, the sacrifice and the commitment. One of their goals was to win the state championship and go to regionals — and they met it. That felt really, really good."
The team consists of 12 players — McKenzie Becker, Camryn Cody, Leah Cybulla, Blair Distelrath, Emma Hustek, Kamryn Kern, Darby Larch, Ella Murray, Emma Roberts, Dyllan Smith, Maliyah Smith and Kara Yeager.
Grosse Pointe struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning to grab a 1-0 lead. But St. Clair answered quickly with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.
"It was definitely a pitcher's duel going back and forth," Ken Kern said. "Both teams were strong defensively. It was timely hitting on our part just to get our two runs to take the lead. Then we shut them down in the bottom of the sixth."
St. Clair finished the state tournament at 6-0 and outscored its opponents, 50-8.
The regional tournament begins July 23. St. Clair's first game is that afternoon against the Missouri state champion at 4 p.m. It will be broadcast on ESPN+.
"For these girls, it'll be something that they're never going to forget," Ken Kern said. "That's the (type of) experience we want. Winning is fun. But the memories they're making now, they're going to be talking about for the rest of their lives. We want to go out there and put on a good showing. Hopefully, the ball falls our way."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: St. Clair Little League softball team wins 2023 Michigan state title
