History Made!! Saline Softball Wins First State Title

Photo courtesy of MHSAA

The Saline softball team made history Saturday with a 5-2 win over South Lyon Saturday to claim the Hornets first state championship in Hornets history.

The win caps off an amazing season for Saline with a final record of 39-3-2.

The Hornets got things rolling in the top of the first when Casey Griffin led off the game with a single.

Sydney Hastings followed with a single and with two outs Gracie Walrdop singled to center to score Griffin for a 1-0 lead.

South Lyon evened things with a run in the bottom of the first, but Ava Stripp led off the second with a home run to center to put the Hornets on top 2-1 and they would not relinquish the lead.

Abby Curtis took control on the mound from there, striking out the side in the second.

Curtis was dominant in the circle with 13 strikeouts, allowing six hits and walking zero.

Saline added another run in the third when Waldrop drove in Hastings with a ground out for a 3-1 lead.

Curtis struck out four of the next seven batters over the next two innings to keep the score 3-1.

Saline pushed the lead to 4-1 in the fifth with a two-out rbi-single by Maddie Bellus and a rbi-double by Griffin made it 5-1 in the sixth.

South Lyon got a run back in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 5-2, but Curtis set the Lions down in order in the seventh and when Griffin caught the final out at shortstop, the Hornets rushed the field in celebration.

Griffin had a big day at the plate with three hits, an rbi, and a rrun scored to lead the Hornets offense.

Hastings, who is heading to U of M to play softball finished with two hits, two runs scored, and a big stolen base that allowed her to score on Bellus’s single to make it 4-1.

Bellus added two hits and a rbi and Waldrop a hit and two rbi.

Elizabeth Onyskin had a double and run scored and Stripp the big home run to cent to put the Hornets on top for good in the second.

Saline reached the finals with a two-run rally in the seventh to take down defending D1 champion Hudsonville in the semifinals 5-4.

The Hornets season was on the line Thursday, trailing 4-3 heading to the seventh.

Reese Rupert doubled to lead off the inning and Hudsonville pulled a risky move to intentionally walk Hastings to put the lead run on base with no one out.

Ashley Malinczak moved the runners up with a ground out to first and Waldrop flied to center to drive in Rupert to tie the game at 4-4.

With two out, Bellus came up with the biggest hit of her career with a triple to left field to drive in Hastings and put the Hornets on top 5-4.

Hudsonville put a runner on with a walk in the seventh, Zosia Mazur got a flyball to Waldrop in right to end the game and send Saline to the finals.

Mazur earned the win in the circle, striking out four and allowing no hits in two innings of relief for the Hornets.

Saline outhit Hudsonville 10-4 with Bellus, Stripp, and Jessi Phelps each collecting two hits and a rbi.

Hastings added two hits, and two runs scored, while Rupert had a double and run scored, and Griffin one hit.

Saline earned the trip to MSU with a 2-1 win over Woodhaven in the quarterfinals earlier in the week.

Woodhaven went on top with a run in the first, but back-to-back rbi-singles by Hastings and Malinczak put the Hornets on top 2-1 in the third and they never looked back.

The only threat came in the sixth when a single and two out intentional walk put two runners of, but Curtis got a strikeout to end the inning.

Curtis was again sensational in the circle with 14 strikeouts, allowing four hits, and two walks in the win.

Hastings and Malinczak each had the rbi-singles, while Onyskin had a hit and run scored.

Griffin and Phelps added one hit each.

The wins over Woodhaven and South Lyon avenged losses that ended the Hornets season the past two years.