COMEBACK KIDS: Braves Ladies Sweep Negaunee
GLADSTONE---The Gladstone High School softball team pulled off two improbable comebacks against one of the best teams in the state Thursday night, beating the Negaunee Miners, 8-7 and 12-11. The Miners entered the doubleheader with a 19-1 record, with their only loss coming to downstate powerhouse Three Rivers in the championship game of the Escanaba tournament last Saturday evening.
It didn't look good for the Braves Thursday night, as they fell behind, 7-2, going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Brooklyn Pendergraft smacked a solo home run to center field in the sixth inning to cut the gap to 7-3, but that was still the score heading into the final inning.
Lauren Sundquist led off with a home run, also to center field, to make it 7-4. Reese Herioux followed with a base hit, and then she rode home on a Montgomery Pepin home run. All of a sudden, it was a 7-6 game. But the Braves had two straight pop ups, so they were down to their final out. Maddy Sundquist drew a walk to keep the game alive, and then Allie Larson smoked a long two-run homer to left field to give Gladstone the 8-7 win.
Theresa Anderson had three hits in the game for the Miners, as the Braves ultimately overcame making five errors on defense. Ainsely Brunette took the loss for Negaunee.
The second game was just as wild. Gladstone trailed, 7-4, in the fourth inning, and 10-6 in the fifth inning. But the Braves scored six runs in a bat-around bottom of the fifth inning, with Lauren Sundquist's two-run double giving the Braves a 12-10 lead.
In the next inning, the Miners got an unearned run, but Riley Gerow got the strikeout to end a 12-11 Braves win as the sun went down. Gerow got the win in the first game, and the save in the nightcap. Negaunee did not throw top pitcher Grace Nardi in either game.
Kallen Schultz had a home run and five runs batted in for the Miners in the nightcap. Negaunee, however, made eight errors on defense, and Gladstone made five more defensive miscues.
Gladstone improved to 14-7 on the season. Negaunee fell to 19-3.
