Evart Overcomes Early Deficit, Millington Comes Back Late to Set Up D3 Finale

By Dean Holzwarth
Special for MHSAA.com

June 17, 2022

EAST LANSING – Its hopes of playing for another state championship were dwindling as the Millington softball team was down to its last strike in Friday morning’s first Division 3 Semifinal.

However, two big swings changed the Cardinals’ fate and paved the way to an improbable finish.

Top-ranked Millington rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a dramatic 4-3 win over Algonac at Secchia Stadium. 

Senior Leah Coleman’s two-out double scored Ashley Ziel for the game-winning run to stun the Muskrats.

“I knew we could come through,” Coleman said. “We’re a family, we play for each other and I knew when Ashley got on base that I could score her in that position.”

Ziel, a senior pitcher who struck out eight, tied the game with two outs and with her team trailing 3-1. She drilled a 0-2 pitch to the wall to score Shannon Ziel and Emma Dickie.

“We always train to be in these situations, and you never know when you are going to be in it,” Ziel said. “I just thought that I had to get on base, I have to win this for my team.

“I saw that pitch coming and I just took a swing at it, and I saw it go to the fence and I thought, we’re tied. I knew Leah was going to pull through, and I knew right when we scored that we were going to win that game.” 

Millington (35-3) will face Evart in Saturday’s 3 p.m. Division 3 Final.

The Wildcats defeated Grandville Calvin Christian 6-1 in the other Semifinal and will seek their first Finals title.

Millington won Division 3 in 2019 and was runner-up in 2018. 

Algonac (33-4) took the early lead when junior slugger Ella Stephenson homered to left center in the top of the first inning. It was her 17th of the season.

The Muskrats increased their lead in the top of the sixth. Sierra Vosler opened the inning with a triple and then scored on Brianna Thomason’s infield single to make it 2-0.

Millington’s Trinity Fessler delivered a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the inning to trim the Algonac lead in half. 

Stephenson, who went 3-for-4, singled in the seventh inning, went to second base on a passed ball and then scored when Jaycee Reams ripped a two-out single up the middle to make it 3-1.

Millington coach Greg Hudie said the tight-knit bond of his team was a factor in the come-from-behind win.

“I think it has a lot to do with how close they are as a family,” he said. “They train hard together all year long, and I think that’s what really put it together. Not giving up on each other even though we were down and our backs were against the wall.

“Most teams would probably be starting the bus, but I thought they did a great job and you couldn’t ask for a better finish.”

Algonac pitcher Kenna Bommarito, a sophomore, struck out 10 and held down a potent offense until the final inning.

The fourth-ranked Muskrats outhit Millington 9-8, but left several runners on base and were unable to get the final out to secure their first trip to the Finals.

“We can’t seem to get the big one,” Algonac coach Len Perkins said. “We had them right where we wanted them, but they hit the ball and made the difference.

“They found holes at the right time, and that’s softball. You have to come up with the big play, and they got the big hits. We had our chances, but didn’t get hits in those situations. They did, and you have to give them credit.”

Click for the full box score.

Evart 6, Grandville Calvin Christian 1

One big inning helped propel Evart to its first Finals appearance.

The unranked Wildcats (32-8-1) overcame an early deficit to score five runs in the second inning.

Evart softballEvart banged out eight hits, including six in a row, in the inning and took advantage of two Calvin Christian errors to gain control.

“It was probably the best inning we’ve had the whole season,” sophomore catcher Ally Theunick said. “It was awesome. We were all energized, and we were getting hits all over. It didn’t stop.”

Evart coach Amanda Brown said her team has had previous stints of timely hitting. Four of the five runs came with two outs.

“We found the fire, and it worked out beautifully,” she said. “We’ve had two other games like that where we had two outs and we scored six or seven runs like that, and it's just fun. No one wants to be the last out.

“The hitting is definitely contagious with any of these girls, and once something gets going they just run with it and they feed off it. Our dugout was amazing, and they did a great job.”

Evart tacked on another run in the fourth inning. Kylynn Thompson smacked a double to score Theunick.

The Wildcats’ defense shined once again and allowed only one run for the seventh straight postseason game.

“Our defense has been phenomenal,” Brown said. “They work their tails off, and we do so many fundamentals. We tell them all the time that fundamentals will win or lose games. Make the play when it’s presented, and make the best of it.” 

Calvin Christian went ahead 1-0 in the first inning when Emili Goodheart singled home Anna Voet. It was the only run the Squires would muster against junior pitcher Addysen Gray, who struck out eight and walked one.

“It feels great to know we are playing for a state championship, and to have our whole school here feels so good,” said Gray, who also went 3-for-4 at the plate.

The Wildcats finished with 12 hits as Skyler Baumgardner, Brooklyn Decker and Thompson had two hits each. The Squires, who finished 34-4, had only four hits and were plagued by five errors.

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Millington players and fans celebrate during Friday’s first Division 3 Semifinal at Secchia Stadium. (Middle) Evart’s Katelyn Gostlin enjoys the moment on the way to first base during her team’s Semifinal win.

Laingsburg's Bila Sisters Combine for 5 Records on Softball Diamond

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

December 27, 2024

Laingsburg’s Ashley Bila finished her senior season this spring with 14 listings in the MHSAA softball record book and three records as she followed up older sister Hailey Bila’s 13 listings and two records set over the first half of this decade.  

Ashley set the single-season runs record with 93 as a freshman in 2021 and added the second-most, 91, as a senior in setting the career runs record with 335 over 152 games. She also set the career walks record, drawing 136 including 42 as a senior.  

Bila also made the single-season hits list as a freshman with 85 (tied for 12th-most) on the way to finishing fifth on that career list with 279. She is on the career doubles (47) and triples (25) lists and ranks 11th all-time with a .599 career batting average. She also finished with 166 career stolen bases.  

Hailey Bila remains tied for the single-season triples record with 20 hits during 2021, and her eight RBI in an inning May 18, 2022, tops a list as well. She also made the single-season home runs list with 14 in 2022 and single-season RBI list with 72 in 2022 and 70 in 2021.  

Additionally, Laingsburg teammate Addyson Buchin was added to the single-season pitching wins list after going 35-6 as a sophomore in 2023, and her 18 doubles this spring also earned a listing. 

Hailey Bila is playing at Michigan State, and Ashley Bila is playing at Central Michigan.  

See below for more recent additions to the softball record book: 

Softball 

Natalie Wandrie finished her three-season Indian River Inland Lakes career in 2023 among the most accomplished hitters in MHSAA history – and despite her freshman season being canceled due to COVID-19. Wandrie is listed 21 times in the record book, including as a senior for 20 doubles, 24 home runs (fifth all-time), 79 RBI and a .685 batting average. She made career lists with 36 doubles, 47 home runs, 198 RBI and a .651 average over 82 games – the average third all-time, the home runs tied for 11th and the RBI tied for 14th. She’s playing softball and volleyball at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky. 

Addison’s Laci Mae Patterson earned a record book entry as a junior in 2023, when she hit 11 home runs across 37 games.  

Riverview junior Ella Vinco earned a highlight less than a month into the 2024 season, when she made the record book for back-to-back home runs against Dearborn Divine Child on April 20. 

Algonac’s Kenna Bommarito entered her senior season this past spring with six record book entries – a combined four for back-to-back homers during the first innings of games in 2021 and 2023, and two more from 18-strikeout six-inning games also in 2023 against Armada and Marine City. She is playing at Oakland.  

Decatur’s Sienna Potter entered the 2024 season with five record book entries, including for 16 doubles and 18 home runs as a sophomore.  

Grand Ledge prevailed over Mason 25-20 on April 6, 2023, and in doing so hit seven home runs – tying for second-most all-time for one game. The Comets led off with two straight homers and also had a pair back-to-back during the fourth inning. 

Several entries for Rogers City’s string of successful seasons at the end of the last decade have been entered, highlighted by a record of nine home runs in one game against Johannesburg-Lewiston in a 2018 District Semifinal. Rogers City as a team was added 17 times, with highs during that time of 481 runs, 438 hits, 85 doubles, 374 RBI and a .403 batting average all in 2017 and 40 home runs in 2018. Total, 31 individual entries were added. Kayla Rabeau’s work included 234 runs, 229 hits, 36 doubles, 25 home runs and 186 RBI from 2015-18. Sarah Meredith was added for a .570 career average, 252 hits, 45 doubles, 38 home runs and 245 RBI from 2013-16. Hannah Fleming made career lists with 208 hits, 47 doubles, 29 homers and 187 RBI from 2015-18, and Taylor Fleming made career lists with 38 doubles, 32 home runs and 185 RBI during the same four seasons. Jayna Hance, Brooklyn Orr and Amanda Wirgau also made individual record lists. Meredith played for Ferris State, Rabeau played for Mott Community College, Hannah Fleming played at Alma College, Hance played at Northwood, and Taylor Fleming played volleyball at Lake Superior State. 

Maple City Glen Lake sophomore Laila Shimek didn’t take long to reach the record book during her first season in the spring, driving in seven runs during an 18-3 win over Traverse City Christian on April 16. 

Marlette’s Delaney Gage reached the record book for the first time in 2023, with a 15-strikeout five-inning game against Warren Woods-Tower and then 366 strikeouts for that season over 166 innings. She graduated in the spring and is continuing at Northwood.  

An unforgettable hitting performance earned Emma Weber five record book entries. The Birmingham Seaholm then-junior hit three home runs, consecutively and including two during the third inning, and drove in seven runs including six in that third inning of her team’s 11-1 win over Rochester Adams on May 16.  

Chloe Parker capped her Niles Brandywine career this spring on three career lists, with 64 doubles, 21 home runs and a .570 batting average over 108 games and four seasons. Kadence Brumitt, also a senior this past spring, was added for hitting 10 home runs during her final campaign. Parker is continuing at Central Michigan, and Brumitt is playing volleyball at Valparaiso. 

PHOTO Laingsburg’s Ashley Bila runs the bases against Bath during her senior season in the spring. (Photo by Click by Christine McCallister.)