Sports
Grosse Pointe North Softball Team Edges Lakeview for District Title
The softball team survived oppressive heat to win the district championship 3-2 over Lakeview.
The Norsemen softball team survived 90-degree temperatures and high humidity to outlast the Huskies 3-2 in extra innings Saturday afternoon to claim a district softball title.
“It was a long day, there’s no doubt about that,” said Norsemen coach Bill Taylor. “All four teams had a rough time of it.”
Scoring was hard to come by in the final game, with the Huskies being lucky to come out of the first inning unscathed on defense, with two Norsemen runners making it on base and two throwing errors almost proving to be costly early on.
Find out what's happening in Grosse Pointewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
After the initial excitement, the game slowed down and the next few innings didn’t see base runners for either team.
The Norsemen got on the board in the top of the third, with Melissa Mermiges getting on base. After a sacrifice bunt by a teammate, Mermiges was driven home thanks to a solid double by Krysten Bartold. One batter later, Bartold also managed to score, putting the Norsemen up 2-0.
Find out what's happening in Grosse Pointewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“It was an exciting game and I’m definitely glad we won,” said Bartold. “It was tight throughout, though. It could have went either way.”
The Huskies managed to finally get on the board in the bottom of the fourth when, with bases loaded, a bunt managed to help J. Spear cross home plate, making the score 2-1 in favor of Grosse Pointe North.
The Norseman thought they had secured victory in the bottom of the seventh, but Becky Corbett managed to score off of a Lauren Berra hit. The play was controversial because Bartold was told she stepped off the bag when trying to tag Berra out.
“I didn’t step off the bag,” Bartold said.
Her coach agreed.
“I didn’t agree with the call, but I respect it,” Taylor said.
Going into the eighth, the teams were tied at 2-2 but Nicole Strickland went to the plate for the Norseman and hit a solid single into right field. A pinch runner managed to score a few plays later, putting the Norsemen up 3-2.
“This is a real good victory for us, no doubt about it,” said Taylor. “In the league we were middle of the league and to come out and win our districts, it’s a feather in our cap.”
Heat was definitely a factor, as coaches struggled to keep their players hydrated. Several times over the course of the afternoon, players were taken from the stifling dugouts and told to lie down in the shade until they recovered.
“I’m worried about them,” admitted Carol Dobrowski, a resident of Roseville who came to watch her granddaughter play. “It’s awful out here, and I’m not even running around. They could get really sick if they’re not careful.”
Earlier in the day, the Norsemen beat Roseville 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh to knock out the Panthers. The Huskies defeated Grosse Pointe South 9-1.
On the boys side, the Norsemen beat Roseville 10-5 in the early game and Grosse Pointe South outlasted the Huskies 17-4 in the second game, setting up a crosstown final for both Grosse Pointe squads in the final.
