Clare edged out Gladstone in one versus two quarterfinal match-up

By BEN MURPHY

Cleaver Sports Writer

The Clare softball team’s tough road to the state finals included a thrilling 1-0 victory over Gladstone. The top-ranked Lady Pioneers edged the second ranked Lady Braves in the two’s Division 3 quarterfinal game at Cheboygan on Tuesday, June 10.

“They believe in each other and that’s what it takes to be a great team,” head coach Shane Kelly said after the contest. We battled and we are super excited to be back to MSU.”

Kyley Wyman got the win pitching, and she was effective as ever. She threw all seven brilliant innings of shut-out ball, allowing just three hits: all on the infield. She also struck out seven and walked three.

“Kyley has done an amazing job,” Kelly said. “We’ve played a lot of great teams and Kyley just keeps doing it.”

Clare threatened with two base runners in the first inning, as Alissa Brandon led off the game with a single to right field and Addison McMillan reached with a walk. They got to second and third base with two outs but were stranded there.

The two sides traded scoreless frames through four innings. Gladstone nearly scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. A walk and two bunt singles loaded the bases with one out, but a hard grounder up the middle found the glove of Wyman, who alertly threw home to catcher Savannah Buzzelli for the second out of the inning, and Buzzelli gunned the ball to first base for Morgan Campbell for the third out and to keep Gladstone off the board. It was just one example of many fine defensive plays in the contest for the Pioneers.

“That stuff is not a fluke, they work hard on it,” Kelly said. “That play where we had the bases loaded, I’m not joking, we probably did that 80 times this year… That’s a testament to them and how hard they prepared.”

Clare scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Buzzelli led off the frame with a walk, and Pamela Allen got on after getting hit by a pitch. Addison McMillan cashed in on the opportunity, hitting an RBI double.

Wyman pitched around a walk in the sixth inning and nursing a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh, she struck out the first two batters and then she fielded a tapper back up the middle and threw to first for the final out of the game.

“It’s just amazing, they are by far the most complete team I’ve ever coached,” Kelly said of the team after the win.

The usual potent Pioneer offense was mostly quiet in this game, though Brandon did get one double and one single. McMillan had one double, one RBI and she also got on with a walk and adding one single each was Madison Jones and Wyman. Buzzelli and Tessa Kelly earned one walk each and Allen reached base on a hit by pitch.

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