They’ve withstood defending state champions, top-ranked teams and traditional powers.
And the Standish-Sterling softball team is starting to believe it just might be the one team left standing when all is said and done.
“The way they fought today, I’ve got to say we’re as good as anybody in the state,” SSC coach Rich Sullivan said. “I kind of felt that the whole way, but I didn’t want to say it. They’re tough, tough girls and they just keep fighting.”
With yet another gritty, gutsy and go-time performance, the No. 10-ranked Panthers fended off No. 5-ranked Gladstone 3-1 in a nine-inning battle in the Division 3 state quarterfinal Tuesday at Gaylord.
The win propels Standish-Sterling (36-7) to the final four, where it meets Ravenna in the 3 p.m. Friday semifinal at Michigan State University. The state title game is 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Fresh off an upset of No. 1-ranked Evart in the regional round, Standish-Sterling didn’t bat an eye against historic powerhouse Gladstone, owner of three state championships.
The game stretched into extra innings knotted at 1-1 before the Panthers tipped the scales. Keeley Peace and Macey Fegan had base hits to put two on with two outs for Devri Jennings. The senior pitcher helped her own cause in a big, big way, lacing a two-run single for the 3-1 lead.
“Devri had not been swinging a good bat lately but, boy, we needed her to get a big hit and she did,” Sullivan said. “She lined it down the right field line about a foot fair and brought two runs in.”
Jennings finished the task in the bottom of the ninth, retiring Gladstone 1-2-3 to send Standish-Sterling back to the final four for the third time in four seasons.
The Panthers struck first in the third inning on a double by Peace, a single by Lexi Mielke and an RBI grounder by Fegan. But Gladstone countered in the bottom of the inning to make it 1-1.
Jennings kept it right there, firing a five-hit, 12-strikeout masterpiece in the pitching circle. Gladstone came to bat with a chance to walk it off in the seventh and eighth, but each time Jennings was up to the challenge.
“When you get into extra innings and you don’t have that hammer, it’s nerve-racking sitting on that bucket,” Sullivan said. “But we got a couple big strikeouts and a couple big plays when we needed them.”
Peace delivered three hits, as the freshman leadoff hitter continued to shine for the Panthers. Fegan knocked two doubles among three hits while Mielke added two hits.
“It’s such a historic season, I didn’t want to see it end too soon,” Sullivan said. “Now here we are, going back to Michigan State.”
The softball team won’t be traveling alone as the Standish-Sterling baseball team is also final four-bound, making for a momentous weekend for the northeast Michigan community.
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