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U.P. Audiology, Mineshaft win softball championships

Eddie O’Neill/The Daily Mining Gazette The Mineshaft majors Portage Lake Little League softball team poses after winning the championship Wednsday in Hancock.

HANCOCK — The Portage Lake Little League softball season wrapped up on Wednesday night at the Driving Park with two championship matchups.

In the opening minors game between Range Bank and Upper Peninsula Audiology, Upper Peninsula took the medals with a 12-1 score.

That game was followed by a majors battle between the girls from McDonald’s and the Mineshaft. The Mineshaft won that one with a 16-13 tilt.

In the U10 minors’ game, the girls from Range Bank had a tough time dialing in on Upper Peninsula’s starter Ruby Biekkola. She threw hard and she threw strikes — just what her coach and dad Craig Biekkola ordered.

“It was a good season,” said the coach. “All the girls improved a lot as we ended with a 9-2-1 record.”

In the nightcap, the bats from both sides of the field contributed to a 29-run slugfest. After the opening frame, the sluggers from McDonald’s led 5-3. In the second they tagged on four more for a 9-3 tilt.

The Mineshaft girls battled back for four runes in the third with big hits by Tatum Sporalski, Josie Switzer, Meg Ruohonen and Alena Lasanen. After three frames McDonald’s led only by two with a 9-7 score.

The fourth inning proved to be the game changer for the Mineshaft as they knocked in five runs. McDonald’s tallied three of their own and the score was tied at 12 with two innings to go. Mineshaft kept the hit parade going in the fifth with four more runs and they kept McDonald’s at bay in the bottom frame. While McDonald’s would score one more in the sixth it wouldn’t be enough.

“This is the fourth time we met this year,” said Mineshaft head coach Len Switzer, ” and while we have won all the games they have been close match ups. “I am very proud of our girls. They’ve made so much improvement over these last few weeks and we have had a lot of fun along the way.”

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