Pictured is the Lake Linden-Hubbell softball team. The team includes Jovie Daniels, Alli Corrigan, Olivia Shank, Ashlyn Steves, Marissa Sullivan, Paige Griffin, Hailey Crouch, Kyara Mills, Clara Colombe, Peltier Fortin, Becca Lyons, Maddie Yaceczko and Payton Goldsworthy. The team is coached by Curtis Kinnunen, Kara Kinnunen, Andrew Goldworthy, Taylor Shepeard and Jeff Shepeard. (Levi Erkkila/For the Gazette)

MARQUETTE — On Friday, March 29, four Copper Country softball teams made their way to Marquette for the annual Spring Swing Invite. The two-day tournament occurred on the Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome turf. The Calumet Copper Kings, Hancock Bulldogs, Houghton Gremlins, and Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes got invited to participate with 13 other teams from the U.P. and Wisconsin.

The Gremlins, Kings, and Lakes took the field four times over the 48 hours, while the Bulldogs played three times. The number of innings in each game varied due to a 75-minute time limit that decided the end of the contest.

Lakes went 4-0 in the tournament

The Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes’ first game was an 8-5 win over Westwood that ended in the top of the fifth.

Olivia Shank threw all five innings and was the pitcher on record for the five Patriots runs and the win. The Lakes had six walks and took advantage of Westwood’s errors by scoring multiple runs due to Westwood’s fielding mistakes.

Becca Lyons singled, Shank singled and scored two runs, Payton Goldsworthy doubled, singled, and scored, Jovie Daniels doubled, and Hailey Crouch homered and scored a pair. Ashlyn Steves, Clara Colombe, and Alli Corrigan all crossed the plate once.

In their next game, the Lakes battled for four innings against Houghton. A four-run first inning was enough to hold off the Gremlins, 4-3. Goldsworthy took the mound, and after a three-run first, she kept Houghton off the board for the remainder of the game.

Not only did all the Lake Linden runs come in the opening frame, but all their hits did.

Goldsworthy had a three-RBI single that scored Lyons, Steves, and Shank. A Corrigan double brought Goldsworthy home for the fourth run.

The Lakes bats showed up for their first game on Day Two. Lake Linden thrashed Bark River-Harris, 15-5, over four innings. Steves was on the rubber and did enough to win.

Lyons led the way, going 3-3 with two home runs, a double, and four runs scored. Steves scored twice and hit a double and single; Shank singled; Goldsworthy singled, doubled, and scored; Colombe doubled; Daniels doubled and scored twice; Kyara Mills scored two times; and Maddi Yaceczko touched home on three occasions.

The great hitting continued in the Lakes’ next game, and they put a 10-0 beating on Hurley. Goldsworthy got the ball for the second time on the weekend and pitched a near-flawless game. The Lakes did not score until the fourth frame despite the 10 runs.

Daniels had two singles and a home run with two runs scored, Goldsworthy had a pair of doubles and runs, Shank doubled and scored, Colombe scored twice after reaching on errors, and Lyons, Mills, and Crouch all singled and scored.

Lakes head coach Curtis Kinnunen gave reasons why his team was so successful.

“Our pitching was working, and overall, our pitches were good,” he said. “We have three excellent pitchers, and then we got our bats going immediately. I tell them not to swing at junk pitches or high pitches. We need to let them pitch to us and wait for a good pitch so we can hit it, and that’s what we were doing.”

Kinnunen is excited to see what this group can do.

“Our goal is to win our conference and then the districts,” he said, “and if we keep playing like we did this weekend, we’re going to do some damage.”