Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette The Hancock softball team poses after winning the Division 4 District 98 championship over Lake Linden-Hubbell on Friday at the Boneyard in Lake Linden. The team includes Alice Larson, Brooke Koskela, Chloe Bastian, Diem Kilpela, Ella Storm, Emilie Pierner, Josie Hembroff, Kaelyn Rouleau, Mallory Sporalski, Megan Pelto, Sadie Biekkola, Sofie Freeman, and Sydnie Scholie. The team is coached by Craig Biekkola, Gary Scholie, and Hannah Asiala.

LAKE LINDEN — It was, by no means, easy. However, after wind, rain, and sun made for a wild afternoon at the Boneyard, the Hancock Bulldogs softball team emerged with their fifth straight district title, winning the Division 4 District 98 championship Friday afternoon, 8-3, over the host Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes.

For Bulldogs coach Craig Biekkola, the fifth title was a special one, because it was his first as the head coach after winning four as an assistant to former coach Randy Heinonen.

“Each one is better than the previous one,” he said. “That’s the expectation now within our program. It’s our goal every season, obviously, to win the districts and move on from there.”

The Bulldogs (25-5 overall) needed a special effort from junior pitcher Sadie Biekkola in order to earn the win, and she delivered a gutsy game where she went seven innings, surrendering five hits and walking three while striking out three.

Craig Biekkola’s daughter, in her third season with the Bulldogs, already had a ton of playoff experience to draw from when she took to the circle Friday.

“We’ve been fortunate to play a lot of playoff games the last three, four seasons, and Sadie’s been in a lot of those,” said her father. “You have to learn. You have to have a short memory as a pitcher at this level. Girls are going to hit home runs, and we were fortunate that was just a solo shot. After that, I thought she settled in, and you can’t dwell on it. You just have to move on.”

Her opposite, eighth-grader Payton Goldsworthy, was even more impressive in her first career playoff start. She struck out nine Bulldogs’ hitters while walking just four and giving up eight hits over seven innings.

Hancock had an impressive freshman of their own in shortstop Kaelyn Rouleau, who was slated at the top of the Bulldogs’ batting order. She was one of two Hancock hitters to collect more than one hit off of Goldsworthy, and both proved important to the final outcome of the game.

The first came to lead off the game, when Rouleau doubled on a pop fly to short. She stole third on the second pitch to left fielder Sofie Freeman, and then scored on a passed ball with Freeman still at the plate.

Rouleau did damage again in the top of the seventh. After right fielder Mallory Sporalski singled to lead off, Rouleau doubled to center field, which brought Sporalski home. Three batters later, Sadie Biekkola singled to center field, which scored Rouleau on the play and gave Hancock the five-run lead, 8-3, that they needed to seal the win.

“She’s (Rouleau) a great athlete, and she’s prepared for the last number of years, playing travel ball over the summer, playing against high quality competition,” Craig Biekkola said. “We’ve had a lot of girls come through the travel programs, and you can see that now they play against top quality competition all year long. When we get to these games, they’re ready for it.”

Despite the final result, the game was anything but a five-run contest. In the bottom of the first inning, Lakes senior Olivia Shank evened the game on the first pitch Sadie Biekkola threw when she carried a line drive over the right field fence.

“Going down 1-0 right away, then Liv tying (it), it’s like right back to a new game,” said Lakes coach Curtis Kinnunen. “So, it’s a good confidence booster.”

The game remained 1-1 into the third before Hancock jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the top half.

Sporalski drew a lead off walk to spark the Bulldogs’ offense. She got to second on a passed ball and then got to third on another one before Rouleau popped out in foul territory. While Sporalski was caught advancing home on a fielder’s choice, Hancock’s offense continued to work. Junior catcher Brooke Koskela walked, putting two Bulldogs on base, as Freeman was already on thanks to the fielder’s choice. Sadie Biekkola doubled to center to bring both runners home.

Biekkola was not on base long, as senior center fielder Ella Storm doubled to left field to bring her home.

The relatively big lead for the Bulldogs did not last long. With one out in the bottom half of the inning, senior catcher Becca Lyons singled to give the Lakes a baserunner. Three pitches later, Goldsworthy launched a home run some 40 feet beyond the center field fence to cut the deficit to one, 4-3.

Sadie Biekkola induced a pair of pop outs by freshman Ashlyn Steves and senior Marissa Sullivan to hold the one-run lead after three innings.

Hancock got one run they gave up on the Goldsworthy homer back in the top of the fourth. Third baseman Sydnie Scholie walked to lead off. She got to second on a passed ball with senior designated hitter Megan Pelto at the plate. Scholie got to third when first baseman Alice Larson laid down a sacrifice bunt. She then scored on a passed ball with Sporalski batting.

The game remained 5-3 into the top of the sixth. Scholie drew a one-out walk to get the Bulldogs’ offense started. Chloe Bastian was brought in to run for Scholie. Pelto followed with a double to center field, which gave Bastian time to come around to score.

With the Lakes having one last chance to even things up in the bottom of the seventh, they faced the task with their eighth and ninth hitters up first.

With one out, Daniels reached on a defensive error. Two batters later, Lyons singled to put runners on the corners. Goldsworthy was then intentionally walked for the second straight at bat, this time loading the bases with two outs. Steves swung at the first offering from Sadie Biekkola and flew out, ending the game.

Kinnunen was disappointed that the Bulldogs walked Goldsworthy with two runners on, but more importantly, his team struggled with runners on, which has been a larger issue all season.

“It’s been like that all year,” he said. “Just that one hit, that one more hit, and games would have been totally different.”

LAKES MERCY PURPLE HORNETS

The expected matchup of the Lakes and Bulldogs almost did not happen Friday. In semifinal play, the Purple Hornets led 3-0 over the Lakes before the hosts’ bats came alive for 13 runs over the final two innings.

“It just took us a while to get the bats moving,” said Kinnunen. “You start seeing these little slower pitchers, and they want to try to crank it. It doesn’t work that way.”

That all changed in the bottom of the fourth, with Lakes senior Clara Colombe at the plate. Colombe laid down a bunt and reached on a defensive error. The play, while seemingly small, turned out to be an important catalyst.

“I told Clara, before the end of the year, I was going to get her safe on a bunt on first,” Kinnunen said. “She did. She ran.”

Junior Alli Corrigan stepped to the plate and was hit by a pitch from the Purple Hornets’ starter Jaydlyn Goyen. Sophomore Hailey Crouch then singled, loading the bases. A wild pitch from Goyen allowed Colombe to score, breaking the seal. Freshman Jovie Daniels walked, loading the bases again.

Shank then drew a walk, which forced Corrigan home. Lyons then drilled a ball to the center field fence, clearing the bases with a double and suddenly the Lakes led 5-3.

Goldsworthy then singled to left field and advanced to second before the play came to an end. Lyons scored on the play. Goyen forced a ground out and fly out to end the inning, but the damage had been done.

With rain pouring down, things did not get better for Goyen in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Corrigan singled to right field. Senior Maddie Yaceczko was then hit by a pitch. Daniels reached on a defensive error, and Lakes had the bases loaded again. After Corrigan scored on a wild pitch, Shank walked to load the bases again. Lyons was hit by a pitch, which brought Yaceczko home. Goldsworthy then doubled to the center field fence, which scored both Daniels and Shank.

Steves singled to left field, scoring Lyons. Sullivan was hit by a pitch. Colombe was then hit by a pitch, which then brought Goldsworthy home. Corrigan followed with a double to center field, which scored Steves and sealed the game.

L’Anse took the early lead in the second inning when junior Brooklyn Dompier walked, stole second and third and then scored on a wild pitch.

In the third, senior Keira Dakota singled to center field to lead off. She stole second and then scored on a double by sophomore Lola Cichosz.

The Purple Hornets scored their third run in the top of the fourth. Freshman Mea Lancy singled to right field to lead off. Three batters later, Goyen drilled a ball to the right field fence, which brought Lancy home.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday in Norway in the semifinals of regional action. They will face the Ishpeming Hematites at 2 p.m. Eastern.