A ground out and a fly out later, however, Tervo Agency sealed its chance to defend their Holly McCullah Trophy victory from last season.

It was, by no means, easy.

“When they got to that six, I was nervous,” said Tervo Agency player-coach Danielle Thoune. “But, our ladies know when to cinch down. We don’t let those jitters get the best of us. We had a couple errors, but we came back from them, and that’s where we come out on top.”

All the offense Tervo Agency needed to win the game for starting pitcher Olivia Wakeham came in the first and fourth innings.

Tervo Agency second baseman Tatum Sporalski awaits a pitch during a Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch Softball semifinal game against Superior National Bank Monday in Chassell. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

In the first inning, Mel Baker doubled to the left field fence. Alana Nolan followed with a double of her own to center field, which brough Baker home. Josie Hembroff drew a walk. Wakeham then walked to load the bases. Two batters later, it appeared that they were going to go up 2-0 as Amber Klemett hit into a fielder’s choice, however Nolan was tagged out at home.

With the bases still loaded, a passed ball allowed Hembroff to score. Wakeham then scored on a passed ball as well, making it 3-0 before the inning came to an end.

After the top half of the order came through in a big way in the first inning, it was the bottom half that helped Tervo Agency jump out to a 7-0 lead in the fourth.

Kylee Puuri got things started with a double to center field. Tatum Sporalski followed with a single to left field, moving Puuri to third. Annamae Nolan then singled to center field, scoring Puuri in the process. After Baker walked, Tervo Agency had the bases loaded.

Then came a wild sequence that led to two runs.

Superior National Bank shortstop Meg Ruohonen watches a hit during a a Copper Country Women’s Fastpitch Softball semifinal game against Tervo Agency Monday in Chassell. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

Alana Nolan singled, scoring Sporalski. Annamae Nolan rounded third on the play, and Baker rounded second. Baker was caught in a rundown, which allowed Annamae Nolan to score. Baker was able to get back to second base safely.

Baker herself then scored on a Wakeham sacrifice fly.

Getting contributions throughout the lineup really helped Tervo Agency find success.

“We’re such a misfit group of people,” Thoune said. “We had people playing in some different positions. We’ve got some people out of town. We had a couple MTU students who graduated, are going off to do great things with their lives, and we filled in those positions just great. All of our girls played fantastic in their spots.

“We’ve got some young blood, and they’re showing up, and they’re doing exactly what they need to do.”

Needing just three more runs to win the game in a mercy, Tervo Agency appeared to be well-positioned to do so until Superior National Bank made a switch in the pitcher’s circle in the bottom of the fifth inning. Starter Larissa Anderson came out and Morgan Erkkila came in, and Erkkila shut down her opponents, allowing just one hit in two innings of work.

“I don’t think it was her (Anderson’s) best game, but she battled through, and they hit off of her, which is a big thing,” SNB player-coach Kim Aho said. “Which is why she asked Morgan to come in. I think that helped, just seeing that different pitcher. Morgan hit the strike zone.”

That was the small spark SNB needed to get their bats going.

In the top of the sixth, with one out, Erkkila singled to center field. Anderson followed with a single of her own. Meg Ruohonen then knocked Erkkila home with a single to center field. Rachel Kinnunen reached on a fielder’s choice, as Anderson was caught trying for home.

Now with two outs, Kim Aho reached on a fielder’s choice in which everyone was safe and the bases were loaded with Sylvia Allen coming to the plate.

Allen singled to score Ruohonen. With the bases still loaded, Ellie Kuntze reached on a defensive error, and Kinnunen scored to make it 7-3.

The confidence SNB had at that point reached a fever pitch.

“Any time in softball, when one person gets a hit, the next person gets a hit,” said Kim Aho. “Seems like everyone finds a bat, and it’s what happened for us.

“We’re facing a pitcher we haven’t seen all year. It is hard to come in and see someone you haven’t seen. We faced her in other years, but we have a young team.”

Sylvia Aho led off the seventh with a single to right field. Two batters later, Anderson singled to left center field, which brought Aho home. Ruohonen stepped to the plate and drilled a ball to deep center field, and she took off running. She made it all the way around to score on the play, also scoring Anderson, and suddenly Tervo Agency’s lead was down to just a run.

Kinnunen battled hard, fouling off three straight pitches, but eventually grounded out, giving SNB one more out. Kim Aho flew out to end the game.

HEMBROFF GETS ON BASE

Hembroff stepped in Monday night and drew a key walk in the first inning, then walked again in the third inning, and again in the fourth before finally knocking a single in the sixth down the third base line. She only scored once, but she was a threat every time she came up to bat.

“She’s one of those girls that…she’s quick, and she’s got confidence,” said Thoune. “She might not be the quickest behind the plate, but those bunts, I don’t see another girl running as fast as she can, and stealing those bases. I mean, she’s stealing home with not a very far throw-over there. I mean, their catcher is quick, so, if you can steal home, you’ve got the wheels, you’ve got the confidence, and that’s fantastic to see.”

UP NEXT

Tervo Agency, who came into the 2023 playoffs in last place before running the table to win the playoff title, came into this year’s tournament as the second seed. With their win Monday, they earned a spot in the championship game Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Boneyard in Lake Linden against JB’s Sales and Service, who defeated Gold Standard.