The Hancock softball team poses with the trophy after winning the Division 4 District 97 title Friday at the Bone Yard in Lake Linden. The Bulldogs are Kaelyn Rouleau, Lucy Biekkola, Diem Kilpela, Alice Larson, Emery Chynoweth, Jana Pietila, Chloe Bastian, Vaeda Brooks, Tally Storm, and Brielle L’Esperance. The Bulldogs coaches Craig Biekkola and Sophia Heinonen are also pictured. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

LAKE LINDEN — When practice started this season, the Hancock Bulldogs softball team did not even have enough players to take the field. Soon though, they found enough players to play a game. Then they added one more.

Now, they are Division 4 District 97 champions again as they scored four runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes, 4-3, Friday at the Boneyard.

“Man, I got to give credit to Alice (Larson) and Kaelyn (Rouleau),” said Bulldogs coach Craig Biekkola. “They’re the driving force of getting enough players for us to have a team. They busted their butts, asking everybody that they possibly could to try and generate some interest.

“The first week of practice, we only had seven girls, and then we had Emory (Chynoweth) join up, and then Chloe (Bastian) decided to come back, and then Brielle (L’Esperance) came a few weeks into the season. Man, so happy that it happened.”

The coach, whose daughter, Lucy, was the only pitcher the Bulldogs used through the semifinal and the final, was proud of the contributions of all 10 players on his team’s roster.

“We started the games this season with nine, and we had some girls that were banged up, and it was a struggle to get through,” Craig Biekkola said. “We had to shorten up some double headers, (down to) one game to make it work. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and the work that these girls put in.”

Down 2-0, the big sixth inning for the Bulldogs started with left fielder Tally Storm reaching on an error on a fly ball to left field. Rouleau, the shortstop, then laid down a bunt and reached first safely as well, after Lakes third baseman Cleo Milkey’s throw sailed wide of first base. Lucy Biekkola struck out. First baseman Diem Kilpela was ruled hit by a pitch, loading the bases.

Catcher Alice Larson grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Storm was tagged at home plate trying to score. However, third baseman Emery Chynoweth doubled to right field, which brought Rouleau and Kilpela home, tying the game.

Right fielder Jana Pietila then reached on an error, scoring both Larson and Chynoweth and giving Hancock a 4-2 lead.

“Really (I was) just like keeping my head down, watching the ball hit the bat, and just having all the confidence when I went in there,” she said. “I knew my team believed in me, so that was kind of what was going through my head.”

Chynoweth was the only Bulldogs player with multiple hits in the game, coming up with two hits in three at bats, scoring once and driving in a pair of runs. She had not even planned on playing softball at all, if not for the efforts of Larson to convince her.

“It means everything, really,” said Chynoweth. “I wasn’t going to play this sport. I had only played when I was in fourth grade, and third grade, whatever. To come in here with these girls, it was so much fun.

“The season was amazing, and it just means everything that I got to win it, especially for Alice, because she’s a senior this year and this is her sport, really. She really wanted another district championship, so I’m really happy for her.”

The call of the hit by pitch on Kilpela rattled the Lakes.

“We had that one hit by pitch, or foul ball, and then that spiraled it all out of control,” said Lakes coach Curtis Kinnunen. “That’s usually how the softball goes, one bad inning, too many runs.”

The Lakes had three outs left to try to even the game.

Right fielder Lissa Johnson singled to short. Two batters later, pitcher Payton Goldsworthy was intentionally walked for the third time in the game. Milkey singled to center field, pushing Johnson to third as she loaded the bases. Catcher Taylor Goldsworthy hit a fly ball to left field, but Storm came in and grabbed the ball out of the air. Johnson scored after tagging up, making it 4-3 Hancock at that point.

First baseman Jovie Daniels then struck out, ending the inning and the game.

The catch by Storm on the fly ball by Taylor Goldsworthy was a tense moment, as she collided with Rouleau, knocking both players down, but she managed to hold onto the ball. Coupled with a catch three batters earlier off a fly ball from centerfielder Ashlyn Steves, Storm had a huge defensive inning when Hancock needed her most.

“She’s improved so much from the beginning of the season,” Craig Biekkola said. “She’s been clutch out there making plays. Obviously, that last catch that she made when she collided with Kaelyn, to be able to hold onto the ball, got the second out, that obviously gave us a chance to close it out.”

The Lakes got to Lucy Biekkola in the first inning to jump out to the early 2-0 lead.

Steves led off with a walk. The Bulldogs intentionally walked Payton Goldsworthy. Milkey then walked to load the bases. Taylor Goldsworthy grounded into a fielder’s choice, and Milkey was tagged trying for second base. However, Steves and Payton Goldsworthy both scored on the play.

Payton Goldsworthy went the distance for the Lakes in the loss. She struck out 12, walked one, and gave up just three hits. She was intentionally walked four times, scoring once. While it was frustrating that she could not help her teammates at the plate, Kinnunen had nothing but praise for her and all her teammates.

“(It’s tough), especially, when they won’t pitch to her,” he said. “All the other girls stepped up, but we just couldn’t get that last one.”

Lucy Biekkola did her best to match her counterpart. She went seven innings, striking out eight, walking seven and surrendering three hits.

“It’s not an easy thing for a player to have their coach be their father,” said Craig Biekkola. “That’s not easy. We don’t always see eye to eye, but she’s a competitor. I know that she’s always going to give her best effort. She did that today. She gave us a chance to win, and we scored some runs late to do it.”

BULLDOGS 16, GLADIATORS 1

In the second semifinal game, the Bulldogs defeated the Ontonagon Gladiators, 16-1 in four innings.

Larson led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two batted in. Lucy Biekkola, Chynoweth, and centerfielder Vaeda Brooks all had two hits each.

In the circle, Lucy Biekkola went the distance, striking out six, walking one and giving up just three hits to earn the win.

LAKES 5, MINERS 1

The Lakes scored three runs right away, and then added two more runs late to earn a 5-1 win in the first semifinal game against the Gogebic Miners.

Payton Goldsworthy went seven innings in the circle to earn the win. She struck out 13 and gave up five hits. At the plate, she drew three walks.

Second baseman Megan Sutherland led the offense. She went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Milkey, Taylor Goldsworthy, and shortstop Sophia Hampton all had two hits each.

Taylor Goldsworthy hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh to add an insurance run in the late stages of the contest.

Up next

The Bulldogs will be back in Lake Linden Saturday when they face Norway in the Region 25 tournament at 2 p.m. If they win, they will face the winner of L’Anse and Superior Central at 4 p.m.

Hancock left fielder Tally Storm reaches out to make a catch against Lake Linden-Hubbell during the Division 4 District 97 title Friday at the Bone Yard in Lake Linden. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)