Northern Wishes pitcher Janet Mattila fires from the circle Wednesday in a game against Moyle/Finnish Coat in Chassell. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

CHASSELL — Down by five with a score of 7-2 and with just two innings to go, the ladies from Moyle/Finnish Coat knew they had their work to do on Wednesday on the softball diamond in a game against Northern Wishes at Chassell Field.

They got to work scoring one run at a time. With three runs in the sixth inning, the score was now 7-5. Then came the seventh, and Moyle needed two to tie, or three to win.

Northern Wishes starter Janet Mattila put the leadoff Moyle batter on with a walk. AnnaMae Nolan followed with a base hit and she became the tying run as one run came home. Northern Wishes huddled at the circle and decided to switch pitchers. Rosalie Kangas came in as a fresh arm and faced Ashley Johnson with no one out. Johnson represented the winning run, and she knew it. She was patient and walked.

Pitcher Claire Mettlach advanced Nolan and Ashley Johnson while hitting a grounder to second, but the star of the game was Romy Mattson. She drove a riser to deep left center and earned the tying and winning RBI in the process.

“Romy’s hit at the end was huge,” said Moyle’s player-coach Brynn Arko. “But she also got a big hit for us in the sixth – a triple that got our rally going. She gets the game ball.”

Other than a 2-0 lead by Moyle in the first, Northern Wishes led most of the game. They posted three runs in the second courtesy of hits by Kim Aho and Mattila.

They added four more in the third. Swinging a hot bat that inning were Meg Ruohonen and Rachel Kinnunen. Ruohonen had a double and Kinnunen had a hard hit single. Both scored, as did Naomi Frahm.

It was 7-2 after three, with Mettlach in the circle for Moyle. Mettlach went on to win the game as she blanked Northern Wishes for the remaining four frames. She struck out eight for a complete-game win.

“I didn’t like our slow start,” added Arko. “It takes us a while to get going. This is not the first time we have had to come from behind to win. Then we get things going and ripped the ball.”

SUPERIOR SERVICE 16, FIGARO’S PIZZA 9

HOUGHTON — Superior Service defeated Figaro’s Pizza 16-9 at the Houghton High School Field.

Josie Heinonen was the winning pitcher for Superior Service.

At the plate, Mackenzie Ekdahl has two doubles and two singles. Molly Bugni had a triple and two doubles.

For Figaro’s Pizza, Kaylee Newsom had three triples, Molly Erkkila had a triple, and Lena Myhren and Bella Newsom each had a double and a single.

Up next

Fastpitch teams will be back in action Monday. Northern Wishes will face Gold Standard at the Boneyard in Lake Linden at 7 p.m. Also playing will be Moyle/Finnish Coat and Figaro’s Pizza, in Chassell. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Moyle/Finnish Coat pitcher Claire Mettlach follows through from the circle Wednesday in a game against Northern Wishes in Chassell. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)