Johannesburg-Lewiston Softball Wins Regional Title

RUDYARD, MI- The Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals are far from a one woman show on the softball field. However, if they were a one woman show it would be a show worth watching.

Junior Jayden Marlatt did it all in the regional tournament. In the semi final against Inland Lakes she was 4-4 with two home runs and four RBI’s.  She also went the distance on the mound as she struck out eight.  In game two she turned it up a notch on the mound as she fired her second complete game of the day, this time striking out 14 as the Cardinals defeated Rudyard 10-4 to win the regional crown.

The Semi-final was a highly anticipated battle with Inland Lakes. The two teams split a double header during the season and the winner was going to be the heavy favorite in the finals.  Inland Lakes led 1-0 until the third. Marlatt gave her team the lead with one swing, a rope down the left field line that easily cleared the fence for a two run home run.   After Inland Lakes rallied to tie the game at 3, Jocelyn Tobias gave the Cardinals the lead back with an RBI single in the 5th.  Leading 5-3 in the 6th, Chloe Ferguson recorded her third hit of the afternoon out of the ninth spot in the lineup. Two batters later Marlatt launched her second home run of the game as Jo-Burg moved to the finals with a 7-3 win.

Facing Rudyard in the finals the Cardinals got to work early scoring twice in the first, twice in the second and twice in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead after four.  Marlatt would take it from their as she worked around Rudyard base runners in the late innings, well over 200 pitches for the day as whole as the Cardinals led 7-1 going into the bottom of the 6th.  In the 6th the Cardinals added on as Brittney Fox connected on a two run home run. Johannesburg-Lewiston scored three times in the inning and led 10-1 going into the 7th.  The Bulldogs got three in the 7th but it was a matter if when not if for the Cardinals. Marlatt ended it with her 14th strikeout and the Cardinals captured the regional championship.

With the win Johannesburg-Lewiston moves on to the State Quarter-finals. The Cardinals will be taking on Hancock on June 13. The game will be hosted by Sault Ste. Marie.  A win Tuesday will send the Cardinals to Michigan State University for the state Semi-finals.