Shamrock softball goes 1-1 at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart tournament, splits with Saranac

Last Saturday, the Shamrocks Softball Team traveled to Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart for their annual invitational.

St. Patrick matched against Traverse City St. Francis in game 1. The Shamrocks took a loss 6-15. Mattie Honsowitz led the Shamrocks defensively and pitched efficiently. At the plate, Gracelyn Rockey went 3-3 a double, triple and 2 RBIs. Macie Leonard went 2-4 with an RBI, and Bella Russman and Megan Myers each added an RBI as well.

The Shamrocks faces Bay City All Saints in game 2 and won 18-3 in 4 innings. Macie Leonard pitched an excellent game for the Shamrocks and led the team defensively. At the plate Mattie Honsowitz went 2-2 with a double and an RBI, Gracelyn Rockey went 3-3 with 2 doubles, 1 HR and 4 RBIs. Olivia Rockey went 2-2 with a double and 2 RBIs, Macie Smith had a triple with 2 RBIs, Aislynn King went 2-3 with 3 RBIs, Lily Sandborn went 2-4, Maria Austen had an RBI, Reese Chamberlain added a double with 2RBIs and Julia White drove in an RBI.

The coaches told the Beacon, “Today was a good day for our whole program. Despite the loss in Game One, we pitched well, fielded well, and had the correct approach at the plate. Anytime you see an opposing team with 12 hits and you have one error in the game you know that they placed the ball in the correct spots. We were thrilled with our outfielders read off the bat, and our infielders shut down extra bases. Megan did a tremendous job behind the plate and had a solid pickoff and first. Mattie and Macie were strong on the mound. Game Two we played well, communicated effectively and made solid plays.  Our underclassman have been gaining momentum and they sure stepped up today.”

On Thursday, the Shamrocks hosted Saranac and split the doubleheader. Game 1, the Shamrocks held Saranac off with a score of 8-7. Mattie Honsowitz led the Shamrocks defensively pitching well from the mound, and added 3 strikeouts to her season. Macie Leonard went 3-4, with an RBI, and a Double. Marian Davlin 3-4 with a triple, 2 runs, and 1 RB1. Lil Sandborn was 2-4 with 2 runs, and Mattie Honsowitz went 2-4 with 1 run, 3 RBIs and a homerun. Megan Myers and Bella Russman each added an RBI.

Game 2 the Shamrocks took a loss of 13-15. The game was pitched by Kennedy Drake, Mattie Honsowitz and Macie Leonard. The Shamrocks fell to a significant deficit in inning 1, but chipped away at the lead. Aislynn King went 2-3 with 2 RBIs, Mattie Honsowitz had 3 RBIs, Marian Davlin and Macie Leonard each had 2 RBIs.

The coaches said, “We were well matched with Saranac this evening, and we had lots of high points within the doubleheader- Mattie’s Homerun, two solid double plays early on, coming back from a 9-0 deficit when it could have been very easy to back down in game 2, good approaches at the plate and pitch selection, and even reached a bases loaded - no out, opportunity in the last inning of game 2. Those are all areas that we have grown in over the season, and we are proud of that growth. The areas we struggled with were mental and physical defensive errors, leaving way too many girls on in scoring position, and allowing ourselves to fall behind in the first inning of both games. The team is continuing to grow every week and we are excited to see where our work takes us next week!”

The Shamrocks host Laingsburg Tuesday for Senior Night.