By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
EAST LANSING — The title defense has been completed.
The greatest generation of softball players at Mendon High School ended its four-year run on top of the softball world once again, as the Hornets defeated Brown City 6-2 in Saturday’s MHSAA Division 4 state finals at Secchia Stadium on the campus of Michigan State University.
It is the second straight title for the Hornets, who have been to the state’s final four each of the last four years, and the third time in that span they have made it to the state finals. After ending the dynasty of Unionville-Sebewaing in last year’s finals, this year’s finals has solidified what could be a new dynasty in Division 4 softball.
“These girls just don’t stop; I love them to death. Every one of them,” co-head coach Mike Smith said. “We’ve been in big situations, a lot of them, and they’ve always prevailed. That’s what it comes down to.”
“I feel like we came to bring it. We wanted this so bad,” center fielder Taya Bingaman said. “Our lineup came through, we all pitched in like we needed to, and this is what happens when you have a team like this, and when you have people that want it just as bad as you.”
Mendon took it to the Green Devils early on as the home team in the matchup. The Hornets loaded the bases with nobody out off two walks and a single, and after a strikeout by Cienna Nightingale, Sabrina Monroy hit a flare to first base that Brown City first baseman Alaina Roberts could not corral, allowing Jadyn Samson to score the first run of the game. Lashell Blair would follow with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Rowan Allen, giving the Hornets a 2-0 lead after one inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the second inning, Mendon would score a couple more, thanks again to the top of their order. Samson got a base hit to left field, and then Allen would crush a ball off the base of the wall in dead center field to bring Samson in. Bingaman would bring Allen in on the next at-bat, pulling a single into right field and putting Mendon up 4-0 after two innings.
The top of the lineup would do damage again for the Hornets a couple innings later, as Samson doubled into left field with one out, Allen bringing her in on the next at-bat with a single to right. Two batters later, Nightingale would bring Allen home with an infield single to the shortstop, making it 6-0 after four innings.
“We were very aggressive at the plate, and that’s what we needed to do,” Nightingale said on the Hornets’ offensive performance. “I’m really proud of everybody.”
While the offense was humming along for Mendon, Allen was nearly untouchable in the circle, giving up just four baserunners through the first six innings, only one of them being on a hit – a double by Brown City pitcher Maddie Hohne in the fourth – and striking out 12 in that span.
In the top of the seventh, however, Brown City started to make some noise on offense. Chloe Hayes led off the inning by hitting what was ruled a ground ball right back to Allen, who threw away the throw to first base. Mendon’s coaches argued that the ball may have bounced in the dirt before the swing, which would’ve made the play a lineout, however the appeal was to no avail.
That opened the floodgates for the Green Devils, with Roberts hitting an RBI double to the right-center field fence to bring home Hayes, putting Brown City on the board, 6-1. After a groundout back to Allen followed by Allen’s 13th strikeout of the game, Teryn Jacobs got a base hit to center field to bring Roberts home and make it a 6-2 ballgame.
However, Allen would shut the door from there, getting Bailie Brown swinging at a changeup for her 14th strikeout and igniting the celebratory dogpile behind home plate for the Hornets.
“To think we’d be back-to-back state champs is actually kind of insane. It’s just the best feeling ever,” Allen said.
Brown City came into the game upset-minded, having taken down state powerhouse and No. 3-ranked Unionville-Sebewaing in the regional semifinals on June 6, and defeated No. 7 Fowler in Friday’s state semifinals. However, Allen shut down any hopes of an upset, giving up three hits and two unearned runs in her complete-game victory, striking out 14 and walking just two.
“She was amazing, she was on point. This whole year, but this whole postseason specifically, she’s been spot-on,” Nightingale said on Allen’s pitching performance. “When she’s dealing the way she’s dealing, there’s nobody that can beat us. We’re a really good team, and that’s all because of Rowan and how she is in the circle.”
On offense, Samson went 2-for-3 on the day with a double, three runs scored and a walk. Allen went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, two RBI and three runs scored. Bingaman went 1-for-4 with an RBI, Nightingale and Monroy each went 1-for-3 with an RBI, Maddie Rodgers went 1-for-3, and Blair went 0-for-2 with an RBI.
Saturday’s game ends the careers of five key seniors on Mendon’s roster – Allen, Bingaman, Nightingale, Samson, and second baseman Brooke Gerth. Smith acknowledged their accomplishments after the game.
“These five seniors, with the group we had last year, we’ve had some great ballplayers. Good groups, good classes, but these five, they’re special,” Smith said. “It’s a blessing, and it doesn’t happen very often. You get good classes, and you maybe get one and get there once, and maybe you don’t. But these girls just have a will, and it’s ridiculous. I could go back so many games that we’ve been down or tied and they just say, nope, we’re not losing, we’re coming back.”
Bingaman said it was a “blessing” to be on some of the biggest stages in high school softball the past four years.
“I’m head-over-heels, I could cry right now. I’ve come here four straight years in a row, and it’s a blessing to come back as a senior and win it all again and with my sisters,” “This is my family, I love it. I love it here, I love Mendon, I love my family.”
The Hornets came back into town around 10 p.m. Saturday night, greeted by neighbors and residents, stopping out in front of Gibby’s on Main Street to celebrate with the community with the trophy and the school fight song. They then had dinner at Gibby’s, getting a hero’s welcome from patrons as they came in.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
