By John Raffel
Correspondent
CLARE — One of the keys to Clare’s hitting success this season, which ended in a 39-3 record and state runner-up finish, was the productive hitting of Alissa Brandon.
The Pioneer senior infielder had 64 hits to lead her team and batted .467, which also was No. 1 for Clare. She ranked third in RBIs with 48 and second in stolen bases with 14.
A key hit for Brandon was a home run against Evart in the district semifinals for a 5-0 win against the defending state champs.
It was her favorite home run of the season, Brandon said after the game, especially since it came against Kyrah Gray, an All-State pitcher.
“It came off the bat and I did not think it was going out and it went out,” she said. “I feel pretty good, I’ve been making good contact with the ball.”
Brandon came into the season with the background of being a good home run hitter.
This marks her 13th year of softball and her third varsity season. He plays second base for Clare and was at that spot her second year.
“I do a good job at keeping the ball in front of me and knocking it down,” she said.
The key to success for the Pioneers “was teamwork, doing what we can do and playing our ball,” Brandon said.
Clare lost 5-4 to Grass Lake in the state title game and wound up with the state runner-up trophy.
Brandon also played golf and was a key member of Clare’s links team last fall.
