By John Raffel
Correspondent
EAST LANSING — Clare softball fans showed up in huge numbers to watch their Pioneers bid for a state title at Michigan State University on Friday and Saturday.
They cheered loudly when Clare won 2-1 on Friday and boosted their favorite team in a valiant comeback bid that fell short 5-4 to Grass Lake in the title game.
“I told them to never give up, keep fighting and believe in yourself,” coach Shane Kelly said he told his team after it fell behind late in the game. “If you believe in yourself, work hard and have each others’ back, you’ll go a long ways in life.
“A lot of people like to do easy things. My girls don’t do the easy things. They bust their butts and work hard and they root for each other.”
Kelly was asked what Clare’s ride to the state finals meant for the community and younger Clare softball players.
“I hope it shows them that if they do the right things and believe in each other, they can do the right things and accomplish them,” he replied. “This should be an every year occurrence for Clare that the girls keep coming back and keep wanting to come back.
“The young girls at the camps the varsity girls teach love softball and love my older girls. I hope in turn they do the same things for younger girls. These girls are going to be leaders in our community and great parents and great people.”
Clare fans helped to pack the stadium, making it almost impossible to find a seat after the game began.
“The support we get from Clare is second to none,” Kelly said. “I got done last night (after the semifinal game) and I was going to dinner. I probably had 120 texts on my phone, thanking us for what we’ve done for the community and thanking us for what we’ve brought to them and putting Clare softball on the map.
“The community is amazing. They support my girls and they support me and it’s the best place in the world to live.”
