LANSING — Bella Latuszek has always been told to be within herself at the plate.
Those words have resonated with the Laingsburg senior.
And they’ve helped her deliver in plenty of big moments for the Wolfpack softball team.
Latuszek came through in another big moment while helping Laingsburg advance in the Greater Lansing Hall of Fame Softball Classic.
Latuszek hit a go-ahead three-run home run that vaulted the Wolfpack to a 6-5 win over Fowlerville on Wednesday, May 20 at Ranney Park.
“It started when she was a freshman,” Laingsburg coach Jeff Cheadle said. “She comes up in key situations and it just seems like more times than not she produces something and makes something happen. Very proud of her and the way she fights. She works extremely hard and I think that starts to pay off.”
Latuszek felt the range of emotions when she made contact with runners on first and second. She saw her blast travel near the outfield fence and hit the glove of the center fielder. The ball bounced off the glove and over the fence for a home run
“(It) definitely was a range of emotions,” Latuszek said. “At first I thought she caught it and I was like, oh dang. And then it went over and it was an instant burst of excitement and energy knowing that I could be there for my teammates and help our team win.”
Peyton Stahr made that home run stand and pitched a pair of scoreless innings to seal the win for the Wolfpack.
The victory followed a formula that has worked well for Laingsburg, which has shown an ability to overcome deficits to record wins.
“Our team has always had fight,” Latuszek said. “We’re not a team to give up and that’s one amazing thing. None of us are willing to give up, We always want to work hard and give 100% every pitch, every inning, every game. We’ve seen it a lot of the times this year we’ll be done and we don’t give up. We always come back and find a way to make it work.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Bella Latuszek’s blast lifts Laingsburg to Softball Classic victory
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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