Avery Borg’s walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Fowlerville the CAAC Red softball championship with an 8-7 victory over Mason on Tuesday, May 12.
The Gladiators began the bottom of the eighth with Kourtnie Koven being placed on second base. McKayla Fletcher bunted her to third and Koven scored on a pop single to center field by Borg.
In the top of the eighth, a double play turned by third baseman Ella Olrich to second baseman Kiely Davis kept Mason from scoring.
The Gladiators trailed 5-1 before scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth. Mason forced extra innings with two runs in the seventh.
Rylee Gulledge pitched all eight innings for Fowlerville.
“We were getting no-hit through five,” Fowlerville coach Brad Ryan said. “Our demeanor never changed. We just kept going about our business.”
Mason won the second game, 14-10, but the championship was decided by then. Fowlerville finished division play with a 9-1 record, while Mason finished 8-2. The Gladiators averaged 12.4 runs per game in the CAAC Red.
The victory not only earned Fowlerville a division title, but the final berth in the Greater Lansing Hall of Fame Softball Classic. The winner of the first game was essentially a play-in game for the tournament. Fowlerville will face Laingsburg in the first round at 8 p.m. Monday, May 18.
“It put a little bit of extra pressure on, because two of our goals this year were to win the league and get into the Diamond Classic,” Ryan said. “We had everything rolling on that first game.”
Fletcher drove in two runs in the first game and four in the nightcap, hitting a home run.
Fowlerville won the championship after finishing second to Williamston each of the past two seasons. The Gladiators were CAAC Red champs in 2022 and 2023.
In baseball, Mason swept Fowlerville 11-1 and 12-2.
Track and field
MIAC jamboree
Charyl Stockwell’s boys took first place out of six teams and the girls placed second out of five.
Landon Shimkus won the 1,600-meter run in 4 minutes, 52.67 seconds, Jeff Lindsey won the 300 hurdles in 49.00 seconds and Troy Verville won discus at 109 feet, 11 inches for Stockwell.
In the girls meet, Lauren Hammond (12.95 100), Ella Heffner (1:03.15 400), Bailey Yates (16.88 100 hurdles), Penelope Usborne (4-10 high jump), Aimee Klaver (6-0 pole vault) and Jessica LeFeve (15-0 long jump) won for Stockwell.
Boys golf
Pinckney 167, Ypsilanti Lincoln 196
Pinckney swept the first four places, with Alex Swinton shooting 39, Emmett Edin 41, Charlie Austin 43 and Ben Karolak 44.
Brighton 146, Salem 150, Canton 165
Brighton junior Grady Bissett shot 1-under-par 34 to take first place. Brayden Gregg and Dom D’Agosta shot 37s, and Mitchell Stoll and Jack Peterson shot 38s for the Bulldogs.
Northville 145, Howell 157
Michael Maiberger was fourth and Nick Salvatore tied for fifth with a 39 for Howell.
CAAC Red jamboree
Fowlerville’s Alex Daavettila and Tommy Cox tied for eighth with 41.
Boys lacrosse
Ypsilanti Lincoln 9, Howell 8 (OT)
Ryan O’Dea scored five goals and one assist, while Tobias Midlam had two goals and four assists for Howell.
Girls soccer
Dearborn 5, Brighton 2
Kate Malachino and Lizzy Seiter scored for Brighton (4-8).
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@livingstondaily.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Fowlerville softball rallies, wins league title on walk-off hit
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
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