EAST LANSING — Mendon softball coach Mike Smith was not going to stop Brooke Gerth as she rounded third base on Saturday.
The Hornets needed just one more run, which Gerth scored, to 10-run rule the five-time defending Division 4 state champion Unionville-Sebewaing. With the play developing in front of him — and Rowan Allen having already crossed the plate — Smith’s right arm was wheeling pretty good. Gerth picked it up without hesitation and went on to slide through home plate, head first, to give Mendon the victory at 11-1.
The state championship is the first for Mendon in softball. The state crown will certainly fit in for a place referred to as “Title Town.”
“I don’t know how to feel, it’s hard to put into words,” Smith said Saturday afternoon at Michigan State University, site of the finals. “The girls have been here three years in a row. We tried so hard to get over it and we finally did it. I’m exhausted. I have a lot of emotion when I’m out on the field and I’m so happy for the girls.”
Unionville-Sebewaing had knocked Mendon out of the playoffs in each of the past two seasons at MSU. This year, the third time was the charm as the Hornets believed they would get back once again and ultimately finish the job.
“I feel like the weight of the world is lifted off our backs,” Mendon coach Steve Butler said. “This is a group that has worked their butts off since they were 10 years olds. They earned it, they deserve it and they came out today and dominated.”
Following the victory and subsequent photo opportunities after the game, Allen was able to share a massive hug with her dad. There were hugs all around from players, coaches and family members, a customary ritual following the winning of a state championship.
Allen said the was proud of her team. The Hornets had worked so hard to continue to get better, she said.
“I really just can’t believe that we just won. Mentally it hasn’t hit me yet, but it’s been a dream forever,” Allen said. “It’s the greatest feeling ever. All that hard work has certainly paid off. I love my dad so much. All that time he spent on the bucket catching me, it’s just a dream come true. I love everyone on this team.”
Mendon set the tone for the game early. The Hornets scored four runs in the stanza, they all came with two outs. Ally Butler had the first big contribution with a 2-run single that scored Allen and Taya Bingaman. Next up, Cienna Nightingale doubled in both Brielle Bailey and Bingaman to push the lead to 4-0.
Unionville-Sebewaing would never recover.
Mendon would go on to match its run total in the third inning as well, posting four. Nightingale once again knocked in a pair of runs before Elise Allen hit an RBI single to score one. Abby Butler then slugged a double which scored Allen and pushed the lead to 8-0.
“This means everything to me,” Abby Butler said.
The Patriots plated one run in the fifth inning, but it was quickly answered by Mendon with one of its own. There, Ally Butler would cross the plate on an error from Unionville-Sebewaing and make the game 9-1.
“Complete excitement. Complete happiness,” Ally Butler said. “It’s surreal, honestly. It’s everything we have been working for since we’ve been little.”
When Gerth crossed the plate to score the state-title winning run, the Mendon fans at Secchia Stadium exploded with excitement. Both Butler and Smith came running in from their coaching boxes looking to hug anyone in sight. The Mendon players dog-piled at home plate.
“It’s pure intensity all the time. The kids never lost focus in the game,” Butler said with emotion. “They were locked in and zoned in the whole day. There’s always a team that’s ready to take the next step against a dynasty. We feel like we’ve been ready the last few years and today we finally took that step. We finally dethroned the champs.”
Nightingale led the offense with the two hits and driving in four. Ally Butler and Kaidee Gonser, a pair of seniors, both finished with two hits as well in the game. Elise Allen and Abby Butler both had run-scoring hits, Jadyn Samson and Rowan Allen collected a base hit as well. Bingaman was credited with an RBI.
“I’m more in shock that my emotions aren’t all over the place,” Gonser said. “Sure, I’m shaking right now, but I think it will take a few days to really hit me. I’m just so happy right now.”
Bailey, one of five seniors with the Butler twins, Elise Allen and Gonser, was emotional right after the game.
But she was able to collect herself and soak it all in. She even said she’d be willing to play a second game against anybody.
“Really stoked, actually. Really excited, but also kinda sad, I’m just so happy that we won,” she said. “I love this sport to my core and I love my teammates.”
Allen struck out five in six innings of work. USA ends the season with a record of 21-16 while the Hornets finished up at 36-2.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Mission accomplished: Mendon ends five-year softball title run by Unionville-Sebewaing
Reporting by Brandon Watson, Sturgis Journal / Sturgis Journal
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