OTTAWA LAKE — Addeson Cousino became a student at Whiteford midway through her second-grade year.
She quickly found a friend in Bailey Spradling.
“I remember the first day we played a board game together,” Spradling recalled.
They have played a lot of games together since then.
Cousino and Spradling won four Tri-County Conference championships, captured three regional titles and played in the state finals twice as softball teammates at Whiteford.
They will get to be teammates one more time as they represent Monroe County in an all-star game against Lenawee County at Monroe High on Thursday, July 16.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Cousino also remembers that first day and Spradling’s kindness.
“It was very intimidating,” she said. “I was so young and I didn’t know anyone. She was the one who involved me.”
Later, they discovered that they were neighbors.
“We live two houses apart,” Spradling said. “We’ve been close a long time.”
Cousino and Spradling grew up as a battery.
“We used to be a pitcher-catcher duo,” said Cousino, who grew up as a catcher who was open behind the plate when Spradling pitched.
Both had moved to different positions when they reached the varsity team at Whiteford.
“As a freshman, I was a pinch runner and as a sophomore I played left field,” Spradling said.
The last two years, she moved to shortstop.
“We challenged her early, and she made some errors, but she kept a positive mindset and we trusted her to recover after mistakes,” Whiteford coach Matt VanBrandt said. “She always did. We kept reminding her that she is the best we have and that she will continue to improve — learning hops and bounces through practice and game reps. She knows that we often learn more through failure. Her recovery mindset allowed her to improve throughout both seasons at shortstop.”
Cousino started out at second base before shifting over to third this past spring.
“She was a quiet leader before this year, and we really pushed her to communicate more with her teammates,” VanBrandt said. “She has always been the perfect punch-the-clock type player. When it’s time to go to work, she is locked in and ready to contribute and lead.”
Cousino and Spradling are looking forward to the final game as teammates.
“It will be really fun,” Cousino said. “I am very excited.”
“The last time we played together (in the state quarterfinals) didn’t go so well,” Spradling added. “It will be fun to get another chance.”
Both girls will attend the University of Toledo next season, but neither will be playing sports.
“This is it for me,” Spradling said. “It’s bittersweet. I loved playing softball at Whiteford and always so much fun. But I think I am ready to move on to a new chapter in life.”
Cousino will concentrate on her studies in pharmacy.
The Whiteford girls will be joined on the Monroe County roster by Olivia McMahon, Sophia Elmer and Aly Lewis of Monroe, Emily Lambert of Ida, Emma Price and Kaitlyn Kwiatkowski of Bedford, Alivia LeBrun of Jefferson, Brea Olmstead of Summerfield, Catherine Shore, Rihanna Sartin, Addison Ramsby and Sasha Pender of New Boston Huron, Mckenzie Chrysler and Reese Knox of Milan, Jillian Baker and Kennady Kroll of Airport, Ashlyn Woodman and Faith Soden of Flat Rock.
Lenawee County will be led by four players each from Tecumseh and Britton Deerfield.
The Tecumseh quartet is Emma Eldred, Maddy VanBlack, Lainey Sysko and Sophia Torres and Allie Grosshans, Elayna Thornton, Leah Thornton and Kunna Dotson of BD.
The rest of the roster is made up of Annabell Preston and Lydia Ormsby of Clinton, Natalie Rosas and Hailey Vititoe of Adrian, Hannah Hill, Megan Hunt and Sofia Priest of Onsted and Sam Anderson of Hudson.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Old friends team up one more time in Monroe-Lenawee All-Star Softball
Reporting by Niles Kruger, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Niles Kruger, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
