FAIR HAVEN — A 22-year wait for the Port Huron Northern softball team ended Friday night.
It took eight innings, but the Huskies held on and defeated Macomb Dakota, 8-7, to win their first district championship since 2003.
Northern improved to 26-2-2 overall and advanced to next Saturday’s Division 1 regional semifinal at Royal Oak High School.
“There was absolutely no quit (in our players),” Northern coach Randy Shagena said. “They had a belief that they were going to get it done … and they proved it.”
In the top of the eighth, Ellyanna Hagen broke a 7-7 tie with an RBI single that drove in Elliana Cruciano for the go-ahead run.
Then, in the inning’s bottom half, Dakota went 1-2-3 as Cruciano retired the side.
“(This district title) is something that we’ve been building towards for awhile,” Shagena said. “I have five seniors this team. All five of them were freshmen on varsity (three seasons ago) — we took our lumps. But every year, they steadily got better and better … as seniors, they’ve taken it one step further, collectively, with their leadership. It’s been so impressive.”
The Huskies will face Utica Eisenhower (12-19-0) in next week’s regional semifinal. First pitch is 10 a.m.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Port Huron Northern softball clinches first district title since 2003
Reporting by Brenden Welper, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
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