SOFTBALL: Saline Rallies in the 7th to Defeat Hudsonville, Advance to State Championship

Another game. Another hero. Or two. Or more.

Saline rallied with two runs in the seventh inning to defeat Hudsonville, 5-4, and advance to the state championship game against South Lyon at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, at MSU's Secchia Stadium.

"I am so proud of them. We are so excited. We've worked the whole season for this moment. It's a dream come true," said Saline coach Rebecca Suiter. "That's what makes us special is that 1-though-9, anyone of us can hit the ball. We have a total team of 19 who can step up at any moment."

Zosia Mazur pitched the sixth and seventh after the Hudsonville bats came alive with home runs and two runs in both the fourth and fifth. Mazur gave up no hits and no runs, walking two and striking out 4. She got Ava Gardner , who'd hit a home run earlier, to fly out to Gracelyn Waldrop in right to end the game.

Mazur was the winning pitcher.

Saline was down 4-3 entering the ninth and pitcher Sophia VanKempen seemed to have tamed the Hornets.

But Reese Rupert opened the 7th with a double that bounced to the leftfield wall.

Hudsonville intentionally walked Sydney Hastings to put runners at first and second.  Ashley Malinczak grounded out to first and moved the runners up. Waldrop's fly ball scored Rupert and moved Hastings to third. 

Next up was Bellus, a slap hitter. The count was 3 and 2 and she fouled off four pitches before she popped one over the leftfielder and to the wall, scoring Hastings to give Saline the 5-4 lead.

"She has great at-bats all the time. She knew she had to step up and she stepped up," Suiter said.

The rally was over. But the game wasn't. Mazur had to face a Hudsonville lineup that had been getting stronger by the inning, it seemed. Mazur struck out the first batter. The second hitter lined to right-center. Tessa Hellebowler flued out to center-right. And then Mazur got Gardner to fly out to Waldrop in right to end the game.

Suiter said Abby Curtis, a hero throughout the post season, pitched very well, but the tough Hudsonville lineup and managed 4 runs in two innings and she elected to make the change.

"Zosia went out and we were trying to give them something different. Zosia was outstanding. That kid has worked so hard this season. The pitcher she was in March til now, oh my gosh, she's a totally different pitcher," Suiter said. "She's just been amazing. She works hard every day at practices and I'm so happy she had this moment."

Saline was hitting off starting pitch Paige Visser to start the game, but they couldn't score.

Meanwhile, Abby Curtis was shutting down Hudsonville.

Saline opened the scoring in the top of the fourth.

Bellus singled up the middle and stole second. Then Ava Stripp doubled up the middle to score Bellus. Jessi Phelps doubled up the middle to score Phelps.

Saline was up 2-0.

Hudsonville tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Kamryn Stankus led off with a home run to right center. The next hitter single and scored later on an error. Saline got out of the inning with a well-executed 6-4-3 double play by Casey Griffin, Elizabeth Onyskin and Stripp.

The Hornets went right back to work in the fifth. Hastings and Malinczak walked. Waldrop flied out, advancing the runners, but Hasingtons scored on a throwing error.

Hudsonville took its first lead in bottom of the inning with a two-run home run by Gardner.

Saline has already gone further than every softball team in program history. In 2013, Coach Alicia Seegert and the Hornets went to the quarter finals. Kristina Zalewksi and Laura Vaccaro pitched for that team. Katie Alexander, Alyssa Heren, the Harmon sisters and Sam Bruley were among the hitters.

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