Gaylord Little League softball caps successful season with state tournament run

Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
Gaylord Little League Softball poses after the quarterfinals of the Little League Softball Majors state tournament on Tuesday, July 12 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.
Gaylord Little League Softball poses after the quarterfinals of the Little League Softball Majors state tournament on Tuesday, July 12 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — As 2022 rolls on, Gaylord area athletes continue to impress, no matter the sport or the age group.

As July hits the that halfway point, many youth baseball and softball seasons are coming to a close as travel teams eye their final tournaments of the year while local Little Leagues begin their postseason tournaments.

For Gaylord's 12U Majors softball team, their final journey began last week with a championship, winning the District 8 Championship over Johannesburg-Lewiston, 9-2.

That win qualified the Blue Devils for the 10-12 state tournament held in Grosse Pointe Woods this past weekend, eventually advancing all the way to the quarterfinals of the championship rounds before their season came to a close against Saint Clair Little League, finishing among the top eight teams in the state.

Peyton Titus looks to apply a tag during the quarterfinals of the Little League Softball Majors state tournament on Tuesday, July 12 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.
Peyton Titus looks to apply a tag during the quarterfinals of the Little League Softball Majors state tournament on Tuesday, July 12 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

The tournament included 15 teams from all around Michigan, separated into four pools. Gaylord was part of the lone three-team pool, joining the host team Grosse Pointe Little League along with Tecumseh Little League.

After falling to Grosse Pointe in game one, the Blue Devils got back on track with a come from behind, 11-10 victory against Tecumseh in game two. They entered the last inning trailing by one run, but a leadoff triple by Piper Wangler set her up to score the tying run a few pitches later.

Then, after Madalyn McArthur worked her way to third base after being hit by a pitch, Jaylynn Juntunen walked and didn't stop at first base, attempting to steal second. When Tecumseh reacted, McArthur was able to dash home and score the winning run.

That gave Gaylord a 1-1 record through pool play, good enough to finish in second place and advance to the championship rounds that started on Tuesday, July 12.

On Tuesday, Gaylord was met by a strong Saint Clair team, eventually falling 11-1 to wrap their season in the top eight of the state tournament.

Piper Wangler pitches during the quarterfinals of the Little League Softball Majors state tournament on Tuesday, July 12 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.
Piper Wangler pitches during the quarterfinals of the Little League Softball Majors state tournament on Tuesday, July 12 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

Team members include Addison Matts, Peyton Titus, Brooke Warren, Jaylynn Juntunen, Kenleigh Holmes, Violet Deuel, Regan Dobrezelewski, Hadley Sorenson, Madelyn McArthur, Rylie Marr, Morgan Holzschu, Piper Wangler and Omanii Switalski.

The trip to Grosse Pointe has been largely covered by local donors, with a local business pledging $1,000 to help the parents and coaches cover their travel costs for the long weekend.

Others helped by donating to the team's GoFundMe page, something you can still do if you want to support the team members and their families.

Little League season is not over yet for Gaylord; this weekend, the city will play host to the Senior Baseball state tournament, hosting seven other teams from across the state from Thursday, July 14 to Sunday, July 17.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord Little League caps successful season with state tournament run