44 Wednesday, June 6, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
WILL KOWALSKI
Sports/Asst. EditorCoach Jerry Haadsma’s Lakeview
High boys’ lacrosse squad was
the last local laxer team standing
in Michigan High School Athletic
Association postseason play this
spring, making it to a Division 2
regional final tilt before getting elimi-
nated by the No. 4-ranked team in the
state.
The Spartans succumbed to fourth-
ranked Ada Forest Hills Eastern 23-8
on May 28 in the regional final round
in a match played at regional host
Okemos High.
All-City champ Lakeview reached
the regional final by first defeating
Ovid-Elsie 17-3 in first-round action
on May 20, and then edging East
Lansing 5-4 in a regional semifinal
on May 22.
Following its victory over
Lakeview, Ada Forest Hills Eastern
went on to defeat Grand Rapids
Catholic Central 19-8 in a state quar-
terfinal on May 31, and this past
Wednesday (June 5) took on Grand
Rapids Forest Hills Central in a statesemifinal match.
The D-2 state final is then set for
this Saturday (June 8) at 11 a.m. at
the University of Michigan, with the
D-1 state championship game to fol-
low in Ann Arbor this Saturday at 2
p.m.
The two other local boys’ lacrosse
teams to compete in D-2 postseason
action this spring – Harper Creek
and Pennfield – also played in the
same Okemos-hosted regional as
Lakeview, and were eliminated ear-
lier than LHS.
Coach Devin Higgins’ Harper
Creek Beavers – runner-up to
Lakeview at All-City – opened the
playoffs with a 6-5 triumph over
Okemos on May 17 in the first round
before losing 19-1 to Ada Forest
Hills Eastern in the regional semifinal
round on May 22; and coach Jack
Boyd’s Pennfield Panthers lost 22-1
to Ada Forest Hills Eastern in the
first round on May 17.
For a complete rundown on boys’
lacrosse postseason play this spring,
please visit mhsaa.com.LHS laxers fall in regional final
WILL KOWALSKI
Sports/Asst. Editor
Coach Jason McCullough’s All-
City champion Lakeview High soft-
ball squad was the lone local team to
win a Michigan High School Athletic
Association district championship
last weekend, with the Spartans pre-
vailing in a Division 1 district tour-
ney it hosted on Saturday, June 1.
Lakeview opened district tourney
play with a 17-0, three-inning mercy-
rule triumph over Jackson, and then
defeated Holt 10-6 in the district title
tilt.
Next up for the Spartans is
a regional semifinal game this
Saturday (June 8) at noon at
Kalamazoo Central versus Lansing
Waverly. The winner of that game
will then play for the regional crown
at 2 p.m. against the winner of the
other semifinal at the K-Central site
pitting K-Central vs. Hartland.
The winner of the regional will
then move on to state quarterfinal
action next Tuesday (June 11) at 3
p.m. at Albion College’s Dempsey
Field against the winner of the Saline
district.
In Lakeview’s 10-6 district title
game triumph over Holt, sophomore
right-handed pitcher Gia Palma got
the win on the mound, going all
seven innings and allowing three
earned runs on 10 hits with four
strikeouts.
Spartans win softball district, play in regionals Saturday
Lakeview High softball players jump
for joy and throw their gloves into the
air after defeating Holt last Saturday
to win an MHSAA Division 1 district
championship. (Photo provided)
Coach Jason McCullough’s Lakeview High softball team is shown with its district championship trophy last Saturday. –
with LHS now headed into regional semifinal play this coming Saturday at Kalamazoo Central High. (Photo provided)Offensively for LHS, senior Faith
Hewkin, sophomore Claire Van
Dis and Palma had two RBI apiece;
and with one RBI each were junior
Camille Oxley, sophomore Brooklyn
Berning, junior Marin McCullough
and senior Sarah Metzger.
In other district softball tourney
play last week involving local teams:- In a D-2 district hosted by
Coldwater, in the semifinals on June
1, Coldwater eliminated Pennfield
13-0 in five innings, and Marshall
downed Harper Creek 10-4.
In the ensuing title game, Marshall
beat Coldwater 12-1 in five innings
to advance to regionals. - In a D-2 district hosted by
Otsego, Gull Lake was elimi-
nated in a first-round game 10-0 by
Vicksburg on May 28.
Then, in last Saturday’s semifinals,
Vicksburg eliminated Plainwell 10-0
and Otsego edged Paw Paw 6-5 –
with Vicksburg prevailing 9-1 in the
title tilt vs. Otsego. - In a D-3 district hosted by
Parchment, in last Saturday’s semis,
Kalamazoo Christian eliminated
Galesburg-Augusta 19-0 in three
innings and Parchment downed
Delton Kellogg 16-6 in five innings.
Then, in the title game, K-Christian
beat Parchment 5-1. - In a D-4 district hosted by Colon,
the semifinal round saw Athens
defeat Tekonsha 10-9 and Burr Oak
beat Colon 5-4.
Then, winning the district crown
was Burr Oak with a 14-4, five-
inning win over Athens.
- And, in a D-4 district hosted by
Gobles, in the semis, Martin beat the
Climax-Scotts Co-Op (a co-op with
St. Philip and Calhoun Christian)
12-1 and Gobles topped Kalamazoo
Hackett 14-1.
Winning the district title was
Martin with a 7-5 decision over
Gobles.- Note: For complete softball post-
season tourney results, see mhsaa.
com.