HB 5.27.2021

Page 18 — Thursday, May 27, 2021 — The Hastings Banner

DK girls fall to tough

non-conference foes

on home diamond

With big match-ups ahead, the Delton

Kellogg varsity softball team challenged itself

late last week with tough non-conference dou-

bleheaders against Gull Lake and Hopkins in

which the Panthers were 0-4.

Gull Lake scored 13-11 and 12-8 wins at

Delton Kellogg High School Thursday and

the Panthers took the field at home again

Friday falling 5-2 and 12-10 in two ballgames

with Hopkins.

The Delton Kellogg varsity softball team

has a big conference doubleheader at

Schoolcraft this afternoon and will open the

state postseason June 5 taking on Union City

in a Division 3 District Semifinal ballgame

hosted by Climax-Scotts High School.

In the Panthers 12-10 loss to Hopkins

Friday, Allison Brandli had three hits, going

2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI to lead her

team. Aubrey Aukerman was 2-for-4 with an

RBI and a run scored. Lizzy Fichtner was

2-for-4 with an RBI. Mya Brickley and Josie

Lyons also both drove in two runs. Lyons,

Abby Fichtner, Brickley and Jordan Lyons

had one hit each.

Hopkins had a 6-0 lead after batting in the

top of the fourth, but DK battled back to with-

in 10-7 heading into the seventh when the

Vikings tacked on two more insurance runs.

DK scored three times in the home half of the

inning to see their comeback bid end just

short.

DK got two hits each from Brickley and

Chloe Colwell and singles by Brandli and

Allie Trantham in the 5-2 loss Friday. Paige

Thomas had two RBI, and Josie Lyons and

Brickley each scored a run.

All five runs against DK pitcher Brickley

were unearned. She struck out five, walked

three and gave up just five hits.

Gull Lake took its opener with the Panthers

12-8 Thursday. Allie Trantham led the DK

attack with a pair of doubles. She scored a run

and drove in one.

Lizzy Fichtner tripled and Colwell and

Thomas doubled for DK in the loss. Thomas,

Brandli, Aukerman, Josie Lyons and Abby

Fichtner each had an RBI.

Gull Lake dug out of a 7-5 hole in game

two with two runs in the fifth, two in the sixth

and then four in the top of the seventh. Again

DK put together a late really, scoring four

times in the bottom of the seventh, but fell by

two.

Aukerman was 4-for-5 to lead the Panthers

at the plate. She had a pair of doubles, a triple,

five RBI and four runs scored. DK got three

hits from Lizzy Fichtner, including a double,

and three RBI. Brandli was 2-for-5 with a

double and an RBI. Josie Lyons, Brickley and

Thomas each doubled once. Josie was 2-for-

at the plate with two walks and scored three

times.

Saxon teams help Special

Olympians get chance to compete

Val Slaughter
Contributing Writer
A non-sanctioned, Special Olympics event
was hosted by the Hastings track teams at
Baum Stadium and Johnson Field Saturday.
The Barry County Community Mental Health
Authority’s Madelene Ellsworth worked with
Hastings head track coach Brian Teed to get
the event set up.
“One of the athletes volunteers at our
church and he always takes an interest in how
my kids and the track team are doing,” Teed
said. “I learned that through state funding
being changed and with complications from
COVID it had been several years since they
were able to participate in Special Olympics.
So, I thought our team could easily step in and
fill that gap. They, the competitors and our
track athletes, all seemed to love the idea, so
we put a small competition together.”
Fill the gap is what they did. The track team
set up events for the athletes to compete in,
including a softball throw, a ‘javelin’ throw,
long jump, 100-meter run and walk, 55-meter
run and walk, 100-meter and 55-meter wheel-
chair races, and a wheelchair obstacle course.
The competitors received some instruction
and coaching from the track team, as well as
being cheered along by the track team and
their families. Track team member helped to
time races and greeted participants at the fin-
ish line. High fives were spotted all around, as
well as smiles, hugs and a few tears.
Ann Kuhlman, mother of Nathan Kuhlman
an athlete that participated, said “my son is 43
and has Down syndrome. He has attended the
[Barry Intermediate School District] and went
to the Positive Directions program. Since that
program was stopped per State directive, it’s
been very hard for the participants to socialize
with their old friends and classmates. That’s
why this track and field event was such a suc-
cess. It was inclusive with wheelchair races
and events geared for the success of all. Nate
had a wonderful time competing, cheering on
his friends and being cheered on himself.
There were high schoolers who were at the
finish lines to greet participants in the activi-
ties and encourage them. Everyone was happy
and smiling, it was a real treat after the year of
isolation we’ve had. Nate showed me his
medal and was very proud of it. As a mom, I
was proud of our community and its kindness
to members of our area who are often over-
looked. I hope there are more events like this

in the future.”

After competing in the events, contestants

received medals, and they and their families

were able to sit and share a meal from the

Saxon Spirit Bus. Volunteers, working the

Saxon Spirit Bus and handing out meals

included Hastings Middle School track coach

and teacher Jason Slaughter, Linda Pacheco,

Sue Arens, and track team members Sarah

Lichvar and Jacob Arens. Others from the

track team also helped to set up and tear down

the Spirit bus tables and event.

“I feel like it went well,” Teed said. “Now

we will figure out how to do it again next year

and make it a little better. I think it was good

for both those who had the opportunity to

compete and for our track athletes. I think we

learned that we all have special gifts. A few

have been given been given a special gift to

run fast, for example, but everyone has been

given the gift of putting smiles on people’s

faces and there were lots of smiles.”

The group of Special Olympians gathers with members of the Hastings High School track and field teams during their special
event, to make up for missed opportunities to compete in recent years, Saturday inside Baum Stadium at Johnson Field. (Photo
by Valerie Slaughter)

Mya Brickely pitches for the Panthers

during their non-conference doubleheader

with visiting Hopkins Friday at Delton

Kellogg High School. (Photo by Perry

Hardin)

Sally Ledbetter receives some coaching and instruction from track team members

Kirby Beck and Sam Randall for her softball throw. (Photo by Valerie Slaughter)

Delton Kellogg’s Audrey Aukerman drives the ball during her team’s doubleheader

with visiting Hopkins Friday evening. (Photo by Perry Hardin)

Lakewood ladies held winless at

tough Division 4 tennis regional

Brett Bremer

Sports Editor

The Lakewood varsity girls’ tennis team

closed its season at the Division 4 Regional

Tournament hosted by NorthPointe Christian

High School Thursday.

The Vikings were held without a win at the

tournament.

The second doubles team of Allie Pickard

and Izzy Wheeler put up a good fight in the

second set to try and extend their season, but

fell to the North Muskegon duo of Izzy

Reynolds and Natalie Lorenz 6-2, 7-5. That

was the closest match of the six played by

Viking players Thursday.

Lakewood forfeited the third and fourth

singles flights.

North Muskegon took the regional champi-

onship with 24 points. NorthPointe Christian

was second with 19 points, ahead of West

Catholic 18, Grant 17, Calvin Christian 9,

Muskegon Catholic Central 4, Comstock Park

4, Lakewood 0 and Western Michigan

Christian 0.

The first singles championship went to

North Muskegon’s Alicia Hall, who bested

Grant’s Jada Zerlaut 6-1, 6-1 in the final after

having not dropped a single game in her first

two matches of the tournament.

The Division 4 Lower Peninsula Girls

Tennis Finals will be played in the Portage

area June 3-5 with hosts Portage Central,

Portage Northern, Loy Norrix and Portage

West Middle School.

Lions face tough competition

at Lansing Christian Invitational

The Maple Valley varsity boys’ golf team

placed 16th at the Lansing Christian

Invitational at Hawk Hollow in Bath

Wednesday (May 19).

The Lion team put together an 18-hole

score of 417, led by junior Owen Bailey’s 90.

The Maple Valley team also got a 94 from

Christian Schrader, a 111 from Kenneth Curtis

and a 122 from Caden Faurot.

Ann Arbor Skyline took the day’s title with

a team score of 297, ahead of Hudsonville

332, Grand Rapids Christian 334, Hackett

Catholic Prep 346 and Lansing Christian 356

in the top five.

Skyline had four guys among the day’s top

six scorers. Vima Alokam, a senior, shot a

one-under-71 to take the individual medalist

honors for the day. Skyline also had Mitchell

Strickland second with a 73, Luke Richard

third with a 76 and teammate Vibhav Alokam

tied for fourth with a 77.

Bath’s Ethan Swenson and Grand Rapids

Christian’s Dylan Clark each scored a 77. The

remainder of the top ten included a 78 from

Leslie’s Cannon Risner, an 80 from Grand

Rapids Christian’s Alex VandenBerge, and

81s by Skyline’s Leuan Jones and

Hudsonville’s Foster Faber.

The Maple Valley were scheduled to head

back towards the Lansing area Wednesday,

May 26, to take part in the Greater Lansing

Activities Conference Championship

Tournament at Forest Akers East Golf Course

on the campus of Michigan State University.