06-07-2018 Tri-City Area Sports
Great Saturday for Coloma sports
Saturday, June 2 proved to be fruitful for the athletes at Coloma High School.
The varsity softball and baseball teams won their respective district championships and now head into regional play Saturday, June 9.
Calvin Starnes pitched his way to 120 strikes and broke the school’s single season strikeout record.
The Comet 800-meter relay team finished first in state track competition at Comstock Park and broke a school record.
Also setting the bar a bit higher for future Comet athletes was the 1600-meter relay team. The foursome finished second at state and set a new school record in the event.
Josh Young also broke a school record after he finished third in the 400 meters.
More details about each sport and event are provided in the individual reports that follow.
Congratulations to the athletes and coaches on their successes!
Coloma softball clinches district championship
In what is becoming almost routine for the Lady Comets softball squad, the team won the Division 3 District 77 championship Saturday, June 2.
FROM THE CHAMBER(S)… Hartford’s Mikenzie Chambers scoops up a lined shot in centerfield Saturday and rifles the ball back to the infield. Hartford lost the district championship game to Coloma 6-0. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)
District competition began Tuesday, May 29 as the Comets faced Bloomingdale in first-round competition.
The visiting Cardinals flew the coop after Coloma walloped them for 10 runs in the mercy-rule shortened game.
Skylar Crisenbery was the winning pitcher. She did not allow a hit.
Coloma opened the first inning with six runs which paved the way for the win.
Offensively for the Comets, Morgan Wagner his three doubles and scored two runs. Jaidyn Hutsell hit a double and had three RBIs. Mya Potter smacked a double and scored two runs. Crisenbery hit a single and triple.
Col 6 1 0 | 1 2 10 10 0
Blo 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 1
With the win, Coloma moved on and faced perpetual semi-final foe Watervliet Saturday. Watervliet had a first-round bye.
Most softball fans would agree that the Coloma/Watervliet semi-final game is actually the championship match-up. But, brackets don’t lie and the teams met in the 10:00 a.m. game to see who would move on.
All in all, it was a great contest. Watervliet’s Ariana Rowe had a heck of an outing on the rubber against a high-scoring team. Rowe’s pitches seemed to pick up speed the deeper she went into the game.
Coloma stranded two runners in the top of the first, while Watervliet left one aboard.
In the second inning, Rowe picked up her second strikeout, and Crisenbery struck out two batters with one Panther on base. The score remained 0-0.
Coloma had some serious scoring power in the third inning. Megan Koenigshof bunted and took first on the single. She stole second base and was moved across the plate by Morgan Wagner’s RBI single. Fielding throws around the infield led to Wagner reaching second then third base. Jaidyn Hutsell hit an RBI single. Mya Potter got in on the action with a single, which was followed by Crisenbery’s single shot. Megan Neubecker hit an RBI single and the score stood 4-0.
Watervliet got their runs on the board in the bottom of the third. A passed ball scored one runner before Kara Liles stepped up to the plate.
Facing two outs and runners on second and third, Liles blasted a triple, which scored two runs. At the end of three, Watervliet clawed back but still trailed the Comets 4-3.
The Comets added another run in the sixth inning after Kayla Yore sent the ball screaming over the fence in her long ball effort.
A BIG FOURTH INNING… Coloma’s Nick Eastman crosses the plate in the fourth inning of Saturday’s district semi-final contest against rival Watervliet as Panther catcher Ryan Chisek lets out a yell. Coloma would top Watervliet 6-0 to move to the championship game. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)
Crisenbery took the win for Coloma although she struggled for a portion of the game, including hitting two batters. Hutsell spent some time pitching for the Comets as well. Rowe took the loss for Watervliet.
In addition to Yore’s home run, Coloma was aided by Wagner’s single and double. Megan Koenigshof, Hutsell, and Sam Stewart had two singles apiece.
Col 0 0 4 | 0 0 1 | 0 5 11 3
Wat 0 0 3 | 0 0 0 | 0 3 4 2
In the noon contest, Hartford, who also received a first round bye, tangled with Bangor. It wasn’t much of a contest as the Indians shell shocked the Vikings with the 10-1 victory.
Hartford opened the game with a one-run first inning. The Indians added five runs in the second inning as they cruised to the 10-1 district semi-final victory.
Lainey Goodson took the mound for Hartford. She earned the win and struck out two batters.
Goodson was also a force on offense. She had two singles and two doubles. Regan Sinclair hit an inside the park home run.
Ban 0 0 0 | 1 0 0 | 0 1 4 8
Har 1 5 0 | 3 0 1 | x 10 6 0
Coloma and Hartford then dueled it out in the district championship game. It was Coloma who came out on top, recording the 6-0 shutout.
Crisenbery and Goodson were the starting pitchers, with Crisenbery taking the win.
Coloma held Hartford to just three hits in the seven-inning outing. Meanwhile, Hartford gave up 11 hits.
Wagner had her way with the Indian offense as she hit a single, double, and triple. Koenigshof hit three singles, and Hannah Mathis had two. Hutsell blasted a double.
Following the games, Coloma head coach Wendy Goodline said, “I wouldn’t say we played our best softball of the day, but we did what we needed to do. We came through with some big hits when we needed them and some plays when we needed it. At this point, it’s survive and advance, so we’ll take it and get ready for next week.
“I thought Rowe pitched a fantastic game. That’s the best she’s pitched against us. She moved the ball well and kept us on our toes. Luckily, we got a couple more runs than they did.”
Coloma now heads into regional competition with a 33-3 overall record. The Lady Comets also won the Southwestern Athletic Conference title this season.
The Comets will face District 80 champion Jonesville Saturday, June 9 at noon at regional host Buchanan. The winner of that game will face either Constantine or Schoolcraft at 2:00 p.m. for the regional championship.
The Jonesville Comets are a member of the Big 8 Conference and located east of Schoolcraft.
Har 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 3 1
Col 0 2 1 | 3 0 0 | x 6 11 0
Coloma baseball captures previously elusive district championship
Coloma baseball ended a 13-year drought after they claimed the Division 3 District 77 championship on their home field Saturday, June 2.
District baseball action opened Tuesday, May 29 as Coloma took on Bloomingdale and Hartford faced Gobles. Watervliet received a first-round bye and awaited the winner of the Coloma/Bloomingdale game in the semi-finals.
Coloma needed only seven hits and exceptional pitching by ace Calvin Starnes Tuesday night to tally the 6-0 shutout over the Cardinals.
Starnes earned his eighth win of the season as he went the distance in the two-hit contest. He struck out 15 batters and walked one.
Coloma scored three runs in the first inning to take a commanding lead of the game. The Comets sprinkled hits in the second, fourth, and sixth innings in the 6-0 victory.
Nick Eastman led Coloma on offense. He had a double and scored three runs. Starnes hit two singles, and Ethan Price stroked a double.
Blo 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 2 3
Col 3 1 0 | 1 0 1 | x 6 7 0
At Hartford, the Indians hosted Gobles and lost a heartbreaker 4-3 in a rain-shortened five inning game.
With the victories, Coloma moved on to play Watervliet and Gobles geared up for Bangor.
Coloma and Watervliet, arguably the two best teams in the Southwestern Athletic Conference as they finished second and first, respectively, in the conference, battled for a berth in the championship game.
And, it all came down to one inning. With the scored tied 0-0, Coloma went to the plate in hopes of scoring some runs. They did but it came in the form of a couple fielding and throwing errors by Watervliet. Two consecutive overthrows by the third baseman over the head of the first baseman allowed four Comet runners to cross the plate.
The six runs scored by Coloma in the fourth inning would prove to be the difference – and all that was needed for the semi-final game victory.
Starnes was on the mound for the Comets. He allowed just one hit by Watervliet’s Jakob Aldrich. He struck out five, walked two, and hit one Panther batter. Starnes broke the single season strikeout record at Coloma in the game; the new record set by Starnes is 120 strikeouts.
Ethan Price scored two runs for Coloma on a double. Hunter Crist had two RBIs and walked once.
The Comets stranded five runners.
Watervliet’s lone hit was courtesy of Aldrich.
Garrett Matthews opened the game from the rubber for Watervliet. He pitched five innings, allowed six runs, four hits, struck out one, walked two, and hit a batsman. Aldrich came on in relief. He went two innings and allowed two hits.
Col 0 0 0 | 6 0 0 | 0 6 6 1
Wat 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 1 4
The championship game featured Coloma and Bangor, and it wasn’t much of a contest. Coloma had the high-powered hitting from their entire squad and even pitching from Hunter Crist. Both were the key in the Comets’ 12-2 victory.
The score was knotted up at 1-1 following the first inning, but the Comets added eight runs in the second inning to take the 9-1 lead. Coloma added another three runs in the fourth for the win.
Crist pitched five innings of the contest. He struck out six and walked one and allowed two runs on three hits including a third inning home run. Ethan Price finished the game, pitching the sixth inning. He struck out two.
Kenyon Boyd hit two singles for Coloma and drove in four runs. Nathan Wilder hit a single and drove in two runs. Ethan Price banged out an RBI double. Robbie Schroeder hit a double and scored a run. Eastman and Ian Ishmael also scored runs for Coloma.
Coloma head coach Kevin VanPeteghem has chased this title the seven years he has been the Comet coach. According to him, the last Coloma baseball team to win a district title dates back to the 2005 season.
“We were able to put pressure on Watervliet,” VanPeteghem stated Saturday, following the trophy presentation. “I’m pleased, not just with this team but the teams from the last seven years that brought us to this point. This is a team effort, it’s everybody. I’m proud of this team.”
VanPeteghem, who rested Starnes in game two, said, “We asked [Hunter] Crist to throw strikes, and he did that.”
With the district hardware in hand, Coloma will face Homer in Regional 20 action at Buchanan Saturday, June 9. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. The winner of that game will meet up with the winner of the Buchanan/Schoolcraft game for the regional championship which begins at 2:00 p.m.
Col 1 8 0 | 3 0 12 9 0
Ban 1 0 0 | 0 0 2 3 0
Press Box Player of the Week!
Calvin Starnes: Record breaker Calvin Starnes, the Coloma Comets starting pitcher, is this week’s Press Box Player of the Week. Starnes dominated the diamond and paved the way for Coloma baseball’s district championship win Saturday.
In first round action, Starnes picked up his eighth win of the season against Bloomingdale. In that contest, he threw a two-hitter while striking out 15 batters. He also contributed two of Coloma’s seven hits. In semi-final action, Starnes recorded his ninth win of the season over rival Watervliet. He allowed just one hit and struck out five. Starnes set a new Coloma single-season strikeout record with 120. The senior pitcher graduated from CHS last Friday and will head to Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida this fall on a full-ride scholarship. Congratulations, Calvin!
Dr. Andy says… “Proper nutrition is essential for health. I recommend everyone should take a good supplement to ensure the body is getting what it needs. Who really does eat right?”
Coloma breaks records at MHSAA State Track Finals
Records were made to be broken and you could hear plenty of them fall Saturday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s track and field finals at Comstock Park.
BLOCK BY BOLIS… Coloma’s Emily Bolis blocks her Dowagiac opponent May 29 as the Comets faced the Chieftains in the first round of district competition. Coloma shut out Dowagiac 3-0, beat Buchanan in semi-finals action 5-2 in two overtimes, but fell 8-0 to Paw Paw in the finals. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)
Division 3 competition was fierce, but Coloma athletes earned top honors in two events. Coloma finished state competition in seventh place overall while Watervliet finished tied for 38th. Over 60 teams participated in state competition.
Coloma found stunning success in the relay events. The winning combination of Caleb Ellis, Sincere Taylor, Josh Young, and Derek Plitt flew to the best time in the state and first place in the 4×200 relay. They completed the event in 1:28.61 seconds, outpacing their competitors from Clare by just three-tenths of a second. With the winning time, the team also broke the school record.
In the 4×400 meter relay, the foursome teamed up again and finished second in the state with a time of 3:25.35 and also broke the previous school record.
The Comet relay team of Michael Dancer, Nick Fogarty, Ellis, and Plitt finished 10th in the 4×100 meter relay with a time of 44.52 seconds.
Josh Young, a senior on the Coloma squad, finished third in the 400 meters with a time of 49.50 seconds. He also set a new school record in the 400 meters.
Coloma’s Cole Alsup was 11th in the state in discus competition. His throw resulted in a distance of 143’ 3”; that throw set a new personal record for the athlete.
Watervliet’s Lamarrius Smith placed at state in the long jump. He finished third at 20’ 11”. Smith tied for 13th place in the high jump. He leapt 5’11”.
Hartford’s Riley Traver competed in the high jump. He finished in 15th place, topping 5’ 9”.
AJ Jackson, the lone female competitor from the Tri-City area, finished 10th in the shot put. The Hartford senior topped 35’ 3/4”.
Area teams fall in district soccer
Varsity soccer seasons came to an end for Coloma, Hartford, and Watervliet this past week.
SLIDING DIRTY… Coloma’s Morgan Wagner gets down and dirty during last Tuesday’s first round district softball game against Bloomingdale. Coloma recorded the 10-0 shutout over the Cardinals thanks, in part, to Wagner’s three doubles and two RBIs. Coloma went on to defeat Watervliet and Hartford to win the championship trophy. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)
In Division 3 District 33 soccer, Coloma played Dowagiac at home to start the tourney Tuesday, May 29.
Coloma earned the 3-0 shutout of the Chieftains through a balanced offensive attack and strong defense that allowed only two shots on goal.
Emma Vandermolen came up big for the Comets. She scored two goals, with Grace Gagliardo credited with an assist.
Mackenzie Ecker also scored for the Comets. She was assisted by Vandermolen.
Coloma had 12 shots on goal.
Emma Watson was in as keeper for the Comets. She was credited with two saves.
With the victory, Coloma faced tournament host Buchanan Thursday, May 31.
The Bucks jumped out to an early 2-1 lead in the first half. Coloma notched a goal to tie the game up as regulation ended.
In the first overtime period, Coloma scored two goals. The Lady Comets then chipped in another goal in the second OT period to take the game 5-2.
Coloma had 15 shots on goal, while Buchanan had 14.
Ecker scored two goals unassisted for Coloma. Vandermolen also kicked two goals, with an assist from Ecker on one. Gagliardo scored on a penalty kick.
Watson returned in the net for Coloma and had 11 saves in the district semi-final.
Saturday, June 2 saw perfect weather for the district championship game between Paw Paw and Coloma. Clouds gave way to blue skies and mild temperatures as the teams hit the field.
Despite a strong effort by Coloma, the Lady Comets ended their season after being shut out 8-0 by Paw Paw. Coloma seemed just a half-step behind Paw Paw and struggled to find their footing and advance the ball.
Coloma coach Rick Redman’s squad put together a heck of a season and should be congratulated on their efforts.
Meanwhile, in Division 4 District 49 competition, Watervliet earned a first round bye. The Lady Panthers’ first game was a semi-finals match against Michigan Lutheran held Thursday, May 31.
Watervliet got on board early as Vicky Smith booted the goal seven minutes into the game. Emma Armstrong assisted. Unfortunately, that lone goal would prove to fall well short of the win.
Michigan Lutheran pounded the Watervliet defense for three first-half and six second-half goals to take the 9-1 win.
Watervliet will return all but one player to next year’s team as they look forward to the 2019 season.
The district title was claimed by Lake Michigan Catholic in a 4-3 win over Michigan Lutheran.
STATE CHAMPIONS BREAK SCHOOL RECORD… Coloma’s 800-meter relay team soared past the competition Saturday at Comstock Park as they finished first in the state. Derek Plitt, Josh Young, Sincere Taylor and Caleb Ellis set a new record in the event with a time of 1:28.61, which also broke the Coloma school record.
Hartford played host to Division 4 District 50 soccer competition. The Indians received a first-round bye.
In their first game of the tourney, a semi-final match held Thursday, May 31, Hartford fell 4-2 to Holland Black River.
Hartford’s two goals came in the first half of play. Abigail Lopez and Mercedes Requenes kicked one goal apiece. Requenes and Brianna Morseau each had an assist.
Jessica Cortes was in as keeper for Hartford; she recorded 16 saves. Holland Black River went on to win districts with a 5-1 victory over Bangor.
Hartford hammers Hackett for two wins on the diamond
The Hartford Indians softball team certainly came to play ball Thursday, May 31. The squad traveled to Kalamazoo Hackett and took two games, 13-3 and 11-6.
In the early outing, Hartford opened up with a huge five-run first inning. That set the pace of the game, and the Indians did not look back.
Cora Wesaw, Jaelyne Galvan, Lexi Griffith, Lainey Goodson, Ariah Jordan, and Mikenzie Chambers all belted multiple hits for the Indians.
Goodson pitched for the Indians and tallied the “W.”
Har 5 2 4 | 0 2 13 15 0
Hac 0 1 1 | 1 0 3 7 0
In the late game, Hartford battled to an 11-6 victory. Regan Sinclair picked up the win from the rubber. She struck out four.
It was another balanced attack from the Indian offense as the ladies scored in five of the seven innings played. The squad had 15 hits. Hartford led 3-1 after the first inning and 5-4 after the second. Hackett’s sixth-inning rally fell short, and Hartford closed out their regular season with the sweep.
Har 3 2 2 | 2 0 0 | 2 11 15 3
Hac 1 3 0 | 0 0 2 | 0 6 11 0
Hooterville Hitters seeking players for 2018 season
The Hooterville Hitters vintage baseball team opens – and closes their season – June 30 this year and is in need of players.
No experience is necessary as your local Hitters take on the House of David Echoes as part of Watervliet Independence Weekend Celebration festivities. Players need to be age 10 and older, and waivers will need to be signed prior to play. Check out the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/hootervillehitters.
Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30 at Hays Park.
The game is played according to rules from the 1860s, which means men do not wear gloves and a hit caught following the first bounce is considered an out. There are other rules, too. For example, when you cross home plate after being driven in, you must approach the scorekeeper and ask that individual to, “Tally my ace, please.”
The game is strictly for fun and bragging rights, although the Hitters hope to avenge last year’s loss. If you would like to play ball, please email tcrpressbox@gmail.com or text me at (269) 208-6823.
Players will be provided a team t-shirt for their effort. The team is co-ed and sponsored by Noack Construction.
Ladies Monday Night Happy Hour Golf League
Monday, June 4 golf report from the Paw Paw Lake Golf Club:
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