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EAST LANSING — This wasn’t David and Goliath, although the tale of the tape made it look similar.
If the Armada High School softball team was to reach its first MHSAA state final since 1979, it would first have to vanquish Stevensville Lakeshore, a program that’s won eight state championships since 1995.
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But as the Tigers have done so often this postseason, they discarded the pregame notes and slayed yet another softball dragon.
Freshman pitcher Megan Cox was superb, going the distance to guide Armada past Lakeshore, 4-2, in an Division 2 state semifinal at Secchia Stadium on Thursday, June 11.
The Tigers improved to 36-8 overall and advanced to Saturday’s state final — their first since 1979 — Ogemaw Heights or Farmington Hills Mercy.
Armada wasted no time and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Lilyana Piconke hit a one-run double to center field that scored Helena Fettue from second base. A few batters later, Cox sent Piconke home on an RBI single to left field.
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Meanwhile, Cox was dealing on the mound. She retired the first 17 Lakeshore batters, including 12 on strikeouts.
The Tigers added another run in the third thanks to a Lancers error. With Piconke on second base and two outs, Taylor Capozzo hit a pop fly that was dropped by Lakeshore’s shortstop. Piconke, who had tagged up, scored with ease.
In the fourth inning, with runners on second and third, Addy VanHoeck hit a bloop single to shallow center field that drove Ava Kuroski home from third. That put Armada in front, 4-0.
The Lancers’ first hit — and baserunner — was a two-out double in the top of the sixth on a pop fly to left field.
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Lakeshore then scored on an error (a dropped pop fly to left field) with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. The Lancers drew closer, 4-2, with another run on an RBI single to right field.
First pitch for Saturday’s state championship game is 12:30 p.m.
Armada’s Megan Cox pitches during a Division 2 state semifinal against Stevensville Lakeshore at Secchia Stadium in East Lansing on Thursday, June 11.
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Armada is 35-8 overall
The winner advances to Saturday’s state final against Ogemaw Heights or Farmington Hills Mercy.
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Armada softball stuns Lakeshore, advances to first state final since ’79
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
