Final Four again for Huron softball

It is on to the final four for the Huron softball team after a 4-1 win over Central Lake in Traverse City Tuesday.

Logan Fleming had three hits, a single and two doubles, scored two runs and drove in another as the Hurons defeated Central Lake 4-1 in the state Division 4 quarterfinal. The junior third baseman scored in the first inning, after singling, moving to second on Courtney Streich’s sacrifice bunt and stealing third base. She doubled home Rachel Chojnacki, who walked, in the second inning with a double. Then, after doubling in the fifth, she scored when a Central Lake outfielder mishandled Streich’s fly ball.

Senior pitcher Nikki Radke, as Central Lake (26-7) left eight runners stranded. CL had the potential tying run at the plate, after two batters had singled in the seventh inning before Radke got the number three hitter to ground out to Courtney Streich at short stop for the final out.

Sarah Meredith had an RBI single in the fifth inning, when the Hurons scored two insurance runs.

CL scored its only run in the first inning cashing in on a leadoff double, a one-out

sacrifice bunt and a single. CL had nine hits on the day.

The Hurons play the winner of the Fowler vs. Westland Huron Valley Lutheran game, which started at 5 p.m. in Brighton. That semifinal game will be played at 5 p.m. Friday on the Michigan State University softball stadium.

In the 3 p.m. Friday semifinal in the top half of the bracket, Vestaburg plays the winner of the Kalamazoo Christian (last year’s champion) vs. Morenci. The Hurons defeated both Vestaburg and Kalamazoo Christian earlier in the season.

The Division 4 championship game will be played Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at MSU.

The Advance will have writer Peter Jakey reporting and Richard Lamb photographing the action from MSU.