COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – In a cross-county high school baseball game we had on the radio Thursday night, Coldwater scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 5th to break a 1-1 tie, then held on to beat Quincy 4-2 on Senior Night for the Cardinals at Lowe Field. Our Coldwater McDonald’s Player of the Game, starting first baseman, Jimmy Johnston went 2-for-2 and scored in the 5th to help preserve the victory for his brother Marty, the third of 5 pitchers employed by the Cardinals. Randall Linton picked up his second save of the season, and Brendan Spangler added a double as Coldwater improved to 20-6. The Orioles, who fell to 19-11 with the loss, were led by Jake Rider, who went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI; he was our Quincy McDonald’s Player of the Game. Josh Clark took the loss on the hill in relief of starter Hunter Haylett.
Bronson lost both ends of a doubleheader to visiting Niles Brandywine, 15-0 and 5-2. Noah Roberts and Tyler Roussey were the losing pitchers for the Vikings, while offensively, Phillip Mandoka had a double in the opener and Ben Byler hit a triple in the nightcap. Bronson’s record drops to 10-16.
In softball, it was “Strike Out Cancer” night at the Rotary Softball Complex, as Coldwater hosted Quincy for a pair. The Orioles won the opener 4-3, while the Cardinals took the nightcap 16-14. Darlene Horn took the tough-luck loss in Game 1, giving up 9 hits and no walks with 9 strikeouts. Offensively, Morgan Howard hit a home run and a single and drove in 2, and Michaela Gillette had a triple. The Game 2 slugfest saw 35 hits between the two teams, with Payton Watson and Gabby Milnes each getting a double and two singles. Stacy Guzy picked up the win on the circle for Coldwater, whose record stands at 19-6. Coldwater swept the JV doubleheader at Quincy, 14-4 and 20-5.
Bronson swept a pair from visiting Niles Brandywine, 4-2 and 12-11. Skyler Sobeski was the winning pitcher in both ends of the twinbill, giving up no earned runs in either game. In the opener, Allie Sikorsky went 2-for-2 with a double and a single, while Kiana Mayer went 2-for-3 with a triple and a single. In the nightcap, Kinslea Blouin was 4-for-4 and Hannah Hoover 3-for-4, all singles. The Vikings improve to 24-7.
In boys golf, the inaugural Interstate 8 Championship was held at the Bedford Valley Golf Course in Battle Creek. Coldwater came in 2nd place behind Conference Champion Lumen Christi. Coldwater shot a team score of 329 with Lumen’s team carding a team total of 311. Coldwater was led by Cam Ruge with a 78, Keagan Dwyer carded an 82, Nolan Duda had an 84, Nate Waterbury shot an 85 and Stephen Boston and Nick Galliers rounded out the scoring with both shooting 87’s. Coldwater placed three individuals on the All Conference team with Cam Ruge finishing 4th overall, Nolan Duda 6th, and Nate Waterbury 7th. Coldwater also had 3 players who were Honorable Mention All Conference: Stephen Boston, Keagan Dwyer and Nick Galliers.
In girls soccer, Quincy picked up a 9-1 win at Hillsdale as the Orioles outshot the Hornets 40-2. Liz Counterman had 3 goals, Cailyn Hines had 2 goals and an assist, and Cailyn Cook had a pair of goals; Payton Hines and Gaby Masson had the other goals, while Ally Parrish had 2 assists for the Orioles, who improve to 7-6-2 overall, 5-2-1 in the Independent Soccer League.
MHSAA Track and Girls Tennis Regional tournaments are set for this weekend as the spring sports season starts to wind down. In track, Coldwater travels to the Division 2 Regional this afternoon at Mason. Tomorrow, Quincy hosts a Division 3 Regional with Bronson among the teams competing, and Union City is at the Division 4 Centreville Regional. In girls tennis today, Coldwater is at the Division 3 Paw Paw Regional and Bronson is at the Division 4 Battle Creek Central Regional. Elsewhere on today’s schedule: In baseball, Coldwater hosts Pennfield in a doubleheader rescheduled from April 21st. In girls soccer, Coldwater entertains Columbia Central for a varsity-only game starting at 6, while Quincy plays at Jonesville. And in boys golf, Union City travels to Cedar Creek for a dual match against Climax-Scotts.
Today on the Coaches Corner, we’ll check in with Coldwater softball coach Tina Scheidler.
