The Tawas Area softball team placed second in the Ogemaw Heights Falcon Invitational Softball tournament on Saturday, May 29.

Tawas went 2-1 on the day beating Midland High School 5-4 in eight innings and Vestaburg 11-0 in five innings before dropping a 5-4 decision to Beaverton in the tournament championship game.

In their opening game against Midland, Abby Gentges went the distance for the Braves to pick up the 5-4 extra inning win. Gentges allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits. She struck out nine and walked four. Pohl took the loss for the Chemics.

The game was scoreless through the first three innings but the Chemics pushed a run across in the top of the fourth on a hit batter and an error to break the scoreless tie. But the Braves came back with a run of their own on an Amber Yates home run to tie the score at one each.

Midland took the lead in the fifth on a triple by Jenae Forbes and an error for a short lived 2-1 lead. The Braves bounced right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to reclaim the lead. With one out, Gentges was safe on an error and advanced to second on a ground out by Ivy Schaaf. Cooper was hit by a pitch and Katie McKenzie delivered a two run single to put Tawas up 3-2.

The Chemics mounted a comeback to tie the score in the sixth. Cain singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Geneva Osborne drew a walk. Both runners moved up on a passed ball before Justine Doyle singled home Cain with the tying run. Tawas managed to put two runners on in each of the last two innings but was unable to score any runs.

With the game tied at the end of seven innings, the eighth inning was started using the international tie breaker rule. Midland scored their runner on a ground out, fielder’s choice and an error to take a 4-3 lead.

Tawas started the bottom of the eighth with Katie McKenzie on second. Jenny Ross doubled on the second pitch to score McKenzie to tie the game. Ross stole second and, with two out, Serena Sciotti laid beat out a suicide squeeze bunt to score Ross and give Tawas a 5-4 win.

Leading hitters for Tawas were: Ross with two singles, a double and three RBI, Katie McKenzie with one hit and two RBI, Amber Yates with a home run and one RBI, Serena Sciotti with one hit and one RBI, while Shelby Alda, Christie Cooper and Ivy Schaaf had one hit each.

Tawas had little trouble handling Vestaburg in their second game, picking up an 11-0 five inning mercy win. Abby Gentges went the distance to pick up the win allowing no runs on three hits. She struck out five and walked two.

Tawas mounted a two out rally in the first on back to back singles by McKenzie and Rachel Adaline, a double by Ross and a pair of wild pitches to take a 3-0 lead. They picked up a single run in the third on a single by McKenzie, a walk to Adaline and another pair of wild pitches. The Braves got their final seven runs in the fourth. Olivia Janis walked, Gentges singled, Cooper walked, McKenzie doubled, Ross homered, Yates and Alda singled, and Janis tripled as the Braves batted around to post the 11-0 win.

Leading hitters for Tawas were: Katie McKenzie with a double, two singles and one RBI, Jenny Ross with a double, a home run and four RBI, Olivia Janis with a triple and two RBI and Ivy Schaaf, Rachel Adaline, Amber Yates, Shelby Alda and Abby Gentges had one hit each.

In the championship game, Tawas had several opportunities to take one from Beaverton but came up on the short end of the 5-4 score. Abby Gentges picked up the loss going the first three innings. Gentges allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits. She struck out six and walked three. Shelby Alda pitched the final four innings allowing one unearned run on no hits. She struck out four and walked three.

The Beavers took an early 1-0 lead in the first on a double by Alex Price and a single by Roberson.

Tawas got two runs in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Rachel Adaline singled to open the inning. Ross doubled and Serena Sciotti laid down a sacrifice bunt and was safe on an error with Ross scoring.

But the Beavers came back with three runs in the third to take a 4-2 lead. Jesse Reyna and Alex Price walked, Roberson doubled, Murray and Eaton both singled to account for the scoring. They increased their lead to 5-2 in the fifth on a walk to Solomon, a wild pitch and an error.

Tawas got two back in the bottom of the fifth to close to 5-4. Serena Sciotti and Ivy Schaaf doubled and Christie Cooper singled. But that would be all they would get. Tawas managed base runners in each of the last two innings but were unable to push any runs across.

Leading hitters for Tawas were: Jenny Ross with a single, double and two RBI, Serena Sciotti with a single, double and one RBI, Christie Cooper and Ivy Schaaf with a single and one RBI and Katie McKenzie, Rachel Adaline and Shelby Alda with one hit each.