News Photo by James Andersen Posen’s Cami LaTulip, left, tags out Pellston’s Nattie Bryson as she tries to get back to first base during the third inning of a softball game on Saturday at Posen High School.

POSEN–A day that began with frustration ended on a happy note for the Posen softball team.

The Vikings took third place in their annual Wozniak Invitational on Saturday at Posen High School, defeating Eben Junction Superior Central 6-1 in the consolation game.

Posen dropped its tournament opener, 6-3 to Pellston.

Posen (12-15) scored twice early against the Cougars and padded its lead in the third inning, adding three runs to take a 5-1 lead. Posen’s first four batters got on base and Hannah Stone and Taylor Roznowski had an RBI single and RBI double respectively. Arianne Chojacki added an RBI groundout.

Posen scored once more in the fifth inning after Anissa Eagling singled home Chojnacki.

Superior Central scored its only run in the fourth inning and tried to rally back in its final turn at the plate. The Cougars loaded the bases with two outs, but a fly ball to left field ended the game and the threat.

Chojacki earned the win, allowing eight hits, one run and striking out eight.

“Our pitching is coming around and that makes the whole game easier,” Posen coach Wayne Karsten said. “When your pitchers are throwing strikes and not walking anybody, the defense is on their toes and it makes it easier.”

Stone had two hits and an RBI for Posen and Roznowski had a hit and two RBI.

Posen was left lamenting missed opportunities in the tournament opener. Trailing late in the game, the Vikings had base runners on second and third base in each of the last two innings, but couldn’t score them.

In the fifth inning, Pellston got two quick outs before Brooke Ciarkowski and Roznowski got on base on a single and fielders choice respectively. A double steal put runners on second and third, but the Hornets got a fly ball to end the threat.

Pellston took advantage of two errors in the bottom of the fifth inning to add two runs and up its lead to 6-3 before Posen tried to rally again.

In the top of the sixth inning, Cami LaTulip got to first base on an error and Morgan Dubie added a single to bring the tying run to the plate with no outs. A groundout moved the runners to second and third with one out, but a fly ball and a groundout ended Posen’s hopes for a rally.

“You go through games where you see really good pitching or you see up-and-down pitching,” Karsten said. “Sometimes the girls have trouble adjusting to what’s coming.”

Pellston broke the game open in the third inning, scoring four runs on six hits while taking advantage of two errors and a pair of passed balls. Nattie Bryson and Kewaygeshik each had an RBI single.

The Hornets’ rally overshadowed Roznowski’s two-run double in the top of the inning, which gave Posen a 3-0 lead at the time.

Stone gave Posen a 1-0 lead in the the top of the first inning with an RBI double to drive in Riley Krajniak.

Chojnacki took the loss for Posen, allowing six runs on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Dubie led Posen with two hits and Krajniak scored twice.

Rudyard won the tournament title after beating Pellston 11-2 in the final. Rudyard also beat Superior Central 16-1 in the semifinals.

Posen plays at Whittemore-Prescott on Monday.