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PREP ROUNDUP: Wildcats secure share of BNC title

TRAVERSE CITY — For the ninth consecutive season, the Alpena High softball team is Big North Conference champions.

The Wildcats earned a doubleheader sweep over rival Traverse City Central on Tuesday, defeating the Trojans 7-1 and 17-8.

Emma Fraser and Jade Schultz combined to throw a no-hitter in game one as Fraser picked up the win pitching four innings before being relieved by Schultz who finished the final three frames. The duo combined to strike out six Trojans in the win.

The Wildcats scored wasted no time taking an early lead when Fraser ripped an RBI single and Allie Funk followed in up with a two-run single to plate Allie DeRocher.

Alpena added four more runs in the third inning as Schultz and Allie Funk each had a pair of RBI in the inning.

The Wildcats continued to swing the hot bat in the nightcap.

Fraser once again earned the win in the circle tossing four innings before being relieved by Lilly Lewis who finished the game.

The two pitchers were backed by plenty of run support as Schultz homered in the first inning and Central took its first and only lead of the night as they led 2-1 after two innings.

The Wildcats responded in a big way as they blew the game wide open with a nine run third inning to grab an 11-2 lead and cruised to a big victory.

Fraser and Schultz each collected three hits in the game and Sydney Chojnacki hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to put the finishing touches on a conference championship clinching day.

Alpena is a perfect 8-0 in conference play and can win the BNC outright on Tuesday when the Wildcats play their final home game against Petoskey.

BASEBALL

Alpena splits with Trojans

TRAVERSE CITY — Despite splitting a doubleheader with its BNC rival on Tuesday and dropping their first conference game of the year to Traverse City Central, the Alpena High baseball team is still in the driver’s seat and controls its own destiny in the conference race.

The Wildcats came a game closer to winning a BNC title outright after they got a strong pitching performance in game one from senior Bruz Copping who pitched a complete game in Alpena’s 5-2 victory.

Copping allowed just two earned runs, scattered six hits and struck out three batters in the win.

Alpena held a 3-0 lead after three innings before Central scored its first run of the game in the home half of the fourth to cut the lead to two. The Wildcats tacked on two more in the seventh to take a 5-1 and the Trojans scored one, but that’s all they could muster in the final inning.

Offensivley, Alpena was led by Alex Cosbitt who went 2-for-3 and scored a pair of runs. Aidan Goike, Kyle VanDusen, Colin Donajkowski and Copping each had a hit apiece in the game. Goike, VanDusen and Riley Arlt each scored a run and VanDusen, Copping, Donajkowski, Owen Limback and Chris DeRocher each had an RBI.

Alpena fell in the nightcap by a score of 5-1.

One bad inning hurt the Wildcats as they committed four errors in the third inning which led to five unearned runs as Central took a 5-0 lead.

Alpena’s lone run came in the fifth when Goike plated Clay Donajkowski on a fielders choice.

The Wildcats were held to five hits as VanDusen led the way with a pair of hits and Cosbitt, DeRocher and Clay Donajkowski added a hit apiece.

Keegan Spomer was the tough luck loser on the mound as he pitched all six innings, allowed five runs, zero earned, struck out seven and allowed just four hits.

Alpena is 7-1 overall in BNC play and can win a BNC championship on Tuesday when it plays Petoskey who is second in the BNC with a 6-2 record.

JV BASEBALL

Weide throws perfect game in Alpena sweep

Travis Weide threw his second perfect game of the season and the Alpena High JV baseball team swept Traverse City Central convincingly on Tuesday, winning 15-0 (four innings) and 4-0.

Weide allowed no hits, no walks and struck out eight over four innings, pitching his second perfect game of the season.

At the plate, Weide was 2-for-3 with a double; Charlie Williams was 1-for-2 with a double; Matt Thompson was 4-for-4 with three triples and Victor Chen was 2-for-4. As a team, Alpena (18-1, 8-0 Big North Conference) collected 10 hits.

Keegan Hahn limited the Trojans to two hits and fanned 11 in the nightcap.

Noah Marquardt was 2-for-4; Alex Cadarette was 1-for-2 with a double; Luke Tucker and Logan Momrik each went 1-for-1.

Alpena scored a run in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings to hold off the Trojans.

Alpena will play in a Big North Conference baseball tournament in Petoskey on Saturday.

JV SOFTBALL

Alpena splits with Trojans

The Alpena High JV softball team split a pair of games with Traverse City Central on Tuesday.

The Wildcats lost the opener 6-5 and won the nightcap 15-0 (three innings).

In the opener, Elysa Kelley took the loss for Alpena (19-4). At the plate, Kyra Lucas, Brianna Reiner-Cook and Allison Urlaub each had hits.

Urlaub earned the win in the nightcap, striking out four batters.

Madison Medina was 3-for-3 and Lucas and Ashlynne Bloom each had hits.

TRACK AND FIELD

Local schools complete in 9/10 Falcon Invite

OGEMAW HEIGHTS–The Alpena High boys track team finished second the girls team took third in the large school division at the 9/10 Falcon Invite on Monday.

Alpena’s boys team finished with 131 points, just behind Cadillac which had 178.

Alpena’s girls team finished with 94 points, behind Cadillac (167) and Gaylord (119).

The Wildcats had four wins on the boys side and one on the girls side.

Jacob Kochanski won the 1,600 run (4:59.24); Drew Seabase won the 3,200 run (10:03.26); Ryan Voltz won the 300 hurdles (44.73) and Westen Domke won the high jump (5-7).

Maggie Thayer won the girls pole vault (7-0).

Other top finishers for Alpena were:

BOYS

Long Jump–5. Domke, 16-8 1/2.

Pole Vault–2. Austin Heath, 9-6.

Shot Put–4. Allen Johnson, 35-7.

400 Dash–3. Jason Smolinski, 1:04.12.

800 Run–2. Kochanski, 2:15.79; 4. Andrew Dargis, 2:25.95.

3,200 Run–2. Kochanski, 11:18.23; 5. Blake Macdonald, 12:04.56.

110 Hurdles–2. Voltz, 17.86.

400 Relay–5. Caleb Bullis, Reginald Rambus, Ben Adamiak, Abraham Bruge, 53.25.

800 Relay–3. Adamiak, Voltz, Daniel Lowe, Austin Heath, 1:47.56.

1,600 Relay–2. Voltz, Seabase, Heath, Kochanski, 3:51.

GIRLS

400 Dash–4. Tiffany Foster, 1:11.22.

800 Run–2. Grace Mitchell, 2:43.72.

1,600 Run–2. Mitchell, 5:45.07.

3,200 Run–2. Mitchell, 13:23.50.

300 Hurdles–4. Veronica Zaborney, 59.30.

400 Relay–4. Emily Black, Abigail Obryan, Cambree Gildner, Maggie Thayer, 1:00.62.

800 Relay–5. Black, Gildner, Brylie Carstens, Karlin Decker, 2:13.77.

1,600 Relay–3. Mitchell, Gildner, Foster, Obryan, 4:52.90.

Shot Put–4. Brittany Mischloney, 28-3.

Discus–4. Mischloney, 79-8.

High Jump–5. Obryan, 4-0.

Long Jump–3. Foster, 14-0.

In the small school division, Oscoda’s boys team finished third (83) and Oscoda’s girls team finished sixth (17).

Oscoda’s Sophia Rayes finished third in the 100 dash (14.64); took fifth in the 200 dash (32.12) and finished third in the long jump (12-5).

On the boys side, Oscoda took first in three different relays. Brice Haskins, Anthony Ward, Aiden Backstrom and Kam Thomas won the 400 relay (49.26). In the 800 relay, Ward, Thomas, Haskins and Austin Birkenbach paced the field in 1:42.64. The quartet of Backstrom, Ward, Thomas and Birkenbach won the 1,600 relay (3.52.50).

Birkenbach won the 400 dash (56.59) and Backstrom took second in the 200 dash (25.05).

Other top finishers for Oscoda were: Ward in the 110 hurdles (2nd, 20.42) and Ian Boboltz in the 110 hurdles (5th, 22.60); Boboltz in the 300 hurdles (5th, 58.74); Backstrom in the high jump (3rd, 5-3) and Haskins in the long jump (4th, 15-5 3/4).

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