——————–

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Sentinels softball team continued its strong start at the Spring Swing tournament, edging out Calumet 7-6 in a walk-off victory in the Superior Dome on Saturday afternoon.

The win kept Marquette undefeated at 2-0 in tournament play as they had one more game to play against downstate Homer that evening.

The Copper Kings wasted no time getting on the board, capitalizing on several Marquette miscues to grab a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Sentinels answered in the bottom half, sparked by Cece Fuller’s double. Emma Trepanier came in as a pinch runner and later stole home, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Marquette’s Cece Fuller, bottom, slides and scores while stealing home in the first inning as the Sentinels get on the board during their high school softball game played at the Spring Swing tournament held at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

The Sentinels’ defense settled in during the second inning, highlighted by a strong throw from catcher Layla Roman to throw out a runner at second base. Marquette clawed back with another run in the bottom of the inning, as Nora Skytta reached base and was driven in by Lily Smigiel, making it 3-2.

Both teams had chances in the third, but Calumet’s defense held off Marquette. In the fourth, the Copper Kings broke through again, adding two more runs off the bat of Jailyn Poshak to extend their lead to 5-2. The Sentinels again responded in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of walks and aggressive baserunning. A deep hit by Ava Hanford plated a run, and another run followed to close the home team’s deficit to 5-4.

The Copper Kings added an insurance run in the fifth off a wild pitch to make it 6-4, but the Sentinels weren’t about to give up. Skytta led off with the Marquette half of the inning with a single, followed by a Trepanier hit to put runners in scoring position.

Hanford came through in the clutch, smashing a double to bring home two and tie the game 6-6. With tension building, Halle Haynes delivered the final blow, singling to drive in the winning run and complete the comeback.

Fuller went the distance in the circle for Marquette, allowing just one earned run over five innings while striking out one. She also chipped in with two hits at the plate along with Skytta. Hanford’s late-game heroics proved crucial, while Haynes sealed the walk-off moment.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.