Imlay City’s Natalie Stone arrives safely at third base on a bunt by Aibigail Thibodeau versus Linden.
IMLAY CITY — Imlay City, listed among the honorable teams in the statewide rankings, exited tournament action with a 9-4 setback to sixth-ranked Linden in a Division 2 regional semifinal softball battle last Saturday afternoon.
Clio High School is where the contest took place.
With the decision, Imlay City watches an outstanding 27-14 campaign reach an endpoint.
In Saturday’s battle, Imlay City spotted Linden (the eventual regional champions) a 3-0 edge after one inning.
The second inning would see Imlay City counter with a 2-0 advantage, closing the gap to 3-2.
That was followed by a scoreless third inning of play.
Inning four saw Linden collect three runs and Imlay City none, pushing their cushion to 6-2.
Linden followed it up with a 3-1 fifth inning advantage, widening the gap to 9-3.
Imlay City then countered with a 1-0 sixth inning, pulling to within 9-4.
That would prove the last runs either side would accumulate.
Abigail Thibodeau (three singles) paced Imlay City’s offensive attack. She was backed by Natalie Douglas (a homer), Lexa Forti (a double) plus Emma Sellers, Natalie Stone, Kayla Rossen and Skylar Stone (a single each).
Grace Schriber (six hits over four innings, one strikeout and one walk) and Makenzie Hayward (six hits over three innings, one strikeout and no walks) shared the pitching responsibilities for Imlay City.
Kevin Kissane has been covering high school sports for the Tri-City Times since 1985. When not standing on a field or court with his camera and notepad, he enjoys golf, travel and family. Kevin is a 1980 graduate of Capac High School, and is also a grad of St. Clair Community College and earned a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University.
