Michigan Batbusters Balcom took second place. They are front (L to R) Sydney Rottermond, Brooklyn Marlow, Heaven Withers and Lily Stidham; and back Carley Baumgarten, Mia Robbins, Alyssa Balcom, Hailey Szydlik, Myah McLean, Brook Ross and Taylor French.
IMLAY CITY — Michigan Batbusters Balcom 15U softball team, which lists Imlay City’s Brook Ross on their roster, claimed a second-place finish pitted against 16U adversaries at the Eastern National Championships recently.
Ocean City, Maryland is where the action unfolded.
The squad started things off on Monday, July 26 with a 5-0 win over OFC Heat and notched a 7-1 victory over Middletown Thunder 16U.
Michigan Batbusters Balcom 15U then followed it up Tuesday, July 27 with a 16-1 triumph against Maryland Dynasty 16U. They then concluded pool play with a 12-3 win over Fury Softball 16U (New York) on Wednesday, July 28.
Later that day, Michigan Batbusters Balcom 15U picked up where it left off with a 7-2 victory against K and K Raptors 16U (Maryland).
Thursday’s lone contest would see the team obtain an 8-1 triumph over Wildfire Fastpitch 16U Red-Garner (Pennsylvania).
The following day Michigan Batbusters Balcom 15U remained unbeaten with an 8-0 win against Fusion Fastpitch (Pennsylvania) and posted a 2-1 victory over East Coast Impact (New York).
Saturday’s play saw the team push their tournament standing to 9-0, thanks to a 6-3 win against Central PA Bombers.
The squad then squared off versus Central PA Bombers again for first place honors. That battle drew to a close with Central PA Bombers up by a 13-6 scoreboard count.
Ross made her presence known for Michigan Batbusters Balcom 15U throughout the tournament and especially in the title game. There she finished with a pair of basehits, both of them two-run homers.
Myah McLean (North Branch), Heaven Withers (Lapeer), Carlie Baumgarten (Algonac). Mia Robbins (Romeo), Alyssa Balcom (Dakota), Hailey Szydlik (Romeo), Taylor French (Stoney Creek), Brooklyn Marlow (Henry Ford), Sydney Rottermond (Rochester) and Lily Stidham (Grosse Pointe North) joined Ross on the roster of Michigan Batbusters Balcom 15U’s team.
Kevin Kissane
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.
