JOHANNESBURG — Back to where it started.
Johannesburg-Lewiston went back to the all-black uniforms the team hadn’t worn for three seasons when the Cardinals faced a shot at starting and finishing a four-year stretch with nothing but Ski Valley Conference championships.
The Cardinals swept Bellaire 3-2 and 6-0 in a winner-take-all doubleheader to close out the SVC slate, as the league’s only two unbeaten teams faced off Thursday at Johannesburg-Lewiston.
“We’re pulling these back out, and we’re gonna finish with these seniors,” J-L coach Kim Marlatt said. “It’s really a great accomplishment for all of them, especially the seniors. They’ve been here all four years, and they’ve worked really hard.”
Bellaire (16-3, 12-2 Ski Valley) wore its black-topped uniforms as well, although the Eagles’ red pants made the two teams fairly easy to differentiate.
The Division 4 No. 2-ranked Cardinals (26-2, 14-0 SVC) didn’t play any home games the previous two seasons, so the black unis kind of went hand-in-hand with the team’s road warrior mentality as they waited on construction of their new field, especially the squad’s five seniors.
Joburg senior and Ferris State commit Jayden Marlatt pitched two complete games for the first time all season, striking out 14 in the opener and another 10 in the nightcap, fanning the game’s final two batters to hit double digits.
“I really have to keep my head straight and just focus in on the plate and which batters hit me the first game,” Jayden Marlatt said. “Just push through to help my team out.”
She conserved pitches when possible, throwing only one warm-up pitch prior to the opener’s third inning, then recording a 1-2-3 frame that included two strikeouts looking.
Bellaire struck first, with sophomore Gem Massey belting a solo home run to right-centerfield for a 1-0 first-inning lead, but Marlatt fanned at least two every inning and J-L answered with a three-run bottom of the first. Marlatt drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to score Cassie Tallman, and a Britney Fox long sacrifice fly to the warning track in right field allowed Reagan Sides and Ashlynn Burke to score from second and third.
Bellaire senior Alex Dawson scored in the second for the game’s final run, as Marlatt and Eagles freshman Brooklyn Fischer controlled the game from there. Fischer ended the contest with six strikeouts.
Joburg kept Bellaire off the scoreboard in the nightcap, even as the Eagles threatened on a Fischer stand-up triple in the first inning.
Burke singled in Sides in the second and drove in Marlatt in the third, with freshman Mady Peppin scoring Sides on a sacrifice bunt for a 3-0 lead. J-L tacked on three more in the fourth on a Marlatt single, a Sides double and a Burke single.
Marlatt largely took it from there, with the J-L defense turning a 5-3-5 double play on a fifth-inning sacrifice bunt attempt.
The Cardinals bounced back from their first losses of the season Monday against No. 7-ranked Hillman — a non-league twinbill in which Marlatt didn’t pitch, to save her for the league championship matchup — by scores of 12-3 and 4-1. Hillman is also in J-L’s district.
“Jayden did a great job pitching,” Coach Marlatt said. “We just lost a tough one to Hillman where we didn’t hit the ball. Today, they came out more focused at the plate and ready to hit.”
Bellaire, meanwhile, didn’t have enough players to even field a team in 2022, but the Eagles bounced back last year with a 10-16 record and ran the table in the SVC until running into Joburg.
“The quick turnaround is a result of the group of underclassmen we have that play year-round and are invested in softball combined with our athletic upperclassmen,” Eagles coach Katie Verellan said. “These girls just enjoy playing the game and are working hard to get better every day.”
With only two seniors and one junior, Bellaire seems poised to be an SVC contender for years to come. The Eagles have seven freshmen and sophomores in their starting lineup, and two eighth-graders on varsity as well. Senior Alex Dawson and junior Alayna Elandt complete the starting lineup.
“Our league is very competitive compared to others,” Coach Marlatt said. “We have Inland Lakes, Mancelona, and we have Bellaire now — and they’re all competitive teams.”
Burke collected three hits on the night, while freshman Neela Lawes had two in the nightcap.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have two or three pitchers that we can use, so she’s always been able just to pitch one game. But we thought tonight we’re going to go with her. We needed her and she sucked it up. She has a little bit of a sore arm right now, but did a great job both games.”
The Cardinals, who field a junior varsity team this year for the first time in program history, advanced to the state semifinals last year and have their sights on a return flight.
“It’s our goal from here on out,” said Jayden Marlatt, who allowed only one earned run in 12 innings.
Marlatt improved to 13-0 on the season with a 0.20 earned-run average and an even 150 strikeouts in 68.2 innings. She’s hitting .640 with eight home runs and 49 RBI. Two freshmen, Peppin and Burke, also help lead the offense, hitting .482 and .469 this season, respectively.