TRAVERSE CITY — No trophy? Here’s some shoes instead.
Traverse City St. Francis celebrated by lofting a pair of size-13 skateboard shoes instead of a district championship trophy Friday after winning a Division 3 softball district title on the Mike Doriot Fields at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Middle School in Traverse City.
The trophy and the medals that will eventually go to the Gladiators were left behind at the high school, so first-year head coach Tom Hardy improvised.
“Of course, the one (district) we have at home, we don’t have the trophy,” senior pitcher Leah Simetz said. “We don’t need the trophy. We know we won.”
After being named head coach, Hardy bought a $40 pair of shoes online that were the Gladiators’ colors and happened to say “SB” on the bottom. He joked that it stood for “softball,” even though it was really a pair of skateboard sneakers.
He wore the Nikes only once because they weren’t comfortable, so the laces were tied together and they became the team’s big-play celebration item, with the last player awarded the shoes bestowing them to the next like a coronation. Each winner of the kicks signs them with their initials.
Simetz received them in St. Francis’ 15-0 district-opening win over Traverse City Christian after she belted a grand slam.
“Leah hit a bomb in that first game,” senior Sophie Hardy said.
Hardy cranked one of her own in the 7-2 championship win over Kingsley, sending a no-doubter over the left-center fence for a 4-0 lead. Freshman Sarah Gaylord, who singled with one out, also scored on the play.
“I thought it was a changeup,” Sophie Hardy said. “So I kind of sat back and then I knew it was gone right away. But that couldn’t have happened without Sarah Gaylord getting on base first. She set me up for that.”
Hardy leads the Gladiators (32-6-1) with nine home runs this season, almost half of the Gladiators’ 20 round-trippers, meaning her initials are all over her dad’s shoes.
St. Francis turned the scoreboard back on following the game so players could pose for photos in front of the 7-2 score, in lieu of pictures with the district trophy.
“You saw the scoreboard,” TCSF senior shortstop Hunter St. Peter said. “We had that. The little things.”
St. Francis got out of the first with a double play off a popped-up bunt attempt as catcher Zoey Jetter dove for the pop and then doubled off a runner at first base.
The Glads manufactured two first-inning runs, with a Jetter RBI double and a Leah Simetz RBI single to right field.
Hardy belted a second-inning no-doubter to the left-center power alley for a 4-0 lead. Gaylord, who singled with one out, also scored on the play.
Simetz struck out the side in the third inning and ended with 13 strikeouts to give her 187 for the season.
Kingsley got back a run in the fifth on an AdeLynn Town RBI single to center, but TCSF would add another run in the bottom half of the inning on a Claudia Harris sacrifice fly. Reese Jones singled in Kensley Thorpe in the sixth, and Town drove in Alyssa Hamilton in the seventh.
“We knew from last year that that game didn’t go our way and we should have put it to them,” St. Peter said. “We knew we had to come back this year and really punch it. We had a mindset, and we stuck with it.”
Kingsley (28-11) got to the finals with a 10-0 win over Benzie Central, while the Glads put up a 15-0 win over Traverse City Christian earlier in the day.
Grace Lewis struck out 12 on the day for the Stags, giving her 231 for the season, a total believed to be a school record at Kingsley. She also belted 10 home runs during her senior season.
Lewis went 2-for-3 with three runs against Benzie. Junior Myah Reuther and senior Hannah Strang drove in two runs each, while sophomore Annie Strang was 1-for-3 with two runs. Sophomore catcher AdeLynn Town went 3-for-3 with three runs, and Alena Stewart was 1-for-3 with a run.
Lizzy Lints and Marie Reidlinger had hits for the Huskies (17-20), as Lewis struck out eight over five frames.
Kensley Thorpe threw a three-inning perfect game against TC Christian in SF’s district opener, striking out seven.
Hardy had three hits in the game and scored six times in seven at-bats from the leadoff spot. Jetter, Simetz and Halle Kadlec each had two hits, with St. Peter and Kadlec driving in two in addition to Simetz’s five RBI.
The Gladiators and Stags have met each of the last five years in districts, with each team taking two of the past four matchups.
“It is the greatest feeling in the world,” Sophie Hardy said. “We wanted to come out on fire this year. They beat us last year at their place, so we wanted to come out and beat them at our place. It was a great team win.”
Kingsley won districts at home last year, then played regionals at St. Francis.
Simetz said she didn’t go to regionals last year as the Stags kept playing on Doriot Field, advancing to the regional finals.
“I couldn’t bear it,” she said. “But our coaches had to work it, and they were so mad.”
Now, St. Francis takes the district at home and heads to Kingsley for regionals June 8.
“After losing last year, it’s really nice that we won again this year,” Simetz said. “And it was a pretty comfortable win.”
Unlike the shoes.