The Oakland Sidewinders fastpitch softball team came home state championships after playing nine games over 4th of July weekend in Mount Pleasant.
The Sidewinders won their first three games of the Amateur Softball Association 14U B State Tournament before they played the Michigan Bulldogs team and lost, 9-6.
The loss put the Sidewinders in the loser’s bracket and they would have to win five straight games on Sunday to become State Champions.
They were up to the challenge and began Sunday with two wins and went to the field for their third game.
They were down by one run against the Kalamazoo Klash going into the bottom of the last winning.
The girls loaded the bases with runners and had only one out when Megan Hastings took to the plate. She hit a double to left center and led the team to a 5-4 win.
The winning pitcher against the Klash was Selena Hicks.
The Sidewinders continued and came up against the undefeated Bulldog in their fourth game of the day.
Steady pitching from Megan Hastings and double hits from Shauna Siwicki and Meghan Tangney gave the girls a 6-2 win over the Bulldogs.
The girls faced the Bulldogs one more time in the championship game. Each team had one loss, both handed to them from each other.
The Sidewinders scored only two runs, but strong pitching from Megan Hastings, great catching from Shauna Siwicki and solid defense by the Sidewinders team led to a victory for the girls.
They beat the Bulldogs for the second time that day, 2-1.
‘It was pretty good for them to beat the Bulldogs twice,? said head coach Stu Hastings.
‘We had to win five games in a roll. It was pretty tough for the girls. They are mentally tough, and played one game at a time which is really good.?
The girls are gearing up to finish playing in their Waterford league. They compete against 16-year-old players for the experience and have a chance to win the league.
They have a tournament coming in a few weeks in Petoskey.