ISHPEMING — The weather was seemingly the friend of visiting Hancock on Thursday afternoon after the Bulldogs won a 4-2 high school softball game shortened to six innings due to lightning and heavy rain in Ishpeming.

Trailing 4-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Hematites got two runs back and had the tying run at the plate when its rally ended.

While Ishpeming didn’t put together another rally in the bottom of the sixth, IHS coach Ben McGuire thought his team had an excellent chance if there would’ve been a seventh inning.

“We had the heart of our order coming up then,” he said, “but first the lightning caused a delay, and before we could resume, the skies just opened with really heavy rain.”

That caused the game to be called then and the second game of the doubleheader to be postponed and likely canceled.

For what was played, Payton Manninen pitched the distance for Ishpeming, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks as she struck out nine.

Hancock’s Sadie Biekkola also pitched all six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks as she chalked up four strikeouts.

In the fifth, Olivia Corp began the Hematites’ rally with a triple before Lilly Swanson walked to put two baserunners aboard.

An error brought Corp home, while Manninen singled home Swanson for the second run.

Teammate Hailey Hytinen finished with two hits, while Abby Koski had a single.

The Bulldogs’ Biekkola had a triple, double and scored a run, while teammate Ellie Heinonen hit two doubles and also scored once.

Ishpeming (11-7) completed a 15-game stretch over two weeks with Thursday’s game. The schedule was actually supposed to be 20 games, but five were canceled along the way due to weather.

Nevertheless, the Hematites have a pair of road doubleheaders next week — at Bark River-Harris on Tuesday and at Iron Mountain on Thursday — before venturing to Hancock to play in the West PAC tournament next weekend.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.