In a year when high school seniors everywhere got robbed of their opportunity to play spring sports one last time because of the coronavirus pandemic, 26 softball players from across the Upper Peninsula showed up for a Senior Showcase doubleheader Friday night in Escanaba.

The weather was fantastic, the quality of softball was great, and the camaraderie between the players was on display throughout the night.

“It was awesome,” said Escanaba coach Gary Salo, who coached the South Team on this night. “The girls showed up, they all had their masks on, they all got screened. … We’ve got the rules and everything that we’re following.

“You can’t ask for a better night of weather and a better night of just getting on the field.”

Marquette's Maddie Carter rounds third base during the second game of the Upper Peninsula Senior Showcase softball games played Friday in Escanaba. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Austin Hemmingson)

Things were pretty much status quo in the opener as Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year Gabi Salo struck out 16 in a one-hitter one last time in an Eskymo uniform, leading South to a 3-0 victory over the North.

Rapid River’s Kristin Goodacre spoiled the perfect game with a one-out single to right field in the seventh inning.

“I thought it was a pretty good performance,” Salo said. “Our defense played really good and we had really good bunt coverage. The one hit at the end was a good hit — I give her credit for it.”

The South didn’t get on the board off Negaunee pitcher Skylar Hall until the top of the fourth, when Marquette’s Sofia van den Ende launched a solo home run to left.

The South then added two more in the fifth when Marquette’s Maiya King singled and Escanaba’s Maddy Block escaped a pickle between third and home to make it 2-0. Norway’s Cassidy Menard then laid down an RBI bunt single to drive in King that made it 3-0.

Twenty-six senior softball players from across the Upper Peninsula came to Escanaba to play in the U.P. Senior Showcase on Friday. After the doubleheader, 25 of the players got together for this photo. Front row from left are Emma Laatsch, Kristin Goodacre, Emily Curtis, Bonnie Cortinas, Jenna Tardiff, Dakota Cloutier, Cassidy Menard, Maddy Block, Amanda McIntire and Maiya King. Top row from left, Riley Arndt, Ashly Powell, Kylie Wickstrom, Hailey Boucher, Josie Connors, D'Andra Kero, Payton Dube, Sofia van den Ende, Maddie Carter, Skylar Hall, Shaylee Menhennick, Gabi Salo, Taelor Zeise, Rylee Kuehl and Katlyn Hosking. (Submitted photo to the Escanaba Daily Press)

After the win, Salo talked about just being back on her home field.

“It’s really nice, especially to be back with some of your teammates and the rest of the seniors in the U.P.,” she said. “To be on our home field is really special.”

The nightcap featured much more offense, especially from the South as it rolled to a 19-4 win to complete the sweep.

The South scored twice in the first and four times in the third before Marquette’s Maddie Carter became the second Redette to homer with a deep three-run shot to center to make it 10-1. The South tacked on four more runs in the fifth, three in the sixth and three in the seventh.

Marquette’s Amanda McIntire picked up the win, while Kingsford’s Emily Curtis took the loss. Both teams used multiple pitchers.

“I’ve done this a couple times and it’s always a fun time,” said Negaunee coach Randy Carlson, who coached the North. “It’s the last hurrah for a lot of these girls. Some of them are going to be playing at the next level, but for some of them this may be the last fastpitch game they’ll play.

“Like most other years, they start out kind of keeping to themselves and sitting by their own teammates and being shy, but as it goes on they start mixing up. That’s the biggest thing — making friends and meeting some new kids, and hopefully they’ll be friends for life.”

Players on each team got to play multiple positions as it was far from conventional softball.

“We had a really, really good time today,” Coach Salo said. “In terms of subbing, it was great. I told the ladies, ‘We’re batting all 14 (players), and every inning go find a spot to play.’ They talked a mile a minute in the dugout and they had a really good time.”

During the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap, each of the four Eskymo seniors got an opportunity to come off the field one final time in their high school careers.

“It’s special, just because you feel so robbed,” Coach Salo said. “You gotta feel a little bitter about it.”

Salo was the final Eskymo to exit the field after her amazing career in the orange and black. The University of Wisconsin commit reflected on what she’ll remember the most about playing on her home field.

“I think I’ll always remember all the memories with my team — all the games we played and all the practices,” she said. “I think it’s pretty bittersweet.”

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