MARQUETTE — Marquette swept a high school softball doubleheader at home against Menominee to finish its regular season on Wednesday.

The Sentinels recorded 6-5 and 18-3 victories in preparation for today’s MHSAA Division 1 district tournament to be held at Traverse City West. After the two hometown schools, Central and West, square off at 10 a.m., Marquette takes on Alpena at noon. The winners play for the district championship at 2 p.m., also at TC West.

The winner, as in all districts this week, advances to regional play next Saturday, for Marquette’s district that would be at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant. Other districts involved will come from Swartz Creek and Grand Blanc, both near Flint, and Midland.

Here are details from Wednesday’s games:

Marquette 6, Menominee 5

In the opener, while MSHS pitcher Charlye Swajanen proved masterful by only giving up one earned run over the entire seven innings, it was the heroics of Lauren Johnson that won the game in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the seventh.

Johnson cracked a double with two outs, scoring two runs that turned a 5-4 deficit into the game-ending victory.

Teammate Eva Dewitt also came up big, hitting a grand slam homer in the third inning to erase Menominee’s 4-0 lead and tie it up.

But the Maroons retook the lead in the sixth, Arianna Johnson hitting an RBI single to set up Lauren Johnson’s heroics an inning later.

On the pitching rubber, Swajanen allowed five runs — but four of them unearned — on seven hits and two walks as she struck out five.

Kylie Kellner pitched for Menominee, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing six runs, all earned, on four hits and five walks as she fanned six.

Alexa Whaley and Ava Hanford also had hits for Marquette, while Maddy Havel drew three walks as she and Hanford each scored two runs.

The Maroons got on the board with three runs in the second, an error scoring two runs and a fielder’s choice another, then made it 4-0 in the top of the third with an RBI single by Savannah Houle, who also had a double and finished with three RBIs.

Marquette 18, Menominee 3

In the nightcap, the Sentinels spotted the visitors three runs in the top of the first inning, but roared back with 18 unanswered runs to end this game on the 15-run rule before the fourth inning was over.

Marquette’s Makayla Gustafson was the recipient of her teammates’ powerful offense, going all four innings while allowing three runs on four hits and two walks as she K’d seven. A pair of Maroons’ pitchers allowed 18 runs — but only four earned — on 10 hits and eight walks as they fanned three.

While Menominee committed six errors leading to all the unearned runs, MSHS was error-free in the field.

Gustafson helped her own cause, going 3 for 4 with five RBIs. She hit a two-run single in the bottom of the first and RBI singles in the second and fourth. She even had a groundout in the third that also produced a run.

Teammate Lily Smigiel was 2 for 3, including an RBI single in the first. Whaley had an RBI double in the second, while Swajanen and Smiegel each scored three times. The Sentinels’ Sammy Trapani also had a two-run single in the fourth after collecting an RBI by getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second.

Story contents based on an email received from Marquette Senior High School softball representative Bill Finkbeiner. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.