ROSEMONT, Ill. – In the face of elimination the Parkside softball team battled in the GLIAC Tournament on Saturday. The Rangers, on the elimination side of the bracket, have worked their way into the GLIAC Championship after topping Wayne State and Grand Valley State.
 
Parkside vs. Wayne State
The Parkside softball team battled through 12 intense innings to pull out a dramatic 2–1 walk-off win over Wayne State.
 
Tied 1–1 since the bottom of the seventh, the Rangers finally broke through in the 12th. After Reese Valha singled up the middle with one out and advanced to third on a dropped fly ball in right field, Mia Johnson stole second to put two runners in scoring position. That set the stage for Haley Remington, who delivered the game-winning blow with a deep sacrifice fly to center, scoring Valha and sealing the win.
 
Parkside trailed 1–0 early after Wayne State's Hunter Near reached on a single and eventually scored on a pair of throwing errors in the second inning. But the Rangers held steady, getting strong pitching and solid defense the rest of the way. Olivia Masnica would throw all 12 innings in the win in a pitching masterpiece.
 
The equalizer came in the bottom of the seventh when Baetz singled and later scored on a clutch RBI single from Johnson, who was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.
 
The Rangers outhit the Warriors 12–7 and left 11 runners on base but made timely plays when it counted. Baetz, Remington, Swain, Valha, and Medlin each recorded multi-hit games.
 
Parkside vs. GVSU
The Rangers opened the scoring in the first inning, taking advantage of a two-out rally. After Haley Remington worked a walk and moved to third on a Megan Medlin single, Toni Rodriguez delivered an infield RBI single to plate Remington and give Parkside an early 1-0 lead.
 
Parkside threatened again in the third and fourth innings but couldn't add on. In the bottom halves the Lakers had multiple runners reach base, but the Rangers' defense stood tall.
 
In the fifth, Mia Johnson sparked the offense again with a triple to right field. Remington followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Johnson and extending the lead to 2-0.
 
The Rangers tacked on an insurance run in the seventh. Jadyn Polerecky led off with a single and was driven in by an infield RBI single from Ava Swain later in the inning, pushing the score to 3-0.
 
Parkside's pitching and defense were sharp all game, stranding 10 GVSU runners and never allowing a run despite the Lakers tallying seven hits. The Rangers made no errors in the field and limited damage in key moments to secure the shutout victory.
 
Up Next
The Rangers now face the top seeded Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in the Championship game tomorrow. The Ranger will need two victories over the Cardinals to clinch the GLIAC Championship. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. CDT with coverage available at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.