The USA Patriot softball team hoists up their 2015 Division 4 state championship trophy Saturday afternoon at Michigan State University. The Patriots defeated Kalamazoo Christian 5-0 in the championship game played at Secchia Stadium. (photo by www.KG-Photo.com)
By Mike Gallagher
Sports Writer
EAST LANSING — Unionville-Sebewaing Area softball coach Steve Bohn finally has his state championship.
“I was really starting to think I was like Marv Levy here,” said Bohn, the fourth-year head coach for the Patriots.
Marv Levy is famous for coaching the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances, losing all four. Coach Bohn has been to four straight final four appearances, losing the past three, including the past two in the finals game.
Bohn and his Patriots got their title Saturday, the program’s first since 2009, when they defeated Kalamazoo Christian 5-0 in the Division 4 state championship game played at Secchia Stadium on the campus of Michigan State University.
An elated Steve Bohn addresses the USA crowd before being handed the 2015 Division 4 state championship trophy. Bohn, who just finished his fourth year as a head coach at USA holds a 156-13 record, and has been to the state finals in the past three seasons. (photo by www.KG-Photo.com)
“It’s something I’ve wanted since I started here,” said Bohn. “Everybody said that it would never happen again, we’d never get back there, and then the first year we got back. We lost in the semifinals, then they said ‘Well you’ll never win a state championship.’ We lost, and then we got the ‘See told you’. Then we lost the next year and more of the ‘See told you.’ Well, the ‘See told you’s’ are done now.”
The title game started off in strong fashion for the Patriots, as junior pitcher Nikki Bauer struck out the first three batters she faced. Bauer would not give up a hit until the fifth inning when Aliyah Lemmer reached on a bloop single. That single would be the only hit Kalamazoo Christian would get all day.
“Nikki threw really well today,” said Bohn. “She’s getting stronger and stronger, and today she had great movement, great movement, and great velocity. She was overpowering, she pretty much just blew them away. She was ready to rock today.”
Bauer stepped into the role of the team ace early in the season when Erica Treiber dislocated her elbow. She took to the role very well, going 26-0 this season, with a 0.37 earned run average, and striking out 223 batters in 169 innings.
“Erica gets hurt early in the year and you think ‘How are you going to replace that?,’” said Bohn. “But (Bauer) really stepped up big time for us.”
Bauer finished the game allowing only one hit, walked none, and struck out 11.
“I knew that I just had to keep it on the field, and my team would take care of the rest of it,” said Bauer. “It feels great to be a state champion, it’s really overwhelming, I’m just so proud of my team.”
USA put its first runs on the board in the fourth inning. Bre Dinsmoore was hit by a pitch, and stole second. Bauer hit a single, moving Dinsmoore to third. Bauer then stole second, putting two runners in scoring position for senior Maddie Zimmer.
Zimmer stepped to the plate, and knocked the ball to deep left field, driving in Dinsmoore and Bauer on a two-RBI double.
“I wasn’t really thinking anything when I came to the plate,” said Zimmer. “I was just like ‘OK there’s runners on and I have to get them in.’ I’ve been here to watch older girls play here for many years, and it’s been my dream since I’ve been little, so it’s great to win it, especially my senior year.”
“We didn’t have a lot of opportunities today, so when Maddie got that hit, that was huge,” Bohn said.. “That was the one we needed to get, and then the rest kind of just started to happen.”
The USA Patriots celebrate their 2015 Division 4 state championship Saturday afternoon. USA defeated Kalamazoo Christian 5-0 for their first title since 2009. (photo by www.KG-Photo.com)
Zimmer would score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Katie Englehardt to make the game 3-0. In the fifth inning Sara Reinhardt and Dinsmoore both scored on a single by Bauer. Those five runs would be all the Patriots would need.
Kalamazoo Christian head coach Terry Reynolds had high praise for the Patriots.
“What an outstanding team,” said Reynolds. “I saw them earlier in the year, and thought ‘Wow what a good team.’ They were well-coached, they understand the fundamentals, and play hard. We knew that we would really have to be on top of our game to even have a chance.”
One player who was especially happy with the outcome of the game was senior Erica Treiber. Treiber, injured earlier in the season, came back at the start of regional play, and gave her team the boost it needed.
“Right when the injury happened, I was kind of told my season was done, but I knew that I was going to be back on the field eventually,” said Treiber. “To be out there on the field today was really exciting, and I couldn’t imagine being on the sidelines watching. I’ve never felt happier a day in my life.”
“Erica and the way that she handled her injury was phenomenal,” said Bohn. “That did so much to calm the kids, and the coaching staff.”
Erica is one of four seniors on the Patriot team this year along with Maddie Zimmer, Bre Dinsmoore, and Jessica Marker. Those seniors helped lead a young USA team throughout the season.
“The team really came together, and we could kind of see that midway through the season,” said Bohn. “The pitching was going to be there, our younger players were stepping up and making contributions and the senior leadership has been a huge part of that.”
“It’s been amazing,” Zimmer said. “We have a really young team, but they worked hard and were really fun to work with.”
USA pitcher Nikki Bauer delivers a pitch in the state final game against Kalamazoo Christian. Bauer was dominant against the Comets, striking out 11, and allowing one hit in seven innings of work. (photo by www.KG-Photo.com)
“In the beginning it was rough,” said Dinsmoore. “We had a lot of freshmen, lots of injuries, but we faced all adversity, and made it through.”
“It’s been the most fun I’ve ever had,” added Treiber. “This is honestly probably the best team that I have ever been on. We never had a problem with anything.”
“This has been my favorite softball season ever,” said Marker. “This is such a great group of girls, and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with anyone else.”
The Patriots finish the season with a 40-3 record, including a perfect 10-0 Greater Thumb Conference West Division record.
“We’ve been so blessed to have the players we’ve had, and the opportunities we’ve had,” said Bohn. “One of the best things about all of this is that these are all home-grown USA girls.”
Mike Gallagher is a sports writer for the Advertiser, and can be reached at sports@tcadvertiser.com