GAYLORD - The Gaylord Blue Devils captured their third consecutive division two softball district title on Saturday, winning in impressive fashion over a pair of quality opponents.
In a district semifinal matchup that pitted the top two ranked teams in division two, the top-ranked Blue Devils clubbed their way to a revenge victory over second-ranked Escanba, 13-1. The Eskymos eliminated Gaylord in a regional final a year ago.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils broke things open in the third inning, when Alexis Kozlowski and Audrey Jones hit back-to-back home runs, part of a five-run inning. After Escanaba plated a run the bottom of the third, Gaylord exploded for eight more runs in the fourth inning. Kozlowski hit her second home run of the game in the fourth inning outburst.
In the district championship game, the Blue Devils jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on Cheboygan and kept tacking on runs before reaching a 10-0 victory at the end of 6 innings. Hali Lenartowicz went deep in the title game for Gaylord.
Cheboygan advanced to the title game earlier in the day by defeating Kingsford, 7-1. Cheboygan jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, and Amelia Johnson hit a solo home run for the Chiefs in the game.
Gaylord (34-2) will now face 10th-ranked Big Rapids in a regional semifinal at Cadillac High School on Saturday, June 10th at 10 a.m.