By BUTCH HARMON
Led by a talented group of seniors, the Portland softball team is turning in another big season on the diamond.
Last year, the Raiders won the league title and turned in a 27-4 record before falling to Eaton Rapids in the district final. This season, Portland has picked up where it left off last spring. The Raiders have been ranked among the top teams in the state in Division 2 and have faced some of the top teams in the state.
“We’ve been playing pretty well,” Portland coach Jack Anderson said. “We’ve beaten some pretty good teams this year. We lost a doubleheader in our league, but after that, we’ve been pretty focused and have been playing pretty well.”
So far this season, Portland has racked up some impressive wins. It won the Portland Invitational to kick off the season and also won the Blue Chip Best of Michigan Showcase in Byron Center. The Raiders beat Bullock Creek, ranked eighth in the state in Division 2, by a score of 1-0 and posted a pair of wins against Springport, ranked ninth in the state in Division 3. They also defeated Reese, ranked fourth in the state in Division 3, 5-0.
“We’ve played a lot of ranked teams, and that shows the girls that they can play with anyone in the state,” Anderson said. “Our schedule and the teams we’ve played are as good as any in the state that we will be playing in June.”
Portland’s senior-dominated team combines strong pitching and hitting. Senior Allie Grys is the ace of the pitching staff. Last year, she went 27-4 with a 0.77 ERA and 265 strikeouts. This year has been more of the same. “Allie has been throwing extremely well for us,” Anderson said. “She moves the ball pretty well and has good movement on her pitches. She can spin it up and spin it down. She has great location and can hit spots.”
Grys is also an excellent hitter. She will be playing softball at Lansing Community College next year.
Grys has been getting a break in the circle from fellow senior Mary Brooks, who won three of her first five starts this year. Brooks is also the big bat in the Portland lineup. An all-state player last year who hit .412 with 23 RBI, Brooks is hitting over .500 this year with 24 RBI as of mid-May. She will be playing softball at Alma College next spring.
“Mary is a great hitter,” Anderson said. “She is a great power hitter and is our leading hitter.”
Senior second baseman Madison Adams is another returning all-state player. Adams, who will be playing at Lansing Community College next year, hit .405 last year. This season she is hitting over .450 and had her average up to .466 at one time.
“Madison is our leadoff hitter and has great quickness,” Anderson said. “She is a very, very good hitter.”
The Raider offense has also been getting strong production from senior catcher Katie Schrauben and senior first baseman Allison Russell.
Portland is gearing up for another big postseason run. It will again have to face Eaton Rapids in the district tournament. Eaton Rapids opened the season with 24 straight wins and is also ranked in the state in Division 2.