Kresbaugh sisters push Walled Lake Northern softball into final

The top of Walled Lake Northern's batting order is fueled by a sibling rivalry.

>Makenna and Aubrey Kresbaugh have played softball together since they were 4 years old. They've been teammates for most of that time. They've also spent years pushing each other.

>As the old saying goes, iron sharpens iron.

>That competitive edge has been a weapon for the No. 4 Knights (38-3), who got clutch at-bats from both sisters to edge fourth-ranked Northville (35-5-1) 2-1 in the Division 1 semifinal on Thursday, June 11. They'll face Grand Haven (34-7-1) in Saturday's state championship game at Secchia Stadium on Michigan State University's campus.

>"They're just great athletes, great ball players," 15th-year coach Kristen Woodard said. "Any time, whether it's offense or defense, they give us an opportunity to make a play or get a big hit."

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>They certainly do.

>Aubrey nearly homered on the game's first pitch, sending Wayne State commit Mary Gugala's offering just outside the right-field foul pole.

>Two pitches later, the sophomore shortstop adjusted and crushed a home run to put Northern ahead 1-0.

>"I knew it was a big moment and this was a big game," Aubrey said. "The first pitch I saw, I knew I was going to do some damage on it. It was a really good pitch, and I like inside pitches."

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>Northville knotted the score in the bottom of the first, but Northern needed both sisters to manufacture the winning run in the sixth.

>Aubrey smashed another fly ball, this time deep into center field for a double. Two batters later, Makenna's bloop single dropped into shallow right field and gave her younger sister enough time to scoot home with the go-ahead run.

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>"I knew [Gugala] was going to throw outside because she had been throwing outside all game," said Makenna, a junior committed to Saginaw Valley State. "So I knew I had to hit it to the right side and do this for my team so we could score."

>Makenna driving in Aubrey for the winning run felt more like an expectation than a surprise.

>"She's always having my back, and I'm always having hers," Aubrey said. "I just feel like it's good, with all the chemistry that we have and bring to the team. We're just always having each other's backs."

>Of course, they're sisters. They argue at times. But any fights stop once they step onto the field.

>"I think at home they might do that, but on the field, they support each other," Woodard said. "They're both competitive and both want to do really well, so when one does well, that forces the other to step up their game, too."

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>That's a big reason why they consider each other best friends.

>Not only do they elevate each other's games, but doing so also helps the rest of the team.

>"It's a lot of fun to compete with each other and work hard for each other," Makenna added. "Even though I'm one year older, we've been playing on the same teams forever, and we just have a sisterly bond. At the end of the day, I'm her best friend, she's my best friend, and we love each other."

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>While the Kresbaugh sisters handled the offense, Northern's defense did the rest as Knights pitcher and Toledo signee Lyla Turmell and Gugala put on a pitcher's duel.

>Turmell struck out 11, walked one and allowed five hits and one earned run, an RBI single by Northville catcher Jocelyn Burns in the first inning.

>Gugala bounced back from the early homer to throw four scoreless innings before the Kresbaugh sisters shared their clutch moment. The senior struck out 10, walked one and allowed four hits.

>"That's Mary Gugala," Mustangs coach Scott DeBoer said. "For three-plus years, she's just been someone who just digs deep. Things don't bother her. She's going to go out, and she's going to challenge you. She's only 5-foot-4 and three quarters, but she's got a heart that is so big."

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>It was the second time this week that Gugala gave up a homer in the opening inning. Howell's Zoey Overton launched a two-run shot over the center-field fence in Tuesday's quarterfinal, but the Mustangs rallied for a 4-2 win.

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>After Kendall Heron got on base with a triple and then scored on Burns’ RBI single, it looked like Northville might have another comeback in store, especially in the seventh.

>The Mustangs put a runner on, but Mia Petrovski's bunt popped up. Turmell reacted quickly, snagged the ball and fired to first baseman Madi White for a double play that ended Northville's final comeback attempt and sent Northern to the first state final in program history.

>Sixth-ranked Grand Haven won’t be a cakewalk, but anything is possible when the Kresbaughs are enjoying a great day at the plate.

>"I can't put into words what this means," Makenna said. "I'm so proud of us and our team. It's so exciting, and I can't wait to be there Saturday."

>Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life and the Detroit Free Press. Follow him on X at @folsomwrites.

>This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: MHSAA softball: Walled Lake Northern edges Northville in semifinal