By DOUG DONNELLY

ONSTED – Whiteford took what their opponents gave them Saturday in winning the Division 3 Regional softball championship.

When Clinton allowed leading Bobcat hitter Aly VanBrandt to hit with two outs and runners on second and third base, VanBrandt hit a ball all the way to the fence. When Bobcat hitters started bunting to move baserunners and the opponents mishandled a couple of balls, Whiteford broke through with a six-run inning.

The Bobcats beat Clinton 12-5 and then toppled Grass Lake 5-1 in the finals.

“With a team like that, you can’t make mistakes,” said Grass Lake head coach Roger Cook. “We left 10 runners on base. You can’t do that against a team like Whiteford.”

Unity Nelson had an outstanding day in the 80-plus degree heat. She went four innings against Clinton, holding them to a first inning run, then went the distance against Grass Lake in the seven-inning final. She struck out 19 in 11 innings pitched, allowing four hits and two earned runs – one in each game.

“She was consistently around the plate all game,” Whiteford coach Matt VanBrandt said. “When she missed, it wasn’t by much.”

Grass Lake loaded the bases against Nelson twice, but both times she pitched out of the jam. In the first inning, the Bobcats defense made a couple of great plays to remove Warrior baserunners. First, Nelson snagged a bunt attempt and beat the runner going from first to second with the throw. Second, center fielder Patrina Marsh picked up an overthrown ball and gunned down a Warrior runner trying to advance to third base.

“Our defense was great behind me,” Nelson said. “I know I can count on them.”

The Bobcats fell behind 1-0 to Clinton (28-13) in the first game when leadoff batter Taryn Hernandez reached on a double, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Whiteford went down 1-2-3 in the first inning but scratched our four runs in the second inning and six in the third. All of the runs in the third inning came after the first two hitters of the inning were out. Nelson and VanBrandt had two-run doubles in the inning, broke the school record for triples in the season and increased her season average to .629.

Marsh had three hits, including a double and a homerun. VanBrandt had two hits, including a triple. Shay Alexander, Allison Spradling, Nelson and Koralynn Billau also had hits. VanBrandt had four RBIs in the game.

Clinton had seven hits in the game, six off Bobcat reliever Karlei Conard.

“Our pitchers and our catchers never gave up,” Coach VanBrandt said. “Karlei came in and closed the game, which was great because it gave Unity some rest out there. It was a very hot day. I was able to get a lot of substitutes in the game, which helps on a day like this.”

VanBrandt led off the regional final with a double but was called out at home plate on a close play. She was 3-for-3 in the game, scoring runs in the third and seventh innings. Alexander had two hits, including a double, as did Billau and Jillian Webb.

Nelson struck out 10 in the finals, allowing three hits and issuing five walks.

Clinton and Grass Lake combined this season for 61 wins this season.

“I’m proud of the girls,” VanBrandt said of third straight regional championship. “We stayed positive, even when Clinton took the lead on us. The girls were focused right from batting practice.”

The Bobcats (35-4) will play at Wayne State University Tuesday against Algonac.