By DOUG DONNELLY

EAST LANSING – Unity Nelson was at her best Friday when it mattered most.

The Whiteford senior threw seven shutout innings, striking out 11 and made a 1-0 Bobcat lead hold up for six innings as the Bobcats beat Clare to advance to Saturday’s Division 3 state finals.

“Everything was good,” Nelson said.

Nelson’s best inning was her last. Clare came to bat in the top of the seventh inning with their 6-7-8 hitters at the plate. Nelson needed just 11 pitches to strike out all three and secure the win.

“I took a deep breath, got myself centered and tried to stay calm,” Nelson said.

Whiteford is in the state finals for the third straight season. They lost 4-1 to Unionville-Sebewaing in the 2022 Division 4 title game and 1-0 to Standish-Sterling in the Division 3 finals last year. Saturday they’ll face a hard-hitting Evart team that brings a 37-4 record into the finals after beating Buchanan 8-3 in the second Division 3 semifinal Friday.

“Our offense is going to play a major role,” Whiteford coach Matt VanBrandt said. “We need to get Unity enough runs. We know she is going to do her job. We need to do what we did today, and we are going to scratch out a few more runs.”

Whiteford scored the only run of the game Saturday in the first inning.

Leadoff batter Shay Alexander singled to left to get things going. Two outs later, Brooklyn Mills singled, then Kaydence Sheldon walked to load the bases. Koralynn Billau then slapped a single past a charging Clare third baseman to score Alexander and give Whiteford a 1-0 lead.

It was the only run of the game, but Whiteford put pressure on Clare several different innings.

They had runners on second and third in the fourth and had two runners on in both the fifth and sixth innings but couldn’t get a run across.

Mills and Billau had two hits apiece with Alexander and Karlei Conard getting the others.

“It was nice to get that first run,” Nelson said. “It set the tone for the game.”

The scoreboard gave Clare three hits against Nelson – one in the third and two in the fourth.

The fourth inning Clare advanced runners to second and third but Nelson got a strikeout to end the threat.

In the seventh, Nelson blew the ball right past the Pioneers.

“Unity was a bulldog on the mound,” VanBrandt said. “She’s very intense and focused.”

Nelson said she refused to think about only having a 1-0 lead.

“Everything a thought enters my head that it’s only 1-0, I knock on wood,” Nelson said. “I can’t think about that.”

Billau is a sophomore who has become one of the top hitters on the team. She said the team was relaxed when they reached Secchia Stadium on the Michigan State University campus. They took a photo together by the Sparty statue and looked loose and focused during a 10-minute pre-game infield practice.

“We want to be relaxed at that start of the game because that means we are going to play relaxed,” she said. “That helps us with our nerves.”

The Bobcats have been knocking on the state championship door of late. Alexander said the team has the momentum it needs going into Saturday.

“We are really excited,” Alexander. “We are going to try and relax and stay through it.”