By Staff
The Brandywine varsity softball team won four games to improve to 27-5 on the season and win the Clinton Tournament Saturday.
The Bobcats beat Mt. Pleasant 3-1 in the title game after beating Monroe Jefferson 1-0, Alpena 7-2 and Clinton 4-1 earlier in the day.
Senior pitcher Nicki McGowen earned all four victories to boost her record to 27-5 and reach another career milestone. McGowen now has 122 career victories, which surpasses the old southwest Michigan record of 121 career victories by LaTonya Coates of Bangor.
The all-time record for career victories in Michigan is 139, held by Jessica Brubaker of Waterford Kettering.
McGowen is currently sixth on the all-time victories list and needs just two more wins to move up to the fourth spot.
In the four victories on Saturday, McGowen allowed a total of nine hits and struck out 35 batters.
Amber Valentine and Kayla Asmus each hit a pair of singles in the championship game.
Against Monroe Jefferson, the Bobcats managed just two hits but scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning. McGowen tossed a one-hitter in that game.
In the game with Alpena, an honorable mention team in Division I, Brandywine sent 11 hits back at pitcher Kaitlin Grochunski. Ashley Antus hit a triple and two singles. Kelli Zache added a double.
In the first game of the day, against Clinton, Asmus doubled and Zache singled to bring in two runs.
The Bobcats are ranked No. 3 in Division 3 and hosts their own tournament on Saturday.