By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
MISHAWAKA, Ind. - The Michigan All-Stars had a little something to prove Thursday evening at Bethel College in the championship game of the Sports Fest 2005 softball tournament.
Michigan had blown out its first opponent, Indiana West, but wasn't getting as much respect as it thought it should.
So in the title game the Michigan All-Stars behind the pitching of Dowagiac's Brittney Reist shut out the Indiana East All-Stars, 5-0.
Dock, who is the current Lakeshore coach and former Dowagiac softball coach, sent Reist to the mound to start the game for the second straight time.
Reist and Coloma standout Helena Zandarski combined for a two-hitter.
Reist worked the first four innings, striking out two and walking just one. Zandarski retired all nine batters she faced, striking out four.
Michigan scored three runs in the first inning to send a message to the Indiana East All-Stars, who were missing several players due to previous commitments.
Reist drove in the first run of the game as Brandywine's Ashley Antus scored after she reached on a walk and moved to second on a bunt by Lakeshore's Stacey Jones.
Dowagiac's Mandy Parish singled prior to Brandywine's Dee Echevarria, who was pinch running for Reist, to score on a wild pitch.
Parish would eventually score on a ground out by Brandywine's Amanda Grice.
A walk started the two-run rally in the fifth inning that completed the scoring.
Zandarski walked and advanced to second on a bunt by Antus.
Zandarski then scored on a triple by Jones. Reist followed with a single to drive in Jones.
Reist finished with two hits, the only player to have multiple hits in the contest.
Annora Shepherd of Lakeland was the starting pitcher for Indiana East. Whitney Christner of Westview pitched the final two innings.
Before the game former Lakeshore standout Becky Marx, who helped lead Michigan to the National Championship in softball, threw out the first pitch.
Indiana East 000 000 0 - 0 2 0
Michigan 300 020 x - 5 5 0
Brittney Reist (W), Annora Shepherd (L)
3B: Stacey Jones (M)