By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
The Niles softball team is on a mission.
And at least for the first weekend of the Division 2 state tournament – mission accomplished.
The No. 10 ranked Lady Vikings defeated Edwardsburg and then No. 1 Lakeshore to win their second straight district championship.
The Lady Lancers reached the title game with a win over St. Joseph in the second semifinal at Vella Park.
Timely hitting and the pitching of senior Jenna Ignowski led Niles to a 4-0 win over Lakeshore in the title game.
A shuffled batting order helped Niles win back-to-back titles.
Moving seniors Nellie Coquillard, Ignowski and Maggie Ernsberger and junior Heather Daniels paid off as the foursome totaled five of Niles' eight hits and drove in half the team's runs.
Coquillard went from third to the top of the order, while Ignowski and Ernsberger moved up to second and third in the order. Daniels went from No. 2 to the clean-up spot.
"We changed three or four of them (in the lineup) last weekend at the Brandywine tournament," Niles coach Gary Collins said. "A couple of my good players just thought it was too much pressure for them (in the previous spots)."
Niles looked relaxed and completely in control of the title game.
After a scoreless first two innings, Niles exploded for three runs in the third frame.
Daniels drove in a run with a double, while senior Demi Schrader drove in the other two runs with a single.
"I told Demi early this morning at batting practice that she was going to be the star of the tournament today, and it came true," Collins said.
In the fourth inning, Ignowski doubled home the game's final run and then took over on the mound.
Ignowski tossed a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts.
In the opening game of the tournament, Niles used a four-run seventh inning to break open a close contest and win 8-2 over Edwardsburg.
Niles grabbed a 2-0 lead after half an inning of play only to have Edwardsburg come back and tie the game in the bottom of the first.
Daniels drove in both runs with a single, while Ashley Tackett knotted the score with a two-run single.
The Lady Vikings took the lead for good in the third inning with two more runs.
Schrader then broke the game wide open with a bases clearing double in the top half of the seventh after Coquillard had started the inning with a solo home run.
Ignowski picked up the win as she scattered six hits and fanned 11.
Lakeshore reached the title game with an 8-3 win over St. Joseph in the second semifinal.
Niles now advances to the Division 2 regionals on Saturday at Edwardsburg.
The Lady Vikings will take on No. 2 ranked Wayland in the first game at 10 a.m.
Division 2 District Tournament
Championship Game
Lakeshore 000 000 0 – 0 1 0
Niles 003 100 x – 4 8 3
LP – Maggie Hildebrand (L25-5) and Kelly Vigansky
WP – Jenna Ignowski (30-5) and Maggie Ernsberger
2B: Nellie Coquillard (N), Heather Daniels (N), Ignowski (N)
Varsity records: Niles 30-5, Lakeshore 31-6-1
Semifinals
Niles 202 000 4 – 8 10 0
Edwardsburg 200 000 0 – 2 6 1
WP – Jenna Ignowski (29-5) and Maggie Ernsberger
LP – Lorin Thompson, Ashley Tackett (4) and Debra Burton
2B: Heather Daniels (N), Demi Schrader (N)
HR: Ernsberger (N), Nellie Coquillard (N)
Varsity record: Edwardsburg 17-14