BRANCH COUNTY – The 2025 softball season in Branch County is off to a slow start as Mother Nature seems to not want to let winter go. Rain and cold temperatures have wreaked havoc on the Spring Schedules and continues to do so heading into third week of the season.
Despite that, teams from around the county got in a full weekend of action, leading to some big efforts on the softball diamond.
Here is a recap of what the weekend here in Branch County held for its softball teams.
Coldwater’s Rylie VanAken hits three home runs, Cardinals finish undefeated weekend
The Coldwater Cardinals saw their offense explode as junior Rylie VanAken exploded for three home runs in the two-game set, driving in nine runs to the sweep. Coldwater took a 9-7 win over Edwardsburg to start the day followed by a dominant 18-8 win over Stevensville Lakeshore, improving the Cardinals record to 4-0 on the year.
Here are the weekend’s top performances for Coldwater.
Top Performers
Rylie VanAken, SS – VanAken, hitting from the leadoff position, exploded for three home runs and nine RBIs in the two-game sweep. VanAken definitely packed the big stick, finishing the weekend going a superb 7 for 10 at the plate with three doubles, three home runs, five runs scored and an astounding nine RBIs (runs batted in).
TK Boyd, 3B – Boyd had a big weekend at the plate for Coldwater, finishing the weekend going 3 for 5 with a home run, three RBIs, three runs scored, and two walks.
Quincy finishes the weekend at 3-1, offense explodes for 45 runs in four game set
The Quincy Oriole softball team improved to 5-3 overall on the season thanks to their weekend efforts. Quincy kicked off their Big 8 conference schedule with a dominant sweep of Concord by scores of 11-2 and 21-6. On Saturday, the Orioles earned a hard-fought split, falling to Marshall 11-1 while defeating Haslett in a shutout, winning 13-0.
Top Performances
Deziray Skirka, SS – Skirka finished the weekend on an absolute tear, putting together a four-game set where the senior shortstop batted 9 for 11 with one home run, two doubles, 10 RBIs, three walks, and nine runs scored.
Miley Pointdexter, 3B – Pointdexter also packed the big stick for the four game weekend series, finishing with a 7 for 12 effort at the plate. Pointdexter notched a double, two triples, five RBIs, four walks, and 10 runs scored.
Shaylee Cope, 2B – Cope is quickly making her mark at the varsity level for Quincy, and the four game series this past weekend may have been her coming out party. Cope finished the weekend batting 7 for 13 with seven RBIs, two runs scored and a walk.
Bronson finishes busy weekend at 4-2, improves to 3-3 on the season
The Bronson Vikings had a busy weekend of softball, kicking off their Big 8 conference schedule along with playing in tournament action.
Bronson started off their trek towards another Big 8 conference crown with a sweep over Reading, winning by scores of 15-0 and 23-3. The Vikings followed that up with a 1-2 record at this past weekend’s Three Rivers Invitational. Bronson took a 12-1 win over Parchment while dropping a 14-3 loss to Three Rivers and a 10-7 loss to St. Joseph. Bronson’s record now stands at 3-3 on the season.
Top Performances
Ashlyn Harris, P/IF – Harris finished the weekend notching eight hits to go along with three RBIs. Harris also had a big weekend on the pitcher’s mound, throwing a pair of no-hitters while going 2-1 on the weekend. Harris tossed three innings and struck out nine in the 15-0 win over Reading while also adding a five inning and eight strikeout affair in the win over Parchment.
Ciara Blankenship, OF – Blankenship remembered to pack the big bat this past weekend, finishing with nine hits, five RBIs and one stolen base.
Lydia Wells, C – Wells was an extra base machine for Bronson this weekend, knocking out seven extra base hits out of eight total hits. Wells notched one single, five doubles, and two triples to go along with three RBIs and five stolen bases.
Union City’s bats come alive in weekend sweep over Galesburg Augusta
The Union City Chargers improved to 3-3 on the season with a dominant doubleheader sweep over Galesburg Augusta. The Chargers combined to score 40 total runs in the two-game set, notching 26 hits and a total of 26 RBIs in the sweep. Union City beat Galesburg by scores of 18-2 and 22-7 to complete the solid weekend.
Top Performances
Madison Krummrey, SS – Krummrey was a tough out all day long for the Galesburg Augusta Rams, finishing the two-game set battling 7 for 8 with five singles, one double and three triples. Krummrey also added seven runs scored and four RBIs in the sweep.
Madisyn Washburn, 1B – Washburn was solid in the field and at the plate for Union City. Washburn went 4-8 at the dish with three singles and one double, adding five RBIs and three runs scored.
Lauren Tundevold, CF – Tundevold finished the sweep batting 5-9, including a game two stat line of 4 for 5 with five RBIs and three runs scored, to help Union City to the sweep of Galesburg.
Stay tuned every week for updates on the Michigan High School Softball season here in Branch County. For any questions, please email sports editor Troy Tennyson at ttennyson@thedailyreporter.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: High School Softball recaps and top performances