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That is what Coach Harold Titus said drove his Marlette softball team to the Sanilac County title this past Saturday at Brown City High School.

After blanking CPS, 11-0, in the semifinals, the Lady Raiders (13-6 overall) fought off rival Sandusky, 4-2, in the championship game. The County championship was the first since 2004 for Marlette, but its fourth since 2001.

"We were focused and ready," Titus firmly stated. "but, let me this about Sandusky - their record (8-5) is no indication what kind of team they are. They defended well.

"We played as a complete team," he added. "It was a real outstanding defensive effort on both parts, ourselves and Sandusky."

Junior pitcher Caity King did her best on the mound to keep Sandusky's offense at a minimum, giving up five its and fanning six. In the meantime, the Lady Redskins made the plays on defense to keep the game close.

Marlette broke a scoreless tie in third when sophomore Jenna Thompson, who reached base her first three trips to the plate, walked and then came home on a long double off the bat of Jenna Lange.

The lead went to 2-0 in the fourth on a double by Kryssy Skakle and an RBI single from Keri McClelland.

Sandusky had a big opportunity in the bottom of the fourth when Maddie Hale and Monica Chambers each had one-out singles, the first two hits allowed by King. Later, Amy Paape also reached base on a bunt single. However, Sandusky managed just one run, on two wild pitches before Paape's infield hit.

Marlette threatened to break it open in the fifth when four runners reached base. The Raiders settled for one on a single from Skakle. One more run came in on a pair of wild pitches, following a double by McClelland, in the sixth.

Sandusky's final run came in the seventh on an RBI single from Melanie Ball.

Jaime Nicol, Sandusky's rookie coach, had seen some inconsistencies from her team in losses to Brown City in GTC East play earlier in the week. She was not disappointed Saturday. "I can't complain, We played good ball," said Nicol. "We're finally starting to consistently play well, and that's such a good feeling."

Nicol also had to give some credit to Marlette's King. "She puts it in spots - hits spots well. She's not overpowering, just finesse." Sandusky had also lost twice in close games to Marlette on Thursday in an East twinbill. The only runs King allowed on the day, in two games, were in the final at bat in game two.

King's pitching drew praise from Titus, too, "She's very, very good. When she has all of her pitches, she's very tough."

Freshman Marissa DeMott pitched the first 5 1/3 innings for Sandusky and took the loss, scattering six hits. The Sandusky defense made several good plays on hard-hit balls.

Marlette 11 CPS 0

King fired a one-hitter in the semifinal game, fanning 13 Tiger batters. Senior Jodi Hammond had the lone CPS hit, a single.

The Lady Raiders put together six straight hits and scored five times in the first inning. They then added six more runs in the second.

Kayla Thompson led a 15-hit attack for the winners by going 3-for-4 and batting in a pair of runs. Lisa Gerstenberger, Jenna Thompson, Lange, King and Skakle all had two singles each.

Sandusky5 Brown City 1

The Lady Redskins atoned for the twin losses to the Lady Devils last Monday with a strong all-around performance.

Doubles by Paape and Ball gave Sandusky a 1-0 lead in the second. After BC tied the game, Paape reached base on an error in the fourth and came home on another two-base hit by Ball.

The Redskins put it away in the sixth with three more runs, all unearned.

Senior pitcher Allison DeMott limited the Devils to just four hits and struck out five to earn the win on the mound.