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Hosting the district tournament, the Blazers faced Suttons Bay in the opener, and were behind in the first inning. They quickly turned the table on Suttons Bay, winning the opener, then going on to the final, defeating Elk Rapids to win their fourth consecutive district championship Saturday.

In the opener, Suttons Bay put its first three batters on base, scoring the game's first run off a fielder's choice. The Blazers escaped that half of the inning, not allowing another run and trailing 1-0.

Pitcher Jennifer Spann got two strikeouts to close the inning, then held the opponent scoreless for the remainder.

Bernadette Gillespie led the offense with five hits and three runs scored, as the Blazers scored 11 unanswered runs, to win 11-1.

Megan Dunn drove-in three runs, Katie Krause had two RBI. Kara Ponstein, Kaiti Jones and Marissa Taylor had two hits each.

Kalkaska coach Rik Ponstein says Taylor, their No. 1 starter, was saved for the district final, should the Blazers have reached it. The strategy worked out for Kalkaska, as Taylor pitched a three-hit victory over Elk Rapids, 6-1.

She allowed three htis and struckout eight, allowing the Elks a single run that came in the sixth inning. Taylor also led the offense, with two hits, while Courtney Kooistra had a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth, to give the Blazers a 4-0 lead.

Ponstein says allowing only two runs, in the two games, was important to the Blazers' success. "Defense was the key to this win," he said.

Another key, for advancing past the regionals, is again having home field advantage. The Blazers host the regional Saturday, facing East Jordan, which won the Mancelona district.

Kalkaska, which improved its season record to 24-10, play against the Red Devils at noon.