Todd Rose | Daily Press Gladstone Braves softball head coach Rick Pepin talks with (left to right) Addie Trombley, Tia Schone, Riley Gerow and Montgomery Pepin during a Traverse City St. Francis pitching change May 21 in Gladstone.

GLADSTONE — The Gladstone Braves were looking to step up their game here Saturday.

Coach Rick Pepin believes the Braves did just that after finishing 2-1 for the day.

Gladstone edged Traverse City St. Francis 5-4 in its opener, then mercied Charlevoix 15-0 in four innings prior to dropping a 13-6 decision to the previously unbeaten Gladiators in the title contest.

The Braves secured the opener on a flyball to leftfield on this sunny and seasonably cool afternoon.

“We’ve been telling the girls they’re close,” said Pepin. “That was a very big win for our team. Samara Sanville sparked us with a big hit in the fifth inning which absolutely fired up our team.”

Gladstone (18-5) collected nine hits, including two each by Lauren Sundquist and Aliana Martinez.

Winning pitcher Montgomery Pepin struck out 11, walked two and scattered four hits. Allee Shepherd absorbed the loss.

“Montgomery embraced the big moment and pitched well,” said coach Pepin. “We took the next step as a team. We did not commit an error in the first two games. These are the types of games you need going into the state tournament.”

St. Francis (23-1-1), the third-ranked team in D-3, bounced back to defeat Charlevoix 9-2.

Gladstone freshman Tia Schone whiffed four, walked none and went 3-for-3 against Charlevoix. Sundquist and Addie Trombley added two hits apiece.

Sundquist ripped a three-run homer in the second frame when the Braves scored four times for a 6-0 advantage.

“We just hit the ball in the entire game,” said coach Pepin. “We got good contributions up and down our lineup.”

Gladstone trailed 4-0 in the second inning of the championship game before getting a run back on a single by Reece Herioux in the bottom of that frame.

St. Francis extended its lead to 5-1 on a solo shot to right by sophomore Leah Simetz in the third.

The Braves answered with four runs in their half of the third, trimming their deficit to 5-2 on a single to right by Schone.

Gladstone then took advantage of two errors, shaving its deficit to 5-4 before Kezingtin Pepin’s double to center tied the score. Pepin was later thrown out while attempting to score the go-ahead run.

St. Francis, fueled by a two-run single by sophomore Hunter St. Peter, regained the lead in the fourth.

The Gladiators, who led 8-5 after four, scored five times in the fifth.

“They’re a great team,” said Gladiators’ coach Phil Meeker. “They’re well-coached. This was a good tune-up for the post-season for both of us. The play at the plate was very important. It’s all about momentum. We play good when we have energy. We were aggressive at the plate, and good things happen when you put the ball in play.”

Junior Brooke Meeker helped put the game out of reach on a three-run homer to center for an 11-5 cushion.

St. Peter added an RBI triple to left-center for St. Francis, which extended its advantage to 13-5.

“We’re asking a lot to ask the girls to play three games in a row, but they came back from four runs down against a real good team to tie the game,” said coach Pepin. ”

The Braves host Escanaba, the third-ranked team in D-2, in a twinbill Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.