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Coach Houthoofd had a bad feeling about his team's chances in the finals after several issues emerged early in the game. "At the beginning of the game our first baseman had a dizzy spell and then our third baseman hurt her knee right away and I thought, ÔWhat else can happen?'" he said.

He added, "With those few things happening, I thought it wasn't going to be our day."

At times the hitting also gave Houthoofd cause for concern, as the Pats got runners on base, but were unable to get the timely hits they needed. "Our girls weren't swinging at strikes and that was getting them in trouble," he explained.

"That is what has been hurting us; our mental mistakes, but we'll get over it," Houthoofd added. "We're playing our worst ball at the wrong time of the year."

Luckily for USA, pitcher Marisa Lemere brought her "A" game and blanked the Rockets through the first seven.

It was at that point that another hero emerged. Nicole Dewald, who earlier in the game made a diving stop and throw at second that prevented one or two runs from scoring, drilled a double that would lead to the game's only run later in the inning when Jillian Williamson ripped a line drive up the middle.

While Dewald's late-game heroics may have surprised some of the spectators, Houthoofd knew she was more than capable of getting the big hit when called upon. "Last year, she stepped up throughout our run," he said.

"She has senior leadership this year and we count on her," Houthoofd added. "She is one of our players that has to step up or we aren't going to last long."

If Dewald hadn't, Houthoofd knew one of his other players would have. "We've got nine ball players that are starting and any one of them can hit at any time. The bottom of our line up is just as strong as the top of our line-up, which is what makes this team a good team," he said.

That also makes the possibility a prolonged hitting slump unlikely. "(Our hitting) will work itself out," he explained.

Houthoofd added, "There was no way we could stay hitting like we were for the first 3/4 of the season. We were pretty awesome. There was no way we could sustain that."

While it might not reach the previous heights of earlier this season, Houthoofd is sure it will be ready when USA faces Madison Heights Bishop Foley this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Division Three Regional semi-finals at Bad Axe.

"We'll fight back and we'll be ready," he said. "These kids are not going to give up, they are going to battle."

The Patriots advanced to the Regional finals with an 11-0 win over Cass City in the semi-finals.