EAST LANSING >> The hits were there for South Lyon, but Saline’s Abigail Curtis scattered the damage well enough to deny the Lions on Saturday afternoon as the Hornets claimed the D1 state championship with a 5-2 win at Secchia Stadium.

South Lyon junior Havanna Bissett allowed just three more hits than her counterpart, but Curtis paired 13 strikeouts with her seven hits allowed to give the Hornets their first state title in program history.

“There’s so many great softball teams in the state of Michigan, oh my gosh, softball is so strong,” said Saline head coach Becca Suiter, who talked about going next door with her team afterward to support the Hornets’ girls soccer team that was also playing for a D1 title Saturday. “For our community, we’re so happy to be able to do this … It’s just outstanding for female athletics for Saline, and just our community, so we’re really happy we could do this today.”

Shortstop Casey Griffin, who finished 3-for-3, started the game for Saline with a single, and two batters later catcher Sydney Hastings also singled before Gracelyn Waldrop drove in Griffin to immediately put Saline up, 1-0.

That initial lead was short-lived. Also a force from the leadoff spot, Rylee Miller got it kicked off at the plate for the Lions with a single, then Avery Bourlier singled up the right side to put runners at the corners until Isabella Bracali’s bouncer to third allowed Miller to beat a throw to home, as well as the tag, tying the game.

Unfortunately for South Lyon, Saline would pull back ahead in the top of the second when Ava Stripp sent one over the fence in left field by several yards for a solo shot, beginning a chase by the Lions to tie it again or take a lead that didn’t cease until the final out.

There was no big inning for the Hornets, rather just adding to the lead one run at a time. Waldrop’s sacrifice allowed Hastings to score and make it 3-1 in the third, then the Hornets extended the lead to three in the top of the fifth when a two-out single by Madison Bellus into left scored Hastings.

Saline tacked on its final run of the day when Griffin’s single was shot over the glove of a leaping Izzy Nooe at shortstop to score Elizabeth Onyskin in the top of the sixth.

Bracali sent one into the gap in left-center field for a double in the bottom of the sixth, then Glowacki doubled up the middle to drive her in for the Lions’ final run.

Glowacki would advance to third on a wild pitch in the sixth. It was one of four innings that ended with a runner a base short of home for the Lions.

“We just couldn’t take advantage of the runners in scoring position and cash them in,” South Lyon head coach Jerry Shippe said. “We’ve worked on it a lot, we just couldn’t get the clutch hit when we needed to. Hats off to Saline. They hit the ball hard. They’re a really good team. They deserve it. We just couldn’t get that timely hit when we needed to and sometimes it catches up to you.”

A portion of the success for Curtis in limiting South Lyon and the teams that came before — the Hornets (40-3-2) allowed 10 runs over their seven playoff games — can be attributed to an increased reliance on her changeup.

“I kind of picked up that I think they were prepared for her rise ball when we were watching film,” Suiter said. “So I told (Abigail) today, ‘Okay, let’s try a different pitch.’ And she has really great off-speed a lot of people don’t know about, so after that first inning I had a good feeling if we could mix speeds and keep them off-balance, we’re going to be in good shape.”

Most wouldn’t have picked South Lyon to get a stage past their semifinal finish last spring after graduating Ava Bradshaw, but Bissett’s ability to help fill into her shoes and the effort of her teammates allowed the Lions to get out of a region that included top-ranked Mercy and beat a pair of top-10 teams in Northville and Walled Lake Northern to reach Saturday’s final.

“I mean, I’m proud,” said Shippe, an assistant coach for last year’s side. “I’m sitting here, I’m emotional, choked up. I love these kids. It means a lot for the kids who have been here four years, the ones who are still in the program, and it means a lot to everybody who’s going to be in this program to see the work they put in and the never-give-up attitude.”

Miller, a freshman, finished 3-for-4 to lead South Lyon (33-8) at the plate in the loss.

The Lions will graduate a handful from this year’s team, but return Miller and Bissett, among others.

Asked how it felt to return to East Lansing again this spring, Nooe, one of those seniors, responded, “It means a lot, especially with this team. We didn’t really have any expectations this year and we were just playing for each other. To make it this far, it just feels good knowing that you went as far as you could in your last year, and playing with these girls, it means everything to me.”