Lumberjacks 1-4 in Conference Round Robin Weekend
SANDUSKY, Ohio — The Alpena Community College softball team went 1-4 at the MCCAA Northern Conference round-robin tournament held at Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center this weekend, dropping four games after a dominant opening-day win. The record stings on paper — but Lumberjack fans have seen this story before.
One year ago, ACC went 1-4 at this exact same event and went on to finish third in the MCCAA Northern Conference before making a strong run in the NJCAA Region XII Tournament. This group has the pieces to follow the same path, and a weekend that exposed areas to improve also revealed an offense with genuine firepower and a pitcher capable of shutting down opponents when her best stuff is there.
Game 1: ACC 23, Bay College 10
The Lumberjacks opened the weekend with a statement, pouring on 23 runs against Bay College behind an offensive eruption that showcased just how dangerous this lineup can be at its best.
Jordan Ashley went the distance in the circle, picking up the complete-game win while scattering 11 hits and striking out six. At the plate, Ashley contributed as well, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI.
The Lumberjacks put up crooked numbers early — six in the first, five in the second — and never looked back despite a Bay College eight-run third that briefly made things interesting. Kirsten Neubecker did the most damage, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI. Alaina Neubecker was equally relentless, going 4-for-6 with two doubles and five RBI. Reagan Sides contributed four hits and three RBI, and Jenna Sircely added a home run, a triple, and two RBI. Magdalyn Sandoval reached base four times and stole three bases.
ACC capped the game with a six-run seventh inning to seal the convincing 23-10 victory.
Game 2: ACC 5, Muskegon CC Jayhawks 13
The momentum from the opener didn't carry over into Game 2, as the Muskegon CC Jayhawks handed the Lumberjacks a 13-5 defeat in six innings.
ACC jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with Kirsten Neubecker hitting a two-run home run to stake the Lumberjacks to an early advantage. Sircely added an RBI double. But the Jayhawks responded with a five-run third and never looked back, plating multiple runs in four of the six innings.
Sircely took the loss in the circle, allowing eight earned runs over 5.1 innings while battling control issues that resulted in seven walks. The Lumberjacks added a fifth run in the third inning but couldn't sustain any additional offense as Muskegon's pitching kept ACC off-balance the rest of the game.
Game 3: ACC 0, GRCC Raiders 11
The GRCC Raiders handed ACC its most lopsided loss of the weekend, ending the game via the mercy rule after four innings with an 11-0 final.
The Lumberjacks managed just three hits and were held scoreless while GRCC's Lillian Klop was virtually untouchable, retiring all 18 batters she faced without allowing a hit, walk, or hit batter for a perfect game. ACC's offense, so explosive in Game 1, could not find its footing against Klop's dominant performance.
Sircely started and allowed seven earned runs in 1.2 innings before Allison Whitaker took over and pitched 2.1 innings of relief. The Raiders worked eight walks and benefited from four hit batters, keeping the pressure on despite not needing many clean hits to score.
Game 4: ACC 0, Mid Michigan Lakers 8
The Lumberjacks fell 8-0 to Mid Michigan in five innings as the Lakers' Bri Halfmann matched the dominant outing from the previous game, holding ACC to four hits while striking out four.
Ashley started in the circle and allowed eight earned runs on 12 hits, unable to locate against a Mid Michigan lineup that sprayed the ball to all fields. The Lumberjacks put runners on base in the fifth inning — Reagan Sides singled, Magdalyn Sandoval walked — but couldn't push a run across.
The 0-0 tie through one inning gave way to mid-game trouble as the Lakers scored in four of five innings, getting two runs in the second and third and three in the fourth to build an insurmountable lead.
Game 5: ACC 4, Delta College 12
The Lumberjacks closed the weekend Sunday against Delta College, keeping things competitive for stretches before the Pioneers pulled away for a 12-4 win.
ACC led briefly after a two-run second inning and pulled within 6-4 with a two-run sixth — Sircely singled home a run and Autumn Kazyaka scored on a groundout — but Delta College's five-run fifth inning had already done too much damage. Ashley pitched all seven innings, striking out three and keeping ACC in contention through six before the Pioneers added three more in the seventh to seal the outcome.
Alaina Neubecker and Ashley each drove in runs, and the Lumberjacks collected six hits, but left three runners on base in the final three innings and couldn't complete the rally.
Team Totals (5 games): .318 BA | .396 OBP | .888 OPS | 42 H | 32 R | 4 HR | 9 2B | 1 3B | 27 RBI | 13 BB | 6 SB
Standout Performers
Kirsten Neubecker was the most dangerous hitter in the lineup all weekend, going 9-for-13 (.692) with three home runs and six RBI across five games. She reached base at a .750 clip and was an on-base machine even in games where the offense as a whole struggled. Her power — one homer every 4.3 at-bats over the weekend — is a genuine weapon at any level of conference play.
Reagan Sides hit .538 (7-for-13) with two doubles and three RBI, posting the second-best batting average on the team and making consistent hard contact throughout the weekend. Sides was one of the few Lumberjacks who produced offense in the losses as well.
Jenna Sircely had a strong offensive weekend, going 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run, a triple, a double, and four RBI. Her results in the circle were more difficult — she went 0-2 as a starter with a 15.00 ERA across 7.0 innings — but her bat kept her in the lineup and her importance to the offense is clear.
Alaina Neubecker hit .385 (5-for-13) with two doubles and five RBI, driving in runs in multiple games and giving the lineup a second powerful bat to complement Kirsten Neubecker in the middle of the order.
Jordan Ashley pitched 19.0 innings over three starts and earned the team's only win with a complete-game performance against Bay College. Her 8.47 ERA for the weekend reflects a staff that collectively allowed too many baserunners, but Ashley's willingness to take the ball in every difficult situation and her four RBI contribution at the plate make her a cornerstone this team can build around.
Looking Ahead
The 1-4 record is the same mark ACC carried out of this tournament a year ago — and it didn't define that team's season. The Lumberjacks still hit .318 as a unit, scored 32 runs across five games, and showed flashes of the offensive depth that makes them dangerous. The pitching staff allowed too many walks and hit batters, and those are correctable problems.
What this team showed in the Bay College game — 23 runs, disciplined at-bats, aggressive baserunning — is the ceiling. The conference schedule is long, and the Lumberjacks have every reason to believe they can climb in the standings just as they did a year ago.
The Alpena Community College Lumberjacks compete in the MCCAA Northern Conference. Follow ACC Athletics for complete coverage of the 2026 softball season.