Eskymos Top Bulldogs, Miners; Win Tourney Title

ESCANABA---Justin Popelka threw 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball, and he had three hits and drove in two runs at the plate, leading the Escanaba Eskymos to a 6-0 win over the Rudyard Bulldogs in the championship game of the Esky Invitational on Saturday.

The Eskymos also beat Negaunee, 6-1, in the morning game. Escanaba went 3-0 on the weekend, and won a tournament at Al Ness Field for the second straight Saturday.

Popelka didn't have his best stuff, and he struggled with the strike zone of the home plate umpire when he tried to get strike calls on his curveball.

Rudyard had the bases loaded in both the third and sixth innings, and had two runners in scoring position in the fourth.

But despite five hits and four walks, Rudyard could not get the big hit against the ace of the Eskymo pitching staff.

Popelka struck out eight batters, and three of those punch-outs happened with Bulldog runners in scoring position.

Popelka also led the way at the plate. He had three base hits, two of which brought in runs, in the first and second innings. The rest of the Eskymo team had two base hits against Rudyard three pitchers. Jake Anderson's double started a four-run rally in the second inning that saw Escanaba score twice on wild pitches and once on a passed ball.

Popelka was named the tournament's Most Valuable Pitcher, and he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Hitter. Noah Lancour relieved Popelka in the seventh inning and got the final two outs to clinch the tournament trophy for the Eskymos.

In the morning game, Escanaba beat Negaunee, 6-1, as Johnny Schlenvogt threw 5 2/3 innings. He was replaced when he reached his 75th pitch so that he'd be eligible to pitch again on Tuesday, when the Eskymos host the North Central Jets in a doubleheader.

C.J. Barron threw the final 1 1/3 innings to complete the victory. Popelka had three hits in that game as well, giving him six base hits in the tournament.

Rudyard topped Negaunee, 7-2, in the other game played on Saturday.

Escanaba improved to 17-12 on the season. The Eskymos will host Marinette on Monday at 5:00. The game will be broadcast on WCHT-AM (600), and rrnsports.com.

ESKYMO GIRLS SPLIT FOUR---The Escanaba High School girls softball team competed at a tournament in Ann Arbor this weekend, against four highly-ranked opponents. On Friday, Escanaba beat Ann Arbor Huron, 18-1, before losing to Portage Central, 7-6. And on Saturday, the Eskymos dropped a 6-1 decision to Howell, before finishing the weekend with a 6-4 win over Utica Ford. Escanaba is now 22-4.

GLADSTONE BOYS PLAY EXTRA INNINGS---The Gladstone High School boys baseball team was also below the Bridge this weekend. The Braves lost to Traverse City Central on Friday, 6-5, in eight innings. On Saturday, the Braves beat Elk Rapids, 4-0, but the team ran out of pitching against Boyne City, losing 14-13, in eight innings.

GLADSTONE GIRLS WIN TAWAS TOURNAMENT---The Gladstone High School girls softball team won four games on Saturday to take the championship of a tournament in Tawas. The Braves started the day with a 15-0 win over West Branch Ogemaw Heights, then topped Birch Run, 10-4. Gladstone's toughest game of the day was a 5-4 victory over Boyne City, then the girls beat St. Louis, 10-2, to win the trophy.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from the Esky baseball tournament, and listen to post-game interviews with Justin Popelka and Jake Anderson.