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Bang! Bissell Leads D.C. All-Stars To District Title
 NORWAY----There have been only a handful of high school freshmen to make the Escanaba High School baseball team in the past decade. And fewer still became starters in the Eskymo lineup. Sean Bissell accomplished that this spring, as he worked his way into the starting catcher's role for the district champion Eskymo High School team. That experience of playing against "big boys" as a 14-year-old is paying off for Bissell as he catches behind the plate for the Delta County Junior Little League All-Stars. 
Hunter Garling pitched for the DJ Juniors.
The win gave the boys a district championship, and allows them to host Ishpeming in the sectional next Saturday and Sunday in Wells. Bissell's grand slam highlighted a seven-run third inning that turned a 2-1 deficit into a comfortable 8-2 lead. The homer came on a 2-0 pitch, and Bissell creamed the ball. "I wasn't really doing too good earlier," Bissell said. "I just cleared my mind, got all the bad stuff out. The pitch came, and I just swung, and watched it go." Before that shot, Bryant Beem came through with a two-out, two-run hit up the middle that broke the 2-2 tie. The #8 hitter had gone without a base hit in the districts. "I just took everything out of my mind, swung the bat, and seen what I could do and hit the ball," Beem said. 
Bryant Beem makes solid contact.
And he used his "wheels" to score from second base on an error in the fourth inning, and he scored the winning run in the sixth on a dropped fly ball. Bissell was also strong behind the plate, as he threw out two runners at times when Kingsford was trying to make comebacks. Bissell threw out Owen Petscher in the fourth inning and Brett Swanson in the fifth. Also, Delta County center fielder Jake Peterson threw out Joe Linn in the third inning as he tried to stretch a single into a double. Hunter Garling got the ball for the DC All-Stars, and the big lefty retired the first five men he faced. But he ran into trouble in the third inning as he gave up three runs on two walks and two hits. Anthony Rebera had an RBI double and Linn had the RBI single in that inning for Kingsford, before being thrown out at second base. Andy Barker walked and scored on a wild pitch for Kingsford in the fifth inning. 
Kingsford's Owen Petschar celebrated his 14th birthday Monday night.
Garling walked three times and scored twice. Peterson had base hits in both of his at-bats and he scored twice. Nick Aird was on base all four times that he batted. Garling ran into his 95-pitch limit in the fifth inning, but he still earned the win on the mound. He gave up three runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings. Brandon Punzel pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and hitting a batter. Kingsford used four pitchers in the game, with Reberra taking the loss. The game was played under extreme heat, 94 degrees at game time. "It was tortureous," Bissell said. "It was really bad. You've got the heat, the humidity, no breeze, all the black catcher's gear. It gets really tough out there." NEXT UP FOR D.C. BOYS: Delta County will host Ishpeming in a best two-of-three sectional tournament starting this Saturday at the Wells Sports Complex Field. It will be a doubleheader, with the first game starting at 2:00. If a third game is needed, it would be played at the Wells Field at 1:00 on Sunday. The games will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and will be streamed live on-line at www.rrnsports.com." "I think we're gonna do good," Beem said. "I'm proud of this group. We're good as a unit. I hope that we can keep on going." If Delta County wins, the boys will play in the state tournament at Whitehall/Montague in the western part of the state, near Muskegon. That tournament starts on July 27.  |
