Domination! DC Junior Boys Mercy North Saginaw
MONTAGUE, Mich.---Seven innings of baseball. That's all that separates the Delta County Junior Boys (age 13-14) from a trip to the Central Regional Tournament in Fort Wayne, Ind. The boys pounded previously-unbeaten North Saginaw Township, 13-3, in the state semifinals Sunday at Montague High School. Richmond stunned undefeated Taylor North Central in Sunday's other state semifinal game, 6-5, also at Montague High School. There was not much suspense in the outcome of this game, after a couple of earlier nailbiters for the DC team. Delta County scored three runs in the first inning as Hunter LaMarch walked and Sean Bissell doubled. Both scored on a hit by Brandon Punzel. Delta County's third run in the inning scored on an error. And then, the third inning was a big one as DC scored six runs to break it open. Logan Lamb got things started with a single, and then Jake Peterson bunted him to second. Lamb scored on a hit by Nick Aird. Bryant Beem drew a walk and then Justin Popelka was safe on a fielder's choice grounder that erased Beem from the bases. Then came the biggest play of the game as LaMarch hit a grounder to third. The play was fielded properly, but the Saginaw first baseman dropped the throw. That scored Aird, and it was a 5-0 lead. All of a sudden, the DC All-Stars had a 9-0 lead and it was only the third inning. Delta County added four runs in the fourth inning as LaMarch and Bissell each had RBI base hits and Punzel added a two-run double to make it 13-0. But the District 14 champs weren't done. They scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth, with two of the runs coming home on a hit by Justin Hughes. With the score 13-3, Saginaw's Nick Tilot lauched a fly to the deepest part of this large ballpark. Garling kept running in center field and hauled it in for a defensive play that had spectators oohing and ahhing. In the fifth inning, Peterson mowed through the Saginaw order 1-2-3. The little guy from Gladstone known as "Rizzo" had just completed a seven-hitter, on just 68 pitches. The Escanaba-Gladstone boys pounded out 14 base hits, and very few of them were cheap. Bissell led the way by going 4-for-4 and scoring three runs. He also drove in three runs by getting a double, triple, and two singles. Punzel was also big, getting three hits and a walk, and driving in five runs. Delta County faces Richmond in the state championship game on Monday. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600) and rrnsports.com starting at 1:45. Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see numerous photos from the game, and from Saturday's late game against Western. Also, see videos and listen to audio highlights and interviews. Thanks to Kammie Burks for takling all of these photos and videos! |