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Soggy Start To U.P. American Legion Zone Tourney
 The Upper Peninsula Zone Five American Legion Baseball tournament got under way on Thursday with lots of rain dampening the action in Delta County. Two games were played in Escanaba, but two in Gladstone were not. GLADSTONE BRACKET ON HOLD---Heavy rain flooded the field as the Indians were playing the Menominee Red Wave. Then after the rain stopped, and the teams prepared to resume play, the rains returned, making the Don Olsen Field unplayable. The Gladstone-Menominee game was suspended in the fourth inning, with the Indians holding a 7-2 lead. It will be resumed Friday morning at 9:30. The evening game scheduled for Thursday between Bark River and Copper Country was called off. That game will be played Saturday morning at 10:00.  But on Thursday, the Cubs won their playoff opener, 6-5, as the Negaunee Diamonds committed nine errors on defense. Negaunee took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Keenan Johnson. But Tyler Lawson's run-scoring single tied it for Escanaba in the third inning. Then lightning was spotted, and the rains came, and there was a 41- minute weather delay. When play resumed, Negaunee scored a run in the third inning on a Taylor Laurin sacrifice fly, got an RBI single from Tylor Robinson in the fourth inning, and scored on a Keenan Johnson sacrifice fly in the fifth. Negaunee had a 4-1 lead. But the defense fell apart from there. In the sixth inning, three Escanaba runs scored on a walk and five Negaunee errors, including two plays that included both a fielding error and a throwing error. That tied the game at 4-4. Negaunee regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth as Carter Richardson singled home A.J. Suardini, who had a base hit to start the inning.  Drew Rodman got a lead0off walk, and with one out, Lawson put down a nice bunt single. Grant LaMarche lofted a foul fly ball that the Negaunee second baseman (Robinson) made a nice diving catch of. Pinch runner Nick Miller scored the tying run on that play, then a throwing error allowed Lawson to also score, giving the Cubs the lead for the first time in the game. In the bottom of the seventh, LaMarche got three quick outs to end the game. LaMarche pitched a complete game, scattering seven base hits and walking no batters (although he did hit two batters). Negaunee pitcher Tanner Peterson was a tough-luck loser, allowing five runs on three hits. None of the runs were earned. MARQUETTE ROLLS PAST SAULT STE. MARIE---The Marquette Blues jumped to a 7-0 lead and cruised past the young Sault team, 11-4. Garrett Finkbeiner tossed six innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven batters. Hunter Doucette, just two weeks after having surgery to remove his appendix, had three doubles and drove in a pair of runs. Tyler Delmont added a two-run double for the Blues (23-10 record). Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos, videos, and listen to interviews with Grant LaMarche and Conner Aiken. Thursday, July 26 At Escanaba Escanaba 6, Negaunee 5 Marquette 11, Sault Ste. Marie 4 At Gladstone Gladstone vs Menominee, suspended, rain Bark River vs Copper Country, ppd. rain Friday, July 27 At Escanaba Negaunee vs Sault Ste. Narie, 11 a.m. Escanaba vs Marquette, 2 p.m. Negaunee vs Marquette, 5 p.m. Escanaba vs Sault Ste. Marie, 8 p.m. At Gladstone Gladstone vs Menominee, completion suspended game, 9:30 a.m. Menominee vs Copper Country, 11 a.m. Gladstone vs Bark River, 2 p.m. (On AM-600) Bark River vs Menominee, 5 p.m. Gladstone vs Copper Country, 8 p.m. (On AM-600) Saturday, July 28 Bark River vs Copper Country @Gladstone, 10 a.m. Semifinal at Escanaba, Noon Semifinal at Gladstone, Noon Championship at Escanaba, 3 p.m. (On AM-600)  |
