Carey Comes Up Big As Braves Split In Negaunee

NEGAUNEE---He hardly ever plays, and sometimes, you barely even notice that he's there. But Wednesday evening in Negaunee, Gladstone Braves sophomore Jack Carey made a big contribution to his team in his first real taste of varsity competition.

Braves sophomore Jack Carey was pressed into service Wednesday in Negaunee.

Carey filled in for an inured Tom Bailey at first base and made the defensive play of the night for the final out as the Braves beat the Miners, 4-2, to salvage a split in the doubleheader.

Carey also drove in a run and scored a run in his emergency appearance.

Negaunee won the first game, 7-5, as the Braves blew a 3-0 lead while giving up five unearned runs. But most of that was forgotten after Carey gave a boost in the nightcap.

"When I went to outfield to talk to the kids (after game two), I said there's really only two words I could say: Jack Carey," Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher said. "He saved our butts, big time."

Bailey has been hampered by a quad muscle injury, and he aggravated it during Wednesday's doubleheader opener. Bailey launched a two-run homer over the right field fence as a gale force wind blew in the first inning, then he got another base hit in the fourth inning. But Lauscher pulled Bailey from the game for the rest of the night.

"Tommy toughed it out the best that he could," Lauscher said. "But that quad is really, really killing him. We just had to get him out of there and get him checked out."

James Capodilupo leads off first base.

That brought Carey in for part of the first game, and then for all of the second game.

So, what was Carey thinking when Bailey was unable to continue?

"I'm thinking 'oh, crap. I'm going in next?" Carey said.

Yep, he had to go in!

And Carey, who has had virtually no playing time this season, did make two errors at first base in the nightcap. But he also got one out of the dirt that third baseman Lucas LaCosse had thrown short of the bag to retire Dusty Goupille with two runners in scoring position in the fifth inning.

Jack Carey post-game comments.

And at the plate, Carey got hit by a pitch and eventually scored a run on a Christian Groleau base hit in the third inning to put the Braves in front, 1-0.

Later in the game, Carey fell behind in the count with Blake Ballard on third base and one out. He managed to make contact with two strikes, bouncing it to second base to make it 3-0. "I was just thinking 'protect, protect, protect'," Carey said.

Christian Tackman had three hits in the Wednesday's doubleheader.

"Just put the bat on the ball, and take it to the right side," Lauscher said. "That's what we've been telling the kids. Hit behind the runners. We've got to do those little things to manufacture runs. We did that several times in the second game."

Gladstone carried a 4-0 lead into the fifth inning on strong pitching from Groleau. And Groleau should have been out of the fifth inning without a run scored against him.

Negaunee's Bryce Beauchaine doubled with one out, but Groleau had him picked off at first. Carey couldn't handle the throw in the dirt and Beauchaine was safe. Later, Tyler Lajoie popped a foul that catcher Justin Jurek couldn't catch near the screen.

The Miners would score on a Tyler Jandron base hit.

Jurek gets key out at second.

In the sixth and final inning (these were six-inning games), Zane Radlof doubled and Owen Lajoie got an infield single. Jay Lori singled to load the bases.

That's when Cole Francis hit a fly ball that was caught in right field by Christian Tackman.

That was a sacrafice fly, but a second runner (Lori) tried to make it to second base. Jurek gunned him out for a huge double play. That left Negaunee down 4-2 and with a runner on third with two outs. Enter Jack Carey one more time.

Carey makes the game-clinching play at first.

Beauchaine hit a tap up the first base line that appeared to be an infield hit, and a run batted in. But Carey dove, and from the ground, threw to Groleau covering first base to end the game.

The Braves celebrated a win, keyed by an unlikely source.

"I saw the ball was going along the ground, so I dove for it, rolled over, and tossed it to him," Carey said of making the game's final play. "All I saw was Groleau's glove waving at me. So, I just threw it at that."

Christian Groleau threw a complete game.

Groleau pitched a gym on the mound, throwing all six innings, yielding seven hits. He struck out six batters and walked three, and only one of Negaunee's runs was earned.

Jandron pitched the first three innings for the Miners, and he was strong again. He struck out eight batters in those three innings, and the other out was a ground ball right back to him.

But Jandron also walked four batters and hit Carey, and Groleau solved him with a solid single. Both runs against Jandron were unearned thanks to three errors behind him.

In Wednesday's first game, the Braves jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Jurek doubled and scored on a ground-rule double by Tackman. Bailey's two-run homer made it 3-0.

Tommy Bailey Two-run homer in opener.

Tyler Lajoie hit a solo home run off of Garling in the bottom of the first to make it 3-1, and it stayed that way until a disasterous third inning.

Negaunee scored five runs in that inning without hitting the ball out of the infield. Three of the runs scored when Jurek, playing second base, tried to turn a double play and threw wildly to first. It turned out that the runner at second was also safe, and all three baserunners scored on the error. Negaunee had a 5-3 lead and won, 7-5.

Negaunee pitching ace Tyler Jandron.

Gladstone made three errors that inning, including two on that play.

"We go throw situational baseball for an hour every day in practice," Lauscher said. "Just so everybody knows how to get double plays, get bunts down. But for whatever reason, in the game, they just mentally lock up on those things."

Garling took the loss on the mound, going 2 1/3 innings before Lauscher pulled him.

The freshman had struck out five guys in a row, but hurt his arm while walking Tyler Lajoie. He walked the next man, and with the count 3-2 and the bases loaded, Lauscher brought Tackman into pitch. Tackman finished Garling's walk to force in a run. In that opening game, Gladstone outhit Negaunee, 6-4, but lost. With the split, Gladstone's record is now 12-6. Negaunee is 10-6.

The Braves travel to Sault Ste. Marie for three games in a tournament on Saturday. Gladstone will face Cheboygan in its first game. Those games will not be broadcast on the radio. Negaunee travels to the Escanaba Invitational on Saturday, but will first host Superior Central in a doubleheader Friday evening.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos, and listen to audio highlights and interviews. Thanks to Mrs. Jurek and Lauscher for their help with the camera during these games!

Braves sophomore Jack Carey makes his radio debut Wednesday as Coach Lauscher watches in Negaunee.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

4/20	12:45 PM	at Remus Chippewa Hills	0 - 4 (L)	0-1

4/20	3:00 PM	at Whitehall Vikings	4 - 6 (L)	0-2

4/26	4:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 3 (W)	1-2

4/26	6:30 PM	Negaunee Miners	5 - 0 (W)	2-2

4/27	12:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	11 - 1 (W)	3-2

4/27	2:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	10 - 1 (W)	4-2

4/29	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	4 - 2 (W)	5-2

4/29	6:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	12 - 1 (W)	6-2

5/2	4:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	10 - 2 (W)	7-2

5/4	10:00 AM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	8-2

5/4	5:45 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	1 - 5 (L)	8-3

5/6	4:30 PM	Norway Knights	4 - 3 (W)	9-3

5/6	6:45 PM	Norway Knights	7 - 1 (W)	10-3

5/9	6:00 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	8 - 14 (L)	10-4

5/10	5:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	5 - 10 (L)	10-5

5/10	7:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	13 - 3 (W)	11-5

5/15	4:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	5 - 7 (L)	11-6

5/15	6:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	12-6

5/18	10:00 AM	Cheboygan Chiefs	2 - 3 (L)	12-7

5/18	12:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	6 - 7 (L)	12-8

5/18	2:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	13 - 3 (W)	13-8

5/20	4:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	9 - 4 (W)	14-8

5/20	6:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	8 - 0 (W)	15-8

5/24	4:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	10 - 4 (W)	16-8

5/24	6:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	7 - 0 (W)	17-8

5/27	6:30 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	1 - 5 (L)	17-9

5/28	6:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	3 - 3 (T)	17-9-1

5/31	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	8 - 0 (W)	18-9-1

6/1	1:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	2 - 3 (L)	18-10-1