The Negaunee Senior Legion Baseball team rallied from a 4-0 deficit Wednesday night to beat the Escanaba Cubs, 10-4, at Al Ness Field. Both teams used multiple pitchers as they prepare to compete in tournaments this weekend. Click the above headline for details, videos, and interviews.
The Marquette Post 44 Blues baseball team had a successful weekend at a tournament in Rhinelander, as the team continues to build for the stretch drive by playing on the road. The Blues won three out of four games this weekend, including a dramatic 6-5 upset win on Saturday against traditional Wisconsin powerhouse Wausau D.C. Everest. Click the above headline for details and to see photos taken by Natalie Pantti.
The Gregg Johnson Memorial American Legion Baseball Tournament wrapped up on Sunday in Escanaba as Sheboygan completed a perfect weekend to take the trophy back home to Wisconsin. Sheboygan got Kingsford, 5-3, in the semifinal, and then blew past Marinette, 11-5, in the championship game. Three different Sheboygan players hit home runs during Sunday's two wins. Click the above headline for details.
The annual Gregg Johnson Memorial American Legion Baseball tournament wrapped up pool play late Saturday night after ten more games were played in Escanaba and in Wells Township. The tournament saw 20 pool play games since Friday morning, and the ten teams were reduced to four semifinalists for Sunday. The Kingsford Greens will join three Wisconsin teams in the final four. Click the above headline for details.
A ten-team American Legion Baseball tournament got under way Friday in Delta County. The Gregg Johnson Memorial Tournament, which has been held every year for more than three decades, saw five games on the Escanaba Al Ness Field and five games on the Bay College field in Wells. Click the above headline for scores, details, and for Saturday's schedule and radio schedule.
The Escanaba Cubs American Legion Baseball team opened its season Tuesday night by beating the Niagara Legion team, 20-1, at Al Ness Field. Several young players filled in, and did well, as the Cubs scored early and often to get the win. Click the above headline for details, videos, interviews.
The Negaunee Iron Range 12U boys Tier II AA hockey team won a state championship on Sunday, wrapping up a perfect weekend of hockey. The boys beat Orchard Lake, 4-1, in the semifinals, and then took down the Detroit Bulldogs, 7-4, in the championship game. Negaunee outshot Detroit, 28-16, in the championship victory. The games were played at the Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City. Negaunee also won all of its pool play contests.
Tahquamenon Area Youth Hockey Association 12U boys Tier Three hockey team won a state championship last night at the Farmington Arena near Detroit. The Bandits won all three of their games in pool play, and then beat the West Shore Wolves, 9-3, in Sunday's semifinals. The championship game saw the Newberry-Munising combined team beat Detroit Honeybaked, 7-1, outshooting the downstate team, 35-7, along the way. Congratulations to Coach Nutkins and the boys.
The Escanaba Eskymos eighth grade basketball team has won a state championship. The boys went undefeated and won the Michigan Middle School Silver bracket state title over the weekend in dowinstate Brighton. There were 12 teams in the bracket. In pool play, Escanaba beat Charlotte, 44-26, and topped Owosso 48-32, In the semifinals, Esky beat Niles, 47-25, and in the championship game, Escanaba pulled out a 45-42 win over SISU out of Vassar, Michigan. Tournaments were held in 3rd through 8th grades, and Escanaba was the only Upper Peninsula team in any bracket to bring home the championshiip.
The wild summer-long ride for the Negaunee Major Little League All-Star baseball team came to an end on Monday as the UP boys lost to Lexington, Kentucky, 6-1, in an elimination game in suburban Indianapolis. The loss ended the Great Lakes Regional Tournament run for Negaunee, after a five-week odyssey that started with district tournament blowouts in Calumet, and improbable six-game run at the state tournament in Saginaw that included a pair of nailbiters, and then the trip to the Hoosier state for the first time in program history.
The Little League Baseball Great Lakes Regional tournament is underway in suburban Indianapolis, and it got off to a rough start for the Negaunee Major All-Stars. The Michigan state champions lost to Hamilton West Side (Ohio), 8-0, to drop into the loser's bracket of the five-team event. Negaunee Manager Joe Dost says the tournament is far from over, the kids are having fun, and are mostly unaware of just what they've accomplished.
The Kingsford Greens captured the American Legion Baseball Class A state championship on Sunday, beating Stevensville-Lakeshore on their own field, 8-4, in a winner-take-all contest. The Greens had lost to that team in a testy game earlier in the tournament, but picked up a 5-2 win on Saturday to force this Sunday baseball. This group of ten kids from Kingsford and Norway combined to form this team, after both high school squads had successful seasons. And now, they share a state championship trophy together.
The baseball season came to a premature end for the Post 44 Blues on Saturday as they lost to the Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox, 7-2, in the Michigan Veterans Baseball state tournament in Gaylord. The Blues opened the tournament with two wins, but were battered by Gaylord Friday night and then got off to a slow start Saturday that spelled the end of a successful summer of baseball for the organization.
The Escanaba Cubs first appearance in the American Legion Class AA state tournament in more than a decade came to an end on Friday with a 5-2 loss to Adrian Post 285 at Northwood University in Midland. The Cubs finished the tournament with a 1-2 record, and closed a successful summer season with a 17-9-2 record.
The Kingsford Greens American Legion Baseball team opened Class A state tournament play on Thursday with a 9-5 victory over the Three Oaks Oakers in the far southwest Lower Michigan town of Stevensville. The Greens scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 5-5 tie in a game played under sweltering 90-degree heat that was amplified by the artificial turf on the field.
The American Legion Baseball Class Double A state tournament got under way on Thursday under scorching heat at Northwood University in Midland. The Escanaba Cubs beat Big Rapids, 14-2, in their first game, but suffered a power outage in the second game, losing 5-0 to Bay City.
The Post 44 Blues (Marquette-Negaunee) turned in two dominating performances on Thursday as the Michigan Veterans Baseball League began its Under-19 state tournament in the Gaylord area. The Blues dusted off the Ironwood A's, 16-0, and then blanked the Sault Ste, Marie (Canada) Black Sox, 7-0, in a tournament plagued by heavy rain, lightning, and lots of delays. Post 44 pitching allowed only one base hit in each of its victories.
The dream continues for the Negaunee Major Little League All-Star (age 10-12) baseball team. And the boys don't want to wake up any time soon. Negaunee won the first state Major Baseball championship in program history Wednesday night, beating Plymouth-Canton, 10-5, under the lights at Saginaw South Little League. The win sends Negaunee into the Great Lakeas Regional Tournament next month in Indiana, just one step away from a trip to Williamsport.
The Negaunee Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) are now one win away from a state championship. The boys battled Southern Grand Rapids in the state semifinals under the lights Tuesday night in Saginaw and pulled out a 1-0 win to advance to Wednesday's championship game.
The Negaunee Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) cruised past Mattawan in the state quarterfinals Monday night, 10-5, under the lights at South Saginaw Little League. Negaunee took advantage of early Mattawan mistakes to take a 5-0 lead and constantly built to that lead throughout the game, holding off several comeback attempts by the District 15 champions. And Negaunee advances to the state semifinals, set for Tuesday night at 7:00, against Southern Grand Rapids.
The Negaunee Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) finished pool play undefeated on Sunday with a 10-3 win over Ira Township at the Michigan State Tournament in Saginaw. With both teams already assured of a spot in the state quarterfinals, each used three different pitchers and used it as a tune-up game.
The tournament trail came to an end on Sunday for the Gladstone Major Little League All-Star baseball team. Gladstone rallied from a 6-1 deficit to tie the game against Taylor North, but lost on a three-run homer by Taylor's Brexton Runyon, 9-6, in the state tournament pool play finale at South Saginaw Little League. Gladstone ends up finishing 0-3 at the state tournament despite scoring 24 runs in those three games. That's normally enough to win games at this level, but Gladstone lost because it gave up 36 runs in those three games.
The Post 44 Reds 15u baseball team won two tight games on Sunday to take the state championship of the newly-formed Michigan Vetarans Baseball league, 3-2 and 4-3 over the Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox. The games were moved to Marquette's Haley Field after heavy rains caused flooding at the tournament site in Felch.
The Escanaba Minor Little League All-Star softball team (age 8-10) finished pool play undefeated on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Georgetown at the Michigan State Tournament in Cheboygan. The girls will play in the state quarterfinals on Monday.
The Post 44 White Diamonds from Marquette County completed their journey through the loser's bracket Sunday by beating the Menominee Red Wave, 7-6, in eight innings, to win the 17-and-under state championship of the new Michigan Veterans Baseball league.
The Negaunee Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) won their second state tournament game on Saturday in dramatic fashion, beating West Branch, 5-4, in seven innings, to earn a spot in the state quarterfinal round. Kallen Johnson's RBI double over the left fielder's head in the bottom of the seventh inning gave Negaunee a walk-off victory in a game that was played well by both teams.
The Escanaba Minor Little League All-Stars (age 8-10) won their second straight game in pool play on Saturday at the Michigan State Tournament in Cheboygan. Escanaba held off Bullock Creek Southtown from the Midland area, 5-2, to take a prime undefeated spot in the pool standings.
The Gladstone Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) lost their second pool play game Saturday morning at the Michigan State Tournament in Saginaw. It was another high-scoring game, with Gladstone falling to Muskegon Roosevelt Park, 15-11, at North Saginaw Township Little League.
The Marquette Minor Little League All-Star (age 8-10) baseball team won the District Eleven championship by running the table on four mercy rule victories. The championship game saw Marquette beat Ishpeming, 15-3.
The Negaunee Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) opened state tournament play in Saginaw with a win over one of the best programs in the state of Michigan. Negaunee topped Midland Northeast, 4-1, as Nathan Harvala threw a complete-game one-hitter and Thomas Dix drove in all four runs with a three-run homer and RBI single.