The long pl;ayoff run ended for the Negaunee Junior Boys Little League (age 13-14) All-Star baseball team on Sunday with a 13-0 loss to the Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, All-Stars at Plymouth Park in downstate Midland. Click the above headline for details, interviews, and video clips.
It took an extra two weeks, but the Menominee Red Wave has won the Michigan Veterans Baseball 17-and-under state championship. The Red Wave bull-rushed their way to the championship with a dominating weekend at Gladstone's Don Olsen Field. Menominee smacked Sagola-Felch Post 168, 12-1, to earn the trophy. Click the above headline for details.
Not much went right for the Negaunee Junior Little League All-Star baseball team on Saturday as they lost to the Illinois State Champions from Elmhurst-River Forest, 11-0, in the Central Regional Tournament winner's bracket final. Click the above headline for details, and videos taken by Cooper Dost.
The Negaunee Junior Little League All-Stars (age 13-14) used strong defense and added just enough offense to pull out another nailbiter at the Central Regional tournament in Midland on Friday afternoon. Negaunee rallied from a 2-0 deficit midway through the game to battle for a 5-4 win over the Tri-Cities Little League out of Kearney, Nebraska. The future Miners are now just two wins away from a trip to the Junior Baseball World Series. Click the above headline for details, photos, interviews, video clips.
The Negaunee Junior Little League All-Star (age 13-14) baseball team scored seven runs in the first inning and then had to hang on at the end, beating the Indiana State Champions from Wabash Little League, 8-6, at Plymouth Park. Click the above headline for details, interviews, photos, and video highlights.
The Kingsford American Legion Baseball team completed another big comeback on Sunday to win the Class A state tournament championship. The Greens, after being dumped into the loser's bracket by an illegal team in the first game of the tournament, battled back to win four games in the loser's bracket, including Sunday's 11-1 championship win over Breckenridge Post 295. Click the above heasdline for details, video highlights, audio interviews.
The Kingsford Greens American Legion Baseball team won three gmes in the loser's bracket this weekend in far southern Lower Michigan, and will now play for a state championship on Sunday. The Greens beat Breckenridge Post 295 n Saturday, 8-5, after beating Stevensville-Lakeshore (10-3) and Hudson (8-2) on Friday. The Greens bounced back after political drama that saw a team kicked out of the tournament Friday night. Click the above headline for details, videos, and interviews.
The Kingsford Greens American Legion Baseball team made five errors and could not overcome those mistakes, and fell to North Branch, 5-2, at the Class A State Tournament in downstate Adrian. Click the above headline for details.
The Negaunee Junior Little League (age 13-14) All-Star baseball team has won the state championship. The boys pulled out a 4-3 win over Emmett on Monday in the semifinals at the historic Felch Field, and then beat Southern Grand Rapids, 6-2, in the championship game. Click the above headline for details, photos, videos, interviews.
The Kingsford Greens American Legion Baseball team will have the chance to defend the state championship it won last summer. The Greens blew past the Negaunee Senior Legion team, 12-1 and 9-2, to win the Upper Peninsula Zone Five championship Friday at Iron Town Field. The result sends the Greens to the Class A state tournament next week in downstate Adrian. Click the above headline for details.
The Gladstone Junior Little League All-Star (age 13-14) team was eliminated from the state tournament late Wednesday night in a heartbreaking ending. Defending champion Croswell-Lexington trailed the District Ten champions, 5-4, in the sixth inning. But Cros-Lex rallied for the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning and then scored again in the bottom of the seventh to walk it off, 6-5. Click the above headline for details, and to hear post-game comments.
The tournament run ended for the Escanaba Major Little League All-Star (age 10-12) softball team on Tuesday, but not without a lot of fireworks. Escanaba trailed Georgetown, 9-0, and were close to being mercied in the fourth inning of their state semfinal game in St. Clair. The girls put on a furious rally before coming up one run short, 9-8. Click the above headline to see photos, videos taken by Leo Nolde, and to hear comments from Gen Fields and Coach Danicia Humbert.
The Gladstone Junior Little League All-Star softball team (age 13-14) picked up its first state tournament win Tuesday night in the 100-degree heat in central Lower Michigan, beating Three Rivers, 17-1, at Georgetown Little League. Click the above headline for details.
The Escanaba Major Little League All-Star softball team (age 10-12) won its third straight lopsided state tournament game on Monday, beating Grosse Pointe, 11-0, in St. Clair. The Escanaba ladies have outscored their opponents, 35-2, since the tournament-opening loss to the host St. Clair team. Click the above headline for details, interviews, photos, and videos taken by Leo Nolde.
The Escanaba Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) advanced to the Michigam state tournament quarterfinals on Sunday in St. Clair, beating Bay County, 12-2, in a game shortened to four innings by the mercy rule. The game started almost two hours late because of a long game on the field before their contest. Click the above headline for details, interviews, and videos taken by Leo Nolde.
The Escanaba Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) pounded out 15 base hits and cruised past the Petoskey All-Stars, 12-0, Saturday afternoon at the Michigan State Tournament in St. Clair. The win evened Escanaba's state finals record at 1-1, and means that a win over Bay County on Sunday would send the girls into the state quarterfinals of the 16-team event. Click the above headline to see photos, and to hear player and coach interviews.
The Negaunee Junior Little League All-Stars (age 13-14) are headed to another state tournament, and this time, they won't have to take a long trip below the Mackinac Bridge to do it. The group of boys, many of whom have played on other Little League teams that have had to compete downstate, beat Petoskey in a winner-take-all third sectional game on Saturday, 5-4, to advance to the state tournament in Felch. Click the above headline for details.
The Iron Mountain Junior Little League All-Stars (age 13-14) won the District Ten championship on Friday, beating Gladstone, 13-4, to advance to the state tournament, which will be held next weekend in Felch. The Iron Mountain (and Iron County) boys scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to break the game open. Click the above headline for details.
The Escanaba Major Little League All-Star (age 10-12) softball team had a rough first inning on Friday and could not come back, losing to the host St. Clair All-Stars. 4-1, in the Michigan State Tournament opener. Click the above headline for details, photos, and interviews.
The Gladstone Junior Little League All-Stars (age 13-14) kept their season alive Thursday night with a dramatic 7-6 win over Kingsford in an elimination district tournament game in Iron Mountain. Click the above headline for details.
The Kingsford Junior Little League All-Stars (age 13-14) scored eight runs in the first inning and cruised to a 13-3 win over the Gladstone All-Stars in the district tournament opener Wednesday night in Iron Mountain. Click the above headline for details, photos, and post-game interviews.
The Kingsford Major Little League All-Star baseball team (age 10-12) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Thursday night to earn a trip to the state tournament. Kingsford was down to its final out in the bottom of the final inning, but managed to score five runs to stun Iron Mountain North, 10-9, to win the district championship. Click the above headline for details, video highlights, and to hear interviews with Kingsford's Luca Cory and Harvey Ellis.
Not even a great Gladstone pitching effort, a long lightning delay, or a live bat in the dugout could stop the Escanaba Major Little League All-Star (age 10-12) softball team from punching its ticket for the state tournament. Escanaba lost to Gladstone, 2-0, in a typical rivalry match-up Tuesday night at Escanaba's Lemmerand Park. That forced a winner-take-all championship game, and Escanaba scored nine runs in the first inning and posted a 15-5 victory. Click the above headline for details.
The Marinette Firecracker American Legion Baseball tournament wrapped up on Sunday at the Pederson Ballpark. Manitowoc won the championship, 4-3, over Watertown. Marinette took the third place game. As for the Upper Peninsula's teams, the Escanaba Cubs lost to the Sault Ste. Marie (Canada) Black Sox, 3-1, in the seventh place game, and in the fifth place game, the Menominee Red Wave lost to Green Bay Southwest, 11-1. Click the above headline for details.
Moving Day lived up to its name as 144 athletes competed in the second round of the Island Resort Championship presented by Delta County Chamber on Saturday at Sweetgrass Golf Club. The cut was made at 4-under par with the top 60 and ties now preparing for the final round. 18-hole leader, Kelly Xu felt more confident heading into the second round, than her fellow first round opponents, and her scorecard proves just that. Click the above headline for details. (Epson Tour photo, story)
The annual Firecracker American Legion Baseball Tournament got under way on Friday in Marinette, and both of the Upper Peninsula's teams took losses. The Escanaba Cubs lost to Marinette, 6-1, as Jake Farley threw six innings of no-hit ball. Earlier, the Menominee Red Wave hung with the Watertown team, trailing just 7-5 in the fourth inning. But the errors started piling up, and the Red Wave had a 15-5 loss. Click the above headline for details.
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.
