PITCHERS RULE: Johnson Outduels Rockhill, 4-0

ESCANABA---Hits were at a premium Monday night as the Escanaba Eskymos and Superior Central Cougars met in what turned out to be a pitcher's duel.

Escanaba's Ben Johnson was just a but better than SC's Hayden Rockhill as Escanaba won the game, 4-0. There were only five base hits in the game, three of them by the Cougars.

Johnson got into trouble only once, in the third inning when he walked Zach Frusti and Billy Crsip was safe on an error. But Johnson quickly ended the threat when he stepped off first, looked to third, and caught Frusti trying to come home. Then he threw to second base to get Crisp, wrapping up an unsual 1-4 double play to end the threat.

Rockhill, a Munising High School student playing for the Cougars as part of the co-op, threw well, allowing only two base hits. But errors behind him were clostly, and he walked five batters, driving up his pitch count,'

Escanaba scored in the first inning when Bon LaChance's fly ball was dropped in right field, scoring Scotty Hiller, who had a two-out single. It stayed 1-0 until the third inning, when another error allowed Hunter Lancour to reach base and Rockhill walked Hiller.

LaChance punched a single to left field to score two runs, making it 3-0. Rockill struck out Matt Zimmerman, but the ball got away, and Zimmerman was safe at first. Johnson grounded out to third base to bring home the fourth and final Escanaba run.

Rockhill ended up throwing five innings, allowing two hits. Johnson threw all six for the win, allowing three hits (two of them by Dakota Maki and one by Rockhill).

The Cougars had one last chance in the sixth inning when Maki got a hit and Johnson walked both Blake Walther and Rockhill. But Johnson got Lucas Swetich to pop up to end the game.

Escanaba won the nightcap, 11-1, in five innings. Adam Willette pitched all five innings, allowing only three base hits. The run scored against him was unearned.

Swetich took the loss for the Cougars, allowing six runs on six hits in four innings. Trent Rutter tried to finish the game, but walked five batters and gave up five runs, as the Eskymos ended the game on the mercy rule.

Lancour and LaChance both had two runs batted in, and Zimmerman narrowly missed a home run with a shot that hit the warning track.