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Friday October 18, 2024
WHAT A RUN: Negaunee Boys Fall In State Finals

GRAND RAPIDS---The dream for a state championship, and a possible spot in the Senior Little League World Series, came to an end for the Negaunee All-Stars on Monday, as the group of 15 and 16 year-olds came up short in the state championship game, 10-3, to the host Southern Grand Rapids team.

Negaunee had dusted off Hillman, 8-1, in the semifinal earlier on Monday.

It was a tough way to end for Negaunee, which has had an incredible run in the Little League All-Star playoffs the last two years. The older half of this group made the state semifinals in the summer of 2022 before losing a tight game to eventual state champion Birmingham.

Then last year, the younger half of this group shocked the world by upsetting heavily-favored Muskegon Roosevelt Park to win the Junior (age 13-14) state championship, and winning a game at the Central Regonal Tournament before bowing out.

This time around, with those two groups combined, Negaunee had a legitimate chance to at least head to the regionals in Peru, Ill., and perhaps, even farther from there. And all of this, every year for the past three, has seen Negaunee make the long trip to Grand Rapids for the tournaments.

It started off good for Neagunee on Monday, as the boys took care of business against Hillman in the state semifinals. Negaunee jumped to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, allowing the Miners to save some pitching. Devin Jurmu and Nash Barabe each had run-scoring hits in that inning, and a balk and passed ball allowed two more runs to score.

Aiden Steele and Killean Ryan both had RBI singles in the seventh inning to pad the lead.

Hillman managed only three base hits against Negaunee pitchers Steele and Jurmu. Steele threw the first 2 2/3 innings and did not allow a hit or a walk (he pegged one batter). Steele was removed for pitch count reasons after throwing 30 pitches. Jurmu threw the final 4 1/3 innings, using 58 pitches to allow one run on three hits and a walk.

After resting for a couple of hours, the Miners were back on the field for a championship match-up against the host Southern Grand Rapids team. The two teams had played the day before in a meaningless pool play game, and Negaunee had led, 8-6, before giving up five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and losing, 11-8.

On Monday, Negaunee got off to a good start on the scoreboard in this state championship game. Owen Cardinal retired the side 1-2-3 in the first inning, with two strikeouts, and then in the bottom of the inning (Negaunee was the home team by a coin toss), the Miners grabbed the early. A double off the bat of Evan DellAngelo brought home Cardinal (who had walked) with the first run, then Tristan Slater's sacrifice fly gave Negaunee a 2-0 lead.

Southern tied the game in the second inning on an RBI double by Charles Molenbeek, and the second run came home on a Negaunee error. It stayed 2-2 until the fourth inning.

Carter Vrisenga drove in the go-ahead run with a base hit to right field, the last of three straight singles to start that inning for Southern. The hosts scored another run on an error, and took a 4-2 lead. Southern pitcher Will Doezema was tough, striking out eight batters and allowing one hit in four innings of work. But Negaunee took advantage of a walk and an error to score a run in that fourth inning, closing to within 4-3.

But in the top of the fifth inning, Slater came on to relieve Cardinal on the mound. Mollenbeek, batting in the seventh spot in the order, came through with another run-scoring hit, giving Southern a 5-3 lead. He had three hits in the game for the District Nine champions.

Then, after a delay, things fell apart for Negaunee in the top of the sixth inning, when Southern Grand Rapids scored five times to put the game away. Will Bush had a two-run hit and Doezema added a two-run hit of his own for Southern, who advance to the Senior Little League Central Regional Tournament in Peru, Ill., later this month.

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