GLADSTONE---The Gladstone Indians met their first goal by winning the regular season championship of the Mid Peninsula Conference with a 19-1 record in 20 games.
Saturday night, the boys met another goal: to win the southern division championship of the Mid Pen League playoffs. The Indians were bounced from the conference tournament in the first round last year, but this time around, there was no suspense.
Gladstone beat Iron Mountain Gold, 7-0, and then trampled Channing, 14-0, to win the divisional trophy and advance to Sunday's league championship game in Negaunee.
In the first game, Blake Ballard tossed all seven innings to earn the shutout pitching victory. Offensively, Cody Frazer had a two-run single in the first inning and Peyton Jurek had a two-run double in the fourth inning to expand the Gladstone lead.
Channing then topped Kingsford, 3-2, as Cody Berg pitched a complete game for the Railroaders. Berg then tried to pitch again against the Indians, but it didn't go well for him as Gladstone scored ten runs in that first frame.
Berg was replaced by his little brother, Noah, after the first seven runs came in.
Gladstone ended up with the mercy-shortened win in the fifth inning.
Ballard broke out of his batting slump by going 3-for-3 with three runs batted in. Jared Stenson had a solo home run and a single, Justin Jurek had two hits and two runs batted in, and Frazer and Hayden Hardwick both drove in three runs.
Gladstone (posing with the south division trophy at top) will head north to Negaunee for the league championship game on Sunday.
The opponent is still unknown, as rain affected the northern part of the bracket on Saturday. Marquette has to play Hancock at 11 a.m., and the Indians will play the winner at 2:00 at Iron Town Field.
Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see more pictures from the games, taken by Kim Frazer.
Matt Weyers (1) checks in at first base with Coach Robert Hardwick (24) during Saturday night's game.
Saturday night, the boys met another goal: to win the southern division championship of the Mid Pen League playoffs. The Indians were bounced from the conference tournament in the first round last year, but this time around, there was no suspense.
Gladstone beat Iron Mountain Gold, 7-0, and then trampled Channing, 14-0, to win the divisional trophy and advance to Sunday's league championship game in Negaunee.
In the first game, Blake Ballard tossed all seven innings to earn the shutout pitching victory. Offensively, Cody Frazer had a two-run single in the first inning and Peyton Jurek had a two-run double in the fourth inning to expand the Gladstone lead.
Blake Ballard runs to second base Saturday after getting a hit vs Iron Mountain.
Berg was replaced by his little brother, Noah, after the first seven runs came in.
Gladstone ended up with the mercy-shortened win in the fifth inning.
Ballard broke out of his batting slump by going 3-for-3 with three runs batted in. Jared Stenson had a solo home run and a single, Justin Jurek had two hits and two runs batted in, and Frazer and Hayden Hardwick both drove in three runs.
Gladstone (posing with the south division trophy at top) will head north to Negaunee for the league championship game on Sunday.
The opponent is still unknown, as rain affected the northern part of the bracket on Saturday. Marquette has to play Hancock at 11 a.m., and the Indians will play the winner at 2:00 at Iron Town Field.
Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see more pictures from the games, taken by Kim Frazer.
