REMUS, Mich.---It was cold and nasty. There were huge snowflakes and ice pellets hitting the kids as they tried to play the Game of Summer.
But on Saturday, the Escanaba Eskymos baseball team managed to beat the elements, and two good downstate teams, as they finally got to play baseball outside of a gym.
The Eskymos beat Whitehall, 4-2, and then topped Remus Chippewa Hills, 12-3, to win the championship of the Chippewa Hills Warriors Invitational in thiS Lower Peninsula community.
It was the Eskymos' first time on grass and dirt.
Misson accomplished.
"We did a lot of nice things," Eskymo Coach Kirk Schwalbach said. "I'm definitely pleased with the kids. The weather finally copperated in the second game and we swung the bats better. A five-hour bus ride is a whole lot better when you win."
In the opener against Whitehall, the temperature was 29 degrees and the windchill factor was 12 degrees. There were frequent snow squalls, and a few peaks at the sunshine that only teased the kids about possible improving conditions.
The truth is that, even though it wasn't as windy or as cold later in the day, the weather was more suited for hockey than baseball.
"It sucks," Eskymo pitcher Ben Kleiman said. "Your hand is numb. Not good."
"Man, it was terrible," Eskymo pitcher Devin Olsen said. "I couldn't feel my hands half the time. Got the snow going. Man, it was tough!"
The Escanaba-Whitehall game was tied at 0-0 into the fifth inning. Olsen did well on the mound, despite the conditions. He got into trouble in the second inning when he walked Cheston Manns and then yielded a double to Ray Copley. But with runners at second and third, Olsen got two straight groundouts to keep the game tied at 0-0.
In the fourth inning, the Eskymos broke through when Nick Vandermissen led off with a single and was bunted to second base by Bailey Lamb.
Lamb was safe on an error on the play, then Brandon Punzel followed with a hit to load the bases. Tyler Skufca came through with an RBI hit to put the Eskymos on the board, then a second run came home when Olsen's grounder was missplayed for an error.
In the fifth inning, Escanaba's 2-0 lead grew to 4-0 on RBI hits by Vandermissen and Punzel.
Although the inning wasn't as big as it could have been because baserunner Cam Beversluis got caught between second and third, leading to Vandermissen being tagged out at second base.
The blunder did not end up costing the Eskymos, however.
Olsen's day ended on the mound after four innings, and he allowed with Skufca taking over in the fifth. Olsen allowed just one hit, no runs, and he fanned eight batters.
In the sixth inning, Skufca had his troubles on the mound. He walked three batters, and gave up an RBI double to Zach Zweigle.
He also allowed an RBI single to Copley, but the biggest play of the game was Skufca's picking Zach Zweigle off of second base.
Skufca got Jacob Kring to bounce out to end the top of the sixth inning, and the game ended there on the tournament's time rule that stated that no inning could start after one hour and 45 minutes had elapsed.
Olsen got the win, Skufca earned the save.
"I used the curveball once in a while," Olsen said. "I've been working on that, hard. My change-up? No! I keep holding it way too hard. But the fastball was pretty good."
At the plate, Punzel and Vandermissen each had two base hits for Escanaba.
The Eskymos had a long wait before they would play again, as Gladstone played Chippewa Hills, and the third place game between Whitehall and Gladstone was played.
There was also a ceremony to honor the members of the 1983 state champion Chippewa Hills baseball team, so this meant about five hours of waiting for the Eskymos.
Once Escanaba got onto the field against the Chippewa Hills team, the Eskymos took complete command. This was the Warriors team that had eliminated the Eskymos in the regional semifinals last summer by a 6-1 score, but this time, Escanaba dominated.
The Eskymos scored five runs in the second inning to grab the advantage. Bailey Lamb, Lewis Ostrander, and Punzel all had RBI hits during an inning that saw ten men come to the plate and Escanaba score five runs. Ben Kleiman was doing well on the mound, and he helped his own cause with an RBI hit in the third inning that made it a 6-0 game.
Jake Tarbell's RBI double put Remus on the board in the bottom of the third inning, but the Eskymos got that run back in the fourth inning on two errors and a ground ball by Punzel.
It stayed 7-1 until the sixth inning, when the Eskymos scored five more times.
In that inning, Beversluis had an RBI single, freshman Hunter LaMarch had a two-run double in his first Eskymo baseball appearance, and Olsen came off the bench for an RBI sacrafice fly. Tim Lueneburg came through with an RBI single during that inning. He ended up with two hits, a walk, and three runs scored during that game.
"I had to keep my head on the ball," Lueneburg said about changes he made to his hitting. "The one in my last at-bat, the second pitch was a bad one to swing at."
Kleiman pitched the whole way for the Eskymos, and the game went just six innings due to th tournament's time limit. With a 12-1 lead in the sixth inning, Kleiman allowed three straight hits after he retired the first two men that he faced.
"He struggled a bit with his curveball," Schwalbach said. "And that's OK with the weather. He stuck with it and battle through it. He kept bugging me to stay in."
Ryan St. John's two-run double put the Warriors on the board, but as the ball got away on the infield, St. John tried to maked it to third base.
He was thrown out there, with Lueneburg applying the final tag to send the Eskymos to the warmth of their bus. "I was confused when the guy was standing there (off the bag) talking to Nick," Lueneburg said. "I was like 'Nick, throw it to third'. I did, and I got him just in time. It was a good play."
By giving up three hits in the final inning, Kleiman had to settle for a seven-hitter.
"I was dead," Kleiman admitted. "But I wanted to finish it."
Escanaba will play next Friday and Saturday at a tournament in Waupun, Wis. When the boys will play at the Al Ness Field is anybody's guess.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from the games, plus listen to audio replays and interviews.
But on Saturday, the Escanaba Eskymos baseball team managed to beat the elements, and two good downstate teams, as they finally got to play baseball outside of a gym.
Devin Olsen pitched well in the frigid weather Saturday in downstate Remus.
It was the Eskymos' first time on grass and dirt.
Misson accomplished.
"We did a lot of nice things," Eskymo Coach Kirk Schwalbach said. "I'm definitely pleased with the kids. The weather finally copperated in the second game and we swung the bats better. A five-hour bus ride is a whole lot better when you win."
In the opener against Whitehall, the temperature was 29 degrees and the windchill factor was 12 degrees. There were frequent snow squalls, and a few peaks at the sunshine that only teased the kids about possible improving conditions.
The truth is that, even though it wasn't as windy or as cold later in the day, the weather was more suited for hockey than baseball.
"It sucks," Eskymo pitcher Ben Kleiman said. "Your hand is numb. Not good."
"Man, it was terrible," Eskymo pitcher Devin Olsen said. "I couldn't feel my hands half the time. Got the snow going. Man, it was tough!"
The Escanaba-Whitehall game was tied at 0-0 into the fifth inning. Olsen did well on the mound, despite the conditions. He got into trouble in the second inning when he walked Cheston Manns and then yielded a double to Ray Copley. But with runners at second and third, Olsen got two straight groundouts to keep the game tied at 0-0.
Ben Kleiman post-game interview.
Lamb was safe on an error on the play, then Brandon Punzel followed with a hit to load the bases. Tyler Skufca came through with an RBI hit to put the Eskymos on the board, then a second run came home when Olsen's grounder was missplayed for an error.
Tyler Skufca gets ready at third base.
Although the inning wasn't as big as it could have been because baserunner Cam Beversluis got caught between second and third, leading to Vandermissen being tagged out at second base.
The blunder did not end up costing the Eskymos, however.
Olsen's day ended on the mound after four innings, and he allowed with Skufca taking over in the fifth. Olsen allowed just one hit, no runs, and he fanned eight batters.
In the sixth inning, Skufca had his troubles on the mound. He walked three batters, and gave up an RBI double to Zach Zweigle.
He also allowed an RBI single to Copley, but the biggest play of the game was Skufca's picking Zach Zweigle off of second base.
Escanaba's Devin Olsen gets out of a jam.
Olsen got the win, Skufca earned the save.
"I used the curveball once in a while," Olsen said. "I've been working on that, hard. My change-up? No! I keep holding it way too hard. But the fastball was pretty good."
At the plate, Punzel and Vandermissen each had two base hits for Escanaba.
Cam Beversluis in left....before the snow!
There was also a ceremony to honor the members of the 1983 state champion Chippewa Hills baseball team, so this meant about five hours of waiting for the Eskymos.
Once Escanaba got onto the field against the Chippewa Hills team, the Eskymos took complete command. This was the Warriors team that had eliminated the Eskymos in the regional semifinals last summer by a 6-1 score, but this time, Escanaba dominated.
The Eskymos scored five runs in the second inning to grab the advantage. Bailey Lamb, Lewis Ostrander, and Punzel all had RBI hits during an inning that saw ten men come to the plate and Escanaba score five runs. Ben Kleiman was doing well on the mound, and he helped his own cause with an RBI hit in the third inning that made it a 6-0 game.
Escanaba's Brandon Punzel drives home a run
It stayed 7-1 until the sixth inning, when the Eskymos scored five more times.
In that inning, Beversluis had an RBI single, freshman Hunter LaMarch had a two-run double in his first Eskymo baseball appearance, and Olsen came off the bench for an RBI sacrafice fly. Tim Lueneburg came through with an RBI single during that inning. He ended up with two hits, a walk, and three runs scored during that game.
"I had to keep my head on the ball," Lueneburg said about changes he made to his hitting. "The one in my last at-bat, the second pitch was a bad one to swing at."
Eskymo Coach Kirk Schwalbach in action.
"He struggled a bit with his curveball," Schwalbach said. "And that's OK with the weather. He stuck with it and battle through it. He kept bugging me to stay in."
Ryan St. John's two-run double put the Warriors on the board, but as the ball got away on the infield, St. John tried to maked it to third base.
He was thrown out there, with Lueneburg applying the final tag to send the Eskymos to the warmth of their bus. "I was confused when the guy was standing there (off the bag) talking to Nick," Lueneburg said. "I was like 'Nick, throw it to third'. I did, and I got him just in time. It was a good play."
By giving up three hits in the final inning, Kleiman had to settle for a seven-hitter.
"I was dead," Kleiman admitted. "But I wanted to finish it."
Escanaba will play next Friday and Saturday at a tournament in Waupun, Wis. When the boys will play at the Al Ness Field is anybody's guess.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from the games, plus listen to audio replays and interviews.
