GLADSTONE---The first few innings of Tuesday's Escanaba-Gladstone baseball game were not very pretty. Escanaba scored four early runs on Gladstone defensive errors, and the Braves scored three runs on a series of walks and wild pitches.
But when it came down to the end, the two teams buckled down and gave us the typcial intense, well-played baseball that Escanaba and Gladstone are well-known for.
And for the Braves, several of rookies ended up making the difference as Gladstone outlasted Escanaba, 5-4, in nine innings at Don Olsen Field.
"Every time we play, it's a battle," Escanaba Coach Kirk Schwalbach said. "It's just such a rivalry. We get so much out out of it, and I know their kids get so much out of it, too. It's fun. Both teams can't win, and tonight, they won."
Freshman Tyson Seymour had the walk-off RBI single with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, after Seymour had forced extra innings with a two-out hit in the seventh.
"The nerves were setting in," Seymour said of the final at-bat. "But then Elliot (teammate Danhoff) was just like, calm down and get this hit. And then Coach was just telling me 'you did it before, you can do it again'. It was a fastball. It looked like it was right down the middle, but I'm not sure. I just drove it where it had to go."
Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher said that Seymour just had to believe in himself.
"He popped up (with two men on in the fifth inning) and he came back a little teary-eyed, because he wants it so bad," Lauscher said. "I just walked up to him and said 'Tyson, go get the next one'. And he did."
"And then the next time (in the ninth inning), I just told him that he should be nervous and he should be used to this."
"He just smiled at me, and the next pitch, he rammed it for the game-winner. What a clutch, clutch player. I'm really proud of him."
Everyone knows that the Braves have a young team this year, with 14 of the 18 players on the roster being either freshmen or sophomores.
But Lauscher expects the young guys to come through as if they are older players, and some of them certainly have.
With Escanaba clinging to a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Cole reached out with two strikes on him and dumped a base hit over the second baseman's head.
Senior Jake Peterson put down a perfect sacrafice bunt, and after Ben Schwalbach struck out, the Eskymos chose to intentionally walk Justin Jurek to put two men on base. That move backfired as Seymour got the base hit to tie the game.
"That one was nervewracking, too," Seymour said. "I just saw, I think it was Gus, at third, and I just said: 'I'm gonna send you home'."
While the first part of the game saw a lot of walks, errors, and wild pitches, the second part of the game saw several outstanding defensive plays, by both teams.
In the top of the fifth inning, Escanaba led, 4-3, and was looking for more when Parker LaMarch lofted one to right field with runners at the corners and two out.
Jack Stephenson raced in and made a tumbling, shoestring catch, to prevent two runs.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Braves were trying to tie the game, with Braeden Lamberg on second and two outs.
Stephenson hit one to center for a base hit, but Lewis Ostrander came up throwing, and got it to catcher Sean Bissell near the plate. The throw was up the first base line, but Bissell got it, dove across the plate, and made the tag.
"Lewis made a good throw," Eskymo Coach Kirk Schwalbach said. "I mean, it wasn't on-line, but it was perfect for as far as he threw it. But 'Biss went and got it and made a good tag and it was a nice play. It was exciting."
In the top of the seventh inning, the Eskymos were looking for an insurance run when LaMarch hit one toward the right-center field gap. Peterson, who's not used to playing in center field, raced over and made a diving catch. LaMarch was robbed yet again.
"I saw the pitch was outside and I got a good jump on it off the bat," Peterson said. "I wasn't sure if Jack (Stephenson) was gonna get it. So I was just going as fast as I could. I was like, 'if I don't lay out here, they're gonna get some runs'. So, I just dove."
Seymour tied the game with his first RBI hit in the bottom of the seventh, and then, in the bottom of the eighth, Hunter Garling led off with a single and advanced on a perfect bunt by rookie Lucas Weinert.
A passsed ball put the winning run at third with one out, but Eskymo pitcher Tyler Skufca dug deep. He struck out Stephenson and got Cole to ground out. Ninth inning coming!
In the ninth, Jack Valentine appeared to have a one-out single, or possible double. But Cole slid in and lunged for the sinking line drive, catching it just above the grass.
"Those (Gladstone) kids in the outfield made some nice catches," Coach Schwalbach said. "I don't know what else to say. They were great catches. And it had a big impact in the final score of the game."
That set up the bottom of the ninth inning, where, with two out, Jurek hit one off of the glove of right fielder Corey McInerney in right field. Jurek ended up on third base, and scored on Seymour's walk-off base hit.
Escanaba had built an early 3-0 lead as Bissell and Skufca each had two hits in their first two at-bats at the top of the batting order. But Gladstone tied the game with three runs in the fourth inning on four walks off of Brandon Punzel and several wild pitches.
"In fairness to Brandon, he hasn't had much work," Coach Schwalbach said. "That's why we pitched him tonight, because we have a big tournament coming up."
The Braves also had their own problems early in the game. Errors. Six of them.
"Some of them plays weren't even that tough," Lauscher said. "That was what was frustrating to me. We sure take enough ground balls in practice. We have to make those plays against good teams. In the (district) tournament, it will be one-and-done at that rate. But, then, the kids just kept fighting back."
Escanaba fell to 5-2 with the loss. The Eskymos travel to Lower Michigan this weekend for games at Bay City John Glenn High School.
Escanaba will face John Glenn Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and will also face Coldwater on Saturday.
Gladstone improved to 11-4 with the win. The Braves host Marquette on Thursday at 4:30. That has been switched to a single game from what was a planned doubleheader.
Thursday's game will not be broadcast on WCHT-AM (600) so that we can broadcast Bark River-Harris's first-ever home game against Superior Central.
The Braves' games in Peshtigo on Friday and in Wausau on Saturday will be broadcast on the radio.
Escanaba's games in Bay City will not be on the radio. But on the following two weekends, the Eskymo games at their home tournaments will be broadcast live.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS above to see photos and videos taken by Sandi Young, and to hear the winning hit and interviews.
But when it came down to the end, the two teams buckled down and gave us the typcial intense, well-played baseball that Escanaba and Gladstone are well-known for.
"Every time we play, it's a battle," Escanaba Coach Kirk Schwalbach said. "It's just such a rivalry. We get so much out out of it, and I know their kids get so much out of it, too. It's fun. Both teams can't win, and tonight, they won."
Freshman Tyson Seymour had the walk-off RBI single with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, after Seymour had forced extra innings with a two-out hit in the seventh.
"The nerves were setting in," Seymour said of the final at-bat. "But then Elliot (teammate Danhoff) was just like, calm down and get this hit. And then Coach was just telling me 'you did it before, you can do it again'. It was a fastball. It looked like it was right down the middle, but I'm not sure. I just drove it where it had to go."
Tyson Seymour walk-off hit in ninth inning
"He popped up (with two men on in the fifth inning) and he came back a little teary-eyed, because he wants it so bad," Lauscher said. "I just walked up to him and said 'Tyson, go get the next one'. And he did."
"And then the next time (in the ninth inning), I just told him that he should be nervous and he should be used to this."
Everyone knows that the Braves have a young team this year, with 14 of the 18 players on the roster being either freshmen or sophomores.
But Lauscher expects the young guys to come through as if they are older players, and some of them certainly have.
With Escanaba clinging to a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Cole reached out with two strikes on him and dumped a base hit over the second baseman's head.
Senior Jake Peterson put down a perfect sacrafice bunt, and after Ben Schwalbach struck out, the Eskymos chose to intentionally walk Justin Jurek to put two men on base. That move backfired as Seymour got the base hit to tie the game.
Tyson Seymour walk-off hit
While the first part of the game saw a lot of walks, errors, and wild pitches, the second part of the game saw several outstanding defensive plays, by both teams.
Jack Stephenson raced in and made a tumbling, shoestring catch, to prevent two runs.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Braves were trying to tie the game, with Braeden Lamberg on second and two outs.
Stephenson hit one to center for a base hit, but Lewis Ostrander came up throwing, and got it to catcher Sean Bissell near the plate. The throw was up the first base line, but Bissell got it, dove across the plate, and made the tag.
"Lewis made a good throw," Eskymo Coach Kirk Schwalbach said. "I mean, it wasn't on-line, but it was perfect for as far as he threw it. But 'Biss went and got it and made a good tag and it was a nice play. It was exciting."
Jake Peterson great catch in center field.
Seymour tied the game with his first RBI hit in the bottom of the seventh, and then, in the bottom of the eighth, Hunter Garling led off with a single and advanced on a perfect bunt by rookie Lucas Weinert.
A passsed ball put the winning run at third with one out, but Eskymo pitcher Tyler Skufca dug deep. He struck out Stephenson and got Cole to ground out. Ninth inning coming!
In the ninth, Jack Valentine appeared to have a one-out single, or possible double. But Cole slid in and lunged for the sinking line drive, catching it just above the grass.
Sean Bissell tags out Braden Lamberg at plate.
That set up the bottom of the ninth inning, where, with two out, Jurek hit one off of the glove of right fielder Corey McInerney in right field. Jurek ended up on third base, and scored on Seymour's walk-off base hit.
"In fairness to Brandon, he hasn't had much work," Coach Schwalbach said. "That's why we pitched him tonight, because we have a big tournament coming up."
The Braves also had their own problems early in the game. Errors. Six of them.
"Some of them plays weren't even that tough," Lauscher said. "That was what was frustrating to me. We sure take enough ground balls in practice. We have to make those plays against good teams. In the (district) tournament, it will be one-and-done at that rate. But, then, the kids just kept fighting back."
Eskymos pick Ben Schwalbach off of first base
Escanaba will face John Glenn Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and will also face Coldwater on Saturday.
Gladstone improved to 11-4 with the win. The Braves host Marquette on Thursday at 4:30. That has been switched to a single game from what was a planned doubleheader.
The Braves' games in Peshtigo on Friday and in Wausau on Saturday will be broadcast on the radio.
Escanaba's games in Bay City will not be on the radio. But on the following two weekends, the Eskymo games at their home tournaments will be broadcast live.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS above to see photos and videos taken by Sandi Young, and to hear the winning hit and interviews.
