SAGINAW TWP, Mich.---For the first half of Friday's state tournament game, the Gladstone Major Little League All-Stars (age 10-12) were right in there with the Mattawan All-Stars.
Through four innings, Gladstone was down just 4-3, and had just got a lift from Number 12 hitter, Avery Silta, when he smacked a two-run double down the line to bring the Purple to within one run. A Benson Ellison sacrifice fly had also brought in a run, and Mason Holochwost came in to throw a 1-2-3 inning of relief pitching.
But things fell apart for Gladstone in a nightmarish fifth inning, when Mattawan's Cooper Jominy crushed a grand slam home run and Bryson Evans followed with a three-run shot. That eight-run inning pretty much decided the outcome, giving Mattawan a 12-3 lead, and the District 15 champions went on to post a 12-7 victory.
Gladstone's Jaxdon Quigley crushed a three-run homer in the sixth inning, but the District Ten champions were too far behind to make a comeback.
Both teams used five pitchers in the contest, in part, to save pitching for later in the tournament due to the Little League pitching rules.
Gladstone will be back in action Saturday afternoon with a 1:00 game against Taylor North. The game will be broadcast on FM-93.5, AM-600, and rrnsports.com. The Purple will also have a Sunday morning game against Muskegon Roosevelt Park.
