Click the thumbnails to see video highlights and to hear post-game comments from Xavier Leipzing, Braylin Carter, Braves Manager Tyler Swanson, and Knights Manager Tony Adams.
NORWAY---It's April Baseball in the Upper Peninsula.
High School teams up here are finally on the field, and the games aren't the prettiest at times. Lots of walks. Errors on easy plays. Stagnant offenses.
But it is part of the process as teams try to build momentum through the short six-week UP high school baseball season heading into the playoffs.
The Gladstone Braves and Norway Knights traded innings filled with mistakes, but also had plenty of positives, as the teams met at Marion Park Wednesday night.
Gladstone took a 3-0 lead, fell behind 6-4, but scored six late runs to post a 10-6 win over the Knights. The result didn't matter as much to the two team's managers. What was most important was how their guys get experience and improve going forward.
“You've just got to stay confident,” Gladstone Manager Tyler Swanson said. “Mistakes are going to happen. Errors are going to happen, but you've got to limit it so that it's one error and not four errors. We were messing up our bunt coverage. If they're going to bunt and give us an out, outs are sacred. We've got to be able to take those outs. We got that cleaned up. We got down again, but we came back, and I was proud of our guys."
Longtime Norway Manager Tony Adams agreed.
“On defense, we just gave them too many outs,” Adams said. “It's April baseball. We'll get better. We'll keep playing and see where it goes. We're just trying to get comfortable (being on a field outside). Things don't feel natural because we haven't been out here. We're going to fight through that and keep working on the little things. We've got to get experience and we've got to get field time. Things will get better.”
The Braves took a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Norway senior pitcher Cam Varda walked three men, and then gave up a bases-clearing three-run double to Braylin Carter.
“I was just trying to get settled,” Carter said. “I saw a perfect pitch, a little high and a little outside. I just took a hack. First pitch. I just needed something to get the jitters out. I just took a big hack and it was there.”
The Braves had a rotten third inning on defense, though, making four errors that helped the Knights score five times and take a 6-4 lead. Maddex Burklund had an RBI double during that rally for the Knights.
But Gladstone came back in the fifth inning with an RBI single from Cooper Sanville to cut the deficit to 6-5, then in the sixth inning, the Braves rallied again.
The first two batters reached on errors, and Carter Sanville smacked an RBI single past the second baseman to bring home one run, tying the game at 6-6.
Then Vinny Rebholz stepped up and ripped a shot to the fence for a double, bringing home two runs, and giving Gladstone an 8-6 lead.
Xavier Leipzig did some strong work on the mound for the Braves. He walked two men in the fifth inning, but was able to make a nice defensive play to get Tristan Lessor on a grounder in front of the mound. And in the sixth inning, Leipzig walked Owen Baij with two outs, but finished another scoreless inning to keep it an 8-6 lead.
“I grew up pitching and catching, so I'm used to throwing the ball,” Leipzig said. “When Swanny tells me that I'm coming in pitching, especially when we're down of just barely up, I get to try keeping all zeros on the board.”
And he did, in both of his innings. Leipzig gave the credit to his catcher, Rebholz.
“Vinny was telling me to throw sliders,” Leipzig said. “I just need to listen to him and trust what he says to throw, and we're good.”
Gladstone added some insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Cooper Sanville doubled home Aiden Burie (who started the inning with his second double of the game) to make it 9-6, and Rebholz smacked an RBI single to bring home Sanville to make it 10-6.
Braves sophomore Landon Pepin came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning and walked Elliott Kraemer to start the inning. Landon Ross smoked a shot that Pepin caught and threw to first to double off Kraemer. Pepin then got a flyout to end the game.
“Everybody's just trying to get on the field and get some game experience,” Swanson said. “You're gonna make mistakes and pitching will be up and down and inconsistent. It's not always pretty, but it doesn't matter. We're all out here playing baseball.”
Norway's manager, Adams, says it's time to work on things as his team tries to come together and put together another run to Michigan State University and the Final Four.
“I thought we settled things down when we took the lead 6-4,” Adams said. “But credit to Gladstone. They kept playing. We got quiet on offense. Obviously on defense, we just gave up too many outs. We'll keep working on little things that we can control. We've got to get better at closing down innings when a team gives you outs.”
Gladstone (2-2) will host Ironwood on Friday. Norway (0-2) will battle Kingsford on Thursday.
