Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Jason Siik and Scott Hanson.
NEGAUNEE---The Escanaba Eskymos and Negaunee Miners shivvered through two sloppy baseball games Wednesday night in Negaunee, and each team ended up with something to smile about....and something to complain about.
The Eskymos literally gave away the first game, 6-5, by committing seven errors on easy plays that the guys normally make, especially at second and third bases.
Escanaba lost despite Ashton Rymkos and Brody Ison each hit two-run homers, and Lenny Peacock had a run-scoring triple and a run-scoring single.
But those errors, especially on infield pop-ups, kept the Miners in the game, especially in the seventh inning, when two more miscues, combined with a walk from Eskymo reliever Owen Fields, loaded the bases. Owen Cardinal ended it with a single.
“I think the weather got us a little bit,” said Negaunee Manager Jason Siik, who's team also committed three errors. “The wind was blowing hard, there's snow right now. Made it miserable. But we stuck through and it was kind of neat. The kids are excited. They pounded us pretty good last week (a sweep in Escanaba), so it was nice to at least play a close game, even if it was sloppy or not.”
“You can't give a good team like Negaunee all of those opportunities,” Escanaba Manager Scott Hanson said. “You know, we'd take the lead, then we'd give them opportunity after opportunity. Obviously, errors, and in the last inning, it ended up being walks and errors. It's on us. The boys have got to own up. I have to decide who is on the field when Lenny is on the mound in a tight game in the districts. Some doors of opportunity open, and some doors close. We just have to be better.”
Escanaba had been on a seven-game winning streak, with their last loss coming to Kewaunee pitching phenom Brett Paulsen in Wisconsin Dells. As a side note, Paulsen has thrown two more no-hitters and a one-hitter since he beat the Eskymos.
But back to Wednesday. Peacock's RBI single off of Negaunee's ace pitcher, Cardinal, gave the Eskymos a 1-0 lead. The Miners tied it with a run on two walks and an error in the bottom of the first inning, and both Rymkos and Cardinal put up goose eggs on the scoreboard until the fifth inning.
In that fifth inning, Rymkos launched a home run to right field that bounced off the roof of Cardinal's father's vehicle. But in the bottom of the inning, with two men on base, Eskymo third baseman Cannon Arnt couldn't hold on to a pop-op off the bat of Tristan Slater. Two runs scored to re-tie the game at 3-3.
In the sixth inning, Alex Irving got a base hit and rode home on a two-run homer by Brody Ison, giving the Eskymos a 5-3 lead, and Rymkos still had pitches to spare.
But in the bottom half, Rymkos walked four batters, and an error and fielder's choice brought home two Miners runs, retying the game at 5-5.
In the seventh inning, Killean Ryan gave the Miners a big boost with an easy 1-2-3 pitching performance. In the bottom half, Eskymo reliver Owen Fields could not match that, and he also wasn't helped by his defense.
Fields got the first two outs of the inning. But errors in center field and at shortstop, and a walk, loaded the bases. Cardinal's solid base hit up the middle ended the game.
Rymkos ended up with a no-decision, giving up five runs (two earned) on only three hits. Fields took the loss. Cardinal also got a no-decision for the Miners, with Ryan getting the win in relief.
Siik says Cardinal had to throw too many pitches early in the game.
“A lot of 3-2 counts early in the game, and he would lose some of those 3-2 counts,” Siik said. “His stuff is so good that he was able to battle out of it, and kept us in the game, which was huge.”
It was also a great game for Miners catcher Aiden Steele, who threw out two base-steelers, and made an acrobatic catch in foul territory while being tangled with Escanaba's on-deck batter near the Eskymo bench.
“He was a little frustrated that he struck out the at-bate before that (with the winning run in scoring position),” Siik said. “But he went out there, and with the wind blowing the way it was, and the ball spinning back toward the field, it was a heck of a catch. I was impressed with that.”
Hanson says that his pitcher, Rymkos, deserved much better.
“Ashton pitched a phenomenal game,” Hanson said. “He should have been out of there 20 pitches earlier than he was. That's a bummer. But you know what? You can't change it, and it's time to move on to the next one.”
In that “next one” the Eskymo hitter bulldozed young Miners pitcher Morgan Robar with hit after hit after hit in the top of the first inning. Rymkos, Mikaiden Hughes, Kaiden Pastorek, and Ison all drove in runs, and all of the hits were solid.
Robar took the brunt of the damage, recording only one out, before Brayden Gleason also took one for the team in relief. Robar was charged with six earned runs and Gleason three earned runs. Ison barely broke a sweat on the mound for the Eskymos, as he did not allow a hit or a run as the game was mercied in the fourth inning.
Escanaba's record improved to 9-3. Negaunee's record improved to 6-4.
