Click the thumbnails to see video highlights, and click the AUDIO buttons to hear comments from Mikaiden Hughes, Brian Boutilier, and both team's managers.
GLADSTONE---The Escanaba High School baseball team scored 13 runs in the first inning and rolled to a 16-0 win over Gladstone in the first game of the doubleheader Tuesday night at Gladstone's Don Olsen Field. In the second game, Escanaba took advantage of Braves errors and had some big hits to take a 7-0 lead and hang on for a 7-4 win.
The result gave Escanaba a 22-5 record, while Gladstone fell to 11-13.
"I can't tell you how locked-in the kids are, in general," Eskymo Manager Scott Hanson said. "A lot of the stuff we've been reraching, they're just buying into, and they're doing whet we're asking. Baserunning. You look at the hitting in that first inning (13 runs), but a lot of it was baserunning, which I think really set that table. Seriously, I've never had a group this locked-in. I'm just totally enjoying it."
Eskymo junior Mikaiden Hughes drove in eight runs in the doubleheader. That was capped off by a long two-run home run in the second game.
“I was just sitting fastball, and I was seeing the ball really well, so the homer was on a curveball,” Hughes said. “I figured it was coming because I had two strikes on me. I figured he'd (Braves pitcher Xavier Lepzig) would keep going curveball, curveball, I fouled one off to the right side, and then that one, he just kind of hung it inside and I just smashed it.”
Hughes crossed the 100-hit milestone in the doubleheader for his career, and he is only a junior. Next year, Hughes will be chasing the all-time record of 125 hits, set by Austin Young more than a decade ago. Young, by, the way, has risen to the ranks at the Escanaba Public Safety Department, where he is second in command as a captain.
Earlier, Boutlier, an Eskymo senior outfielder batting in the seven spot, keyed that 13-run first inning with a two-run homer and a two-run double in the same inning. Escanaba sent 17 batters to the plate in an inning that saw 57 pitches thrown and 28 minutes elapse off of the clock.
And his home run?
“I got down 0-2 early, so I shortened up,” Boutilier said. "Just didn't really try to do too much with it. He hung a curveball and I got under it and got it out. It was amazing. I really couldn't ask for muych better out of myself or out of the team. Getting two against Gladstone, especially that way, was awesome."
Boutilier didn't just do it with his bat. In the first game, Ashton Rymkos was dealing on the mound for the Eskymos, overwhelming the Braves with five strikeouts in the first two innings. Then Nick Proehl stepped up and crushed one into the right-center field gap. Boutilier raced over and caught it to end the inning. In the second game, Boutilier was incredible in center field, especially in the final inning when Gladstone rallied from 7-0 down to get within 7-4, and put the tying run at the plate against Eskymo pitcher Bryce Bichler.
Lepzing dumped a fly ball into shallow center field that looked like it would land for an RBI base hit. Boutlier sprinted in, dove, and caught it just above the ground, ending the game with the Eskymos' 22nd victory of the season. Boutilier also caught two straight fly balls to end the first inning, with one of those also being a diving catch in the shallow part of the outfield.
And Eskymo senior Lenny Peacock, known almost exclusively for his pitching that has landed him at Western Michigan University, showed that he can play defense at shortstop as well. In the fifth inning, Aiden Burie hit one ticketed for left field., Peacock handled the bad-dirt-hop, got the ball, spun around, and whipped an accurate throw to Ashton Rymkos at first base for the out.
"That's one of the best plays, maybe, I've ever seen," Hanson said. "It was unbelievable. Cannon (Arnt) had a great play earlier at third. Brian with the two amazing catches. We hit well (23 runs), but I was more proud with the defensive effort more than anything."
Bichler didn't walk anybody in that second game, and he only allowed a handful of base hits, but he pegged four batters with pitches, including Chuck Cameron twice (and almost a third time).
"I told Bryce to throw strikes and let your defense play, and he obviously didn't listen to me all of the time," Hanson laughed. "I don't know if we have an official record for hit-by-a-pitch in a game, but I told Bryce, 'you're getting darn close'."
From the Gladstone perspective, the first game was miserable. The 13-run first inning was embarrassing, with mistakes helping to put men on base for the Eskymo big hitters to take advantage of. And the start of the second game wasn't pleasant, either, falling behind 7-0 in the early part of that rivalry game.
"Credit Escanaba," Gladstone Manager Tyler Swanson said. "They're an incredible ball team and they put the ball in the gap. They made us pay for everything, and they hit the ball hard. We haven't made life easy for ourselves, that's for sure. We put ourselves in a big hole again (in the second game), but I'm proud of our guys for keep fighting, keep battling. We actually brought the tying run to thr plate at the end, so I'm proud of their effort. They didn't roll over."
Swanson was also happy for one of his few seniors, Trevor Thorbahn. Thorbahn missed a good chunk of the season because of a severe knee injury during his wrestling state quarterfinal match at Ford Field in February. And after he made an initial baseball comeback, the inury shifted to Thorbahn's calf. He clearly isn't his former self on the field, but with this being his senior year, Thorbahn is playing frhe best he can.
Thorbhan pitched 3 2/3 innings in the second game, and allowed seven runs (only two earned). And at the plate, Thorbahn also clubbed a two-run homer past the lef field scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning toput the Braves on the board.
"Credit to Trev for getting that home run," Swanson said. "That was big. Talk about a guy who's fighting through injuries, things not going his way, he could have kind of said, 'oh my senior year is over', but he's battled for us."
Escanaba's 22-5 record is impressive, given that three of their losses came to strong Wisconsin teams at the start of the season. The Eskymos were completely shut down by Kewaunee (which is now 22-0 on its season), lost to Denmark (16-6), and fell to the second-ranked Bay Port Pirates (21-2). Escanaba also split two games with sixth-ranked Saginaw Swan Valley (currently 30-5). The only UP was against Negaunee in extra innings (Escanaba won three of four against the Miners), who are now 23-6 and will be Escanaba's first playoff opponent next week.
First, the Eskymos will travel down to Traverse City this Thursday to face one of the best teams in Michigan, the St. Francis Gladiators (22-4-1) in a doubleheader. This match was set up at the last minute after Gaylord cancelled a scheduled twinbill with the Eskymos.
Gladstone (which, incidcentally, had epic games with Traverse City St. Francis in the past), will be finishing up conference play. The Braves will travel to Marquette for a single game Thursday afternoon at 4:00, and then will host the Menominee Maroons on Friday at 4:30 EST. The Braves will then open MHSAA District tournament play next Tuesday at home against Manistique.
