Click to see photos and videos taken by Brad Landis. Also click to hear post-game interviews with Cooper Sanville, Braxton Breitenbach, Braves Manager Tyler Swanson, and Emeralds Manager Greg Bambach.
GLADSTONE---The Gladstone Braves baseball team opened the post-season Tuesday night with a 12-2 win over the Manistique Emeralds at Don Olsen Field. The win in the MHSAA Division Three District 96 tournament put the Braves into the semifinals this Friday afternoon against Newberry.
“Good step for us,” Braves Manager Tyler Swanson said. “We put the bat on the ball. I would've liked to get a few more early, but a win is a win. Survive and Advance, anyway you can. I feel good about where we're at after today.”
Cooper Sanville was in control on the mound, playing one week after severing two fingers in a chainsaw incident. Luckily, that was not his throwing hand, which he used to strike out eight batters and allow just two hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. Sanville used 70 pitches before being pulled.
“It went fine,” Sanville said. “I controlled what I could. I threw strikes. Defense helped me out a lot. Bats were rolling pretty good. Didn't put a lot of pressure on me to do too much special.”
And what about the injury?
“I was able to bandage it up,” Sanville said. “I got the stitches out today. I went three fingers in (the glove) and two out. It worked!”
“He looked really good,” Swanson said. “You never know, obviously, the injury, and how he's going to respond with that one. But he looked great out there. Great step for us.”
Braxton Breitenbach was hot again at the plate. After getting three hits in the regular season finale against Menominee on Friday, the junior outfielder had three more hits in this game, driving in four runs along the way. Breitenbach's base hit in the bottom of the fifth inning brought in the run that invoked the mercy rule as Trevor Thorbahn crossed the plate.
“My first at-bat, I didn't get on base, so it kind of got my energy down,” Breitenbach said. “But I got it back up with those next couple of hits. We've just got to bring it, man. We've got to practice hard and just think about Newberry that entire time.”
Aiden Burie's two-run single up the gap got the Braves going in the first inning off Emeralds starting pitcher Britt Frain, who took the loss.
Manistique competed, despite the final score.
The Emeralds got a double from catcher Cole Watchorn in the fourth inning, and he scored on a wild pitch, to cut the Braves lead to 6-1. In the fifth inning, Mack Pugh had an RBI single to temporarily prolong the game before the Braves mercied it in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Emeralds also turned two unconventional double plays on defense. In the first inning, Carter Sanville's soft pop-up was caught by Emeralds second baseman Dominic Sears, who doubled off Burie at first base.
Then in the second inning, the Braves had the bases loaded when Xavier Leipzig scorched one toward the left field corner. But Emeralds third baseman Luke Benish snared it and touched the bag at third for the double play.
“I think if we would have made a couple of key catches there (on fly balls) that were there to make, and a couple of (bad) throws in the third inning, it would have been a 1-0, 2-0 game,” Manistique Manager Greg Bambach said. “That's obviously a competitive game with one of the best teams here in the U.P., so we're getting there. We had a young team this year, but we'll be developing some pitchers for next year.”
Manistique finished its season with a 8-20 overall record.
“We're excited about next year,” Bambach said. “We're getting closer and closer every year. I've got some new things that I'm developing as well. So, we're happy about next year. We're coming along.”
Gladstone improved to 13-14, and will play in the district semifinals Friday at 1:00 against the Newberry Indians (. The game will be broadcast on Maverick 106.3 FM and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.
