Click the thumbnails to see video highlights, and click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from seniors Ashton Rymkos and Lenny Peacock, and Eskymo Manager Scott Hanson.
ESCANABA---The bleachers were jam-packed.
There were tents lined up behind home plate with dozens of people sitting in the shade. Cars were parked behind the outfield fence, from one side of the field to the other. People milled around, eating popcorn, hot dogs, and sipping soda.
They were all there to watch the biggest high school baseball game ever played in the 40-year history of the Al Ness Field, and the Escanaba varsity baseball team did not disappoint them.
The Eskymos grabbed an early lead and built on it, posting a 10-0 victory over a solid Petoskey Northmen team in the MHSAA Division Two regional semifinals.
The game went five innings, ending on a 4-3 double play turned by Eskymo freshman second baseman Alex Irving, setting off a wild celebration that seemed almost impossible just a few days ago.
A team that was two outs away from having their season end in the district final is now on its way to the regional final this Saturday morning in Grand Rapids.
“It was totally perfect, probably one of the best days I can remember in my career,” Escanaba Manager Scott Hanson said. “Incredible support from our crowd. Unbelievable. I tried to tell the boys at the end: take a look at the crowd we had, you've got to soak this all in. It was absolutely amazing.”
“Amazing crowd today,” Eskymo senior pitcher Lenny Peacock said. “Shout out to everyone who came to this game, to show your support. That was huge. We rallied behind the crowd, and everyone played a part today.”
Peacock played his part on the mound, as usual, and was in control the whole way. The Northmen did have some scoring chances, with two men on base in the second, third, and fourth innings. But Peacock got the third out all three times, once on a hard grounder back to the box, and his highlight, a swinging strike three on Parker Ward with runners at second and third in the fourth inning. It was his fourth strikeout of that inning.
“That was kind of a moment where I told myself that I needed to bear down,” Peacock said. “The first out (with two men on and leading, 6-0), we definitely wanted to be a strikeout. Not give them a sac fly, or worse yet, a hit, and a run or two. So, I beared down and brought my best stuff. I felt pretty electric in that inning.”
Fellow senior Ashton Rymkos swung the big stick with three hits and four runs batted in. His doubles in consecutive at-bats in the second and fourth innings brought home a total of three runs, and were a big part in expanding the Escanaba lead.
“It just feels phenomenal,” Rymkos said. “I was just kind of trying to see fastballs, see anything in my zone, or right in my spot. Just trying to put the barrel on the ball, with two doubles, so that was huge.”
The Eskymos also bunted well, something that Hanson said before the game that his team would have to execute. Brian Boutilier had a sacrifice bunt in the third inning, Bryce Bichler and Alex Irving both put down bunt singles, and the Eskymos did not strike out: only three for the game. The Eskymos put the ball in play, and even when they made outs, they were productive outs: sac flies by Bichler and Rymkos.
And let's not forget junior catcher Mikaiden Hughes. Only one ball got by him the entire game, and he had a double was crushed to the left field warning track. Were it not for a stiff wind that was blowing in, that surely would have been a home run.
And senior Graham Johnson may be the unsung hero for the Eskymos. He did not play high school baseball until this season. But he has become a valuable part of the team, playing second base and third base, and even occasionally giving Hughes a break behind the plate.
On Wednesday, Johnson was flawless in the field, reached base all four times (double, two walks, hit batter).
Irving proved that he belonged at this level again, with three hits and three runs scored, and he turned the game-clinching 4-3 double play.
Petoskey (24-9), playing in the regional semifinal for the seventh straight year, just could not rebound from a rough start.
Northmen pitcher Dylan Aukeman was pulled in the third inning, and was charged with five runs on eight hits. Offensively, he had two of Petoskey's three base hits. The other was by Tyler Pool, who also finished up on the mound.
The Eskymos will travel to Grand Rapids on Friday after the underclassmen have their Final Exams in the morning. Escanaba will take on a powerhouse in the regional championship game: the Kenowa Hills Pioneers. They are 33-2 after rallying at the end of their semifinal game on Wednesday to eliminate East Grand Rapids, 4-3.
“We're not going there just for the ride anymore,” Hanson said. “We're going there to win it. That's got to be the attitude.”
The Escanaba-Kenowa Hills regional championship game will be played on the brand new artificial turf field at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern High School Saturday at 10 a.m. The second game, also a regional title game, will see Sparta (16-22) face Standish-Sterling (33-4) at 12:30.
The two regional champions will meet in the quarterfinal at 3:30.
The Eskymos games will be broadcast live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com.
