Click the thumbnails to see video highlights, and click the AUDIO buttons to hear comments from Kingsford's Luka Cody and Harvey Ellis
NORWAY---The Kingsford Major Little League All-Star baseball team (age 10-12) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat Thursday night to earn a trip to the state tournament.
Kingsford was down to its final out in the bottom of the final inning, but managed to score five runs to stun Iron Mountain North, 10-9, to win the district championship.
They'll be one of 16 teams from across Michigan to take part in that tournament with dreams of maybe making it to Williamsport.
Luka Cody's two out, two-run single in the sixth inning tied the game at 9-9, and the winning run was scored by Harvey Ellis who immediately took off from third base on a wild pitch. Cody says they've worked hard to get to this point.
“We practiced every day of the week for the first week of All-Stars,” Cody said. “We fielded a lot, and we hit a lot. And every day, before the game, we did batting practice in the Wheelhouse (indoor facility).”
So, what we he thinking in that moment?
“That I would ground out, probably,” Cody admitted. But he punched the fastball into left field to tie it up, and to keep the game going.
Ellis didn't wait around for his coach to tell him to sprint home when that ball got dirty.
“Eventually, I got to third and I saw the catcher drop the ball,” Ellis said. “So, I automatically started to go home. I just went because I saw that it went behind the catcher.”
Ellis also had two hits for Kingsford, including an infield RBI single that kept the game going before Cody got his clutch hit to tie the contest.
The end result overshadowed a great game at the plate by Iron Mountain's Hunter Leonoff. He came up to the. plate twice with the bases loaded, and cleared the bases both times. First, it was a hot shot that sped past the shortstop all the way to the center field fence, bringing home three runs. That tied the game at the time, 5-5.
Brolan VanOss ripped one to the fence just out of the reach of the right fielder for an RBI double (he was thrown out trying to make third base, with Ellis applying the tag), and IM led, 6-5.
Then in the fifth inning, Leonoff was at the plate again with the bases loaded, and he unloaded on a long bomb to left field that went 207 of the 210 feet needed to get out of Marion Park. Three runs scored, giving Leonoff six RBI, and IM led, 9-5.
The first two batters in the bottom of the sixth inning were retired, and it looked like Iron Mountain would win and force an additional winner-take-all championship game Friday night. But Cooper Momont kept the game going with a base hit. Then the next three Kingsford batters drew walks, and then Ellis's hit made it 9-7.
Then, Cody came through with the clutch fly ball to left field to tie the game. And then the wild pitch that sent Ellis home, and sent the Flivvers packing on a long trip to Tecumseh, where five of the boys played last summer in the Minor All-Stars (age 8-10) state tournament. Tecumseh is located near the Ohio border.
“It's gonna be fun,” Cody said. “It's nice. The fields are really nice and they have a good complex.”
“I think it will just be amazing for us as a team to go play downstate,” Ellis added. “Two years in a row. That will just be amazing.”
Last year, Kingsford's boys lost all three games in Tecumseh, so they're hoping for a better result this time as they again make the ten-hour trip as Major All-Stars. Their first game will be on Friday, July 24, at 2:00 ET/1:00 CT.
