Click the video buttons to see interviews with Andres Finley and Brad Bottesi.
NEGAUNEE---The Kingsford Greens American Legion Baseball team will have the chance to defend the state championship it won last summer.
The Greens blew past the Negaunee Senior Legion team, 12-1 and 9-2, to win the Upper Peninsula Zone Five championship Friday at Iron Town Field. The result sends the Greens to the Class A state tournament next week in downstate Adrian.
“To go down to States, and go back-to-back, that would be incredible,” Kingsford infielder/pitcher Pablo Finley said. “It's all I've ever dreamed of., just holding up another trophy. My dad always said that's the only thing he ever did in his career, and I'm gonna do it twice, hopefully.”
Finley cracked two home runs in the victory. He and Collin Olsen hit back-to-back homers in the first inning of Game One, and then Finley smacked another one with a man on base later in the game.
“The first one was a middle-middle fastball, so I had to take it for a ride,” Finley said. “The second one was up and in, which is my pitch, so I had to put that one for a ride, too.”
The home runs were more than enough support for Owen Baij, who threw all five innings of the mercy-shortened victory. He allowed only three hits, with Tristan Slater's RBI single in the fifth inning broke the shutout. Trent McLain added three RBI.
Isak Ruspakka gave up seven runs in the first two innings and took the loss.
In the second game, Owen Cardinal kept Negaunee in the game by pitching two scoreless innings, and Negaunee took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single by Morgan Robar. But the Greens came right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning, with Jack Kriegl and Garrett Brown getting RBI base hits.
Then Brad Bottesi put the game away with a three-run homer for the Greens in the bottom of the fifth inning. That made it a 6-1 game.
“It felt great,” Bottesi said. “It was a good hit, yeah. It was my first one (home run). First one ever!”
Mason Koski pitched six innings for the win, using 84 pitches, and giving up two runs on five hits. Kriegl tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Cardinal took the loss, with Devin Jurmu following him to the mound. Jurmu did not retire a batter.
Negaunee finished its first Legion season with a 11-7 record.
McLain was good with the bat again, getting three base hits and scoring twice.
And now the Kingsford boys head downstate again. The Greens' record improved to 16-3-1, and they've lost only once since a season-opening 1-2-1 mark at the Escanaba Gregg Johnson Memorial Tournament.
“It's always great beating teams east of Koski Korners (grocery store),” Finley said, referring to Negaunee and Marquette. “I mean, we battled all four years of high school, well, I guess now my fifth year (he's a student at UW-Stevens Point). It's always great to beat them, and to go back down to States.”
Kingsford will hit the road on Wednesday, and will open state tournament play on Thursday in Adrian. The Greens got a first round bye, and will have the night game against a team that played earlier in the day.
The Greens' games will be broadcast live on WZNL-FM (94.3 The Breeze). The schedule will be posted once it is sent to us.
