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SANFORD, Mich.---Not much went right for the Negaunee Junior Little League All-Star baseball team on Saturday as they lost to the Illinois State Champions from Elmhurst-River Forest, 11-0, in the Central Regional Tournament winner's bracket final.
It ended a very long day of uncertainty, with heavy rain in the morning throwing the schedule into chaos, with tournament officials trying to get three loser's bracket games played, plus this game. Rain continued off-and-on throughout the afternoon, as well, and so Negaunee's game was moved fifteen minutes away from Midland to Sanford.
And when the game finally played out, it was a dominating performance for the Illinois team, which has won the Central Regional championship at this age group for three straight summers. Nathan Harvala was on the mound for Negaunee, but the Miners' ace was wild early, hitting two batters and walking two others, and giving up twelve hits.
At the top of the Elmhurst order. Tyler Welch went 3-for-3 at the plate, drove in two runs, and scored twice. Mario Iveljic had a bomb to the right field fence for a single, and later added a double. The game was called on the mercy rule in the fifth inning.
Negaunee did not get a base hit in the game. They had three base runners, on walks to Kalen Johnson, Evan Cardinal, and Johnny Juntti. The closest Negaunee got to getting a base hit was in the fourth inning, when Tanner Thompson's shot was scooped up by the Elmhurst third baseman before the ball could get to left field.
Harvala pitched all four innings and took the loss. Iveljic pitched the first inning for Elmhurst before giving way to Dylan Ranieri. Ranieri got the win, throwing four innings.
Negaunee is among the final three teams still standing in this ten-team tournament. The Miners will face Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Sunday morning at 10:00. The winner of that game will face Elmhurst at 12:45 on Sunday, and would need to win that game to force a winner-take-all game Monday morning.
All of Negaunee's games are broadcast live on FM-100.3 The Point.
