Click the above headline to see video clips nd to hear comments from Gabe Kangas, Thomas Dix, and Manager Joe Hermes.
MIDLAND---Anything that could happen, did happen for the Negaunee Junior Little League (age 13-14) baseball team over the past month.
A trip with back-and-forth drives to the Keweenaw for the district tournament.
A three-game series in the sectionals against Petoskey. A state tournament in Felch that included a day where wildfire smoke canceled a game after seven pitches were thrown, leading to a doubleheader the next day. Two one-run wins there that included one where the winning run scored on a wild pitch without a man on third base.
A Central Regional tournament that saw two victories both go down to the wire before Negaunee hung on. Then, a rainy day Saturday that included multiple schedule changes and a game that was ultimately played at a field in a different town, against a Little League from Illinois that is not-so-little, having been to the World Series three straight times. Not to mention a warm-up ball off the face of a Negaunee player.
Through it all, the Negaunee boys just kept playing, kept chanting in the dugout, kept having fun, and kept believing.
It all ended for Negaunee on Sunday with a 13-0 loss to the Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, team which then lost to the “super team” from Elmhurst-River Forest, Illinois, 10-0. That Illinois league, with the population of more than 20 times that of Negaunee, will play in the World Series in the Detroit suburb of Taylor for a fourth straight August.
Negaunee, however, had no sour grapes after losing the last two games by a combined score of 24-0. The guys, and their supporters, were just proud of their accomplishments.
“It's been a wild ride, every step of the way,” Negaunee Manager Joe Hermes laughed. “I couldn't be more proud of the boys and the way they competed and showed grit. Just played their butts off from the very start of it to the very end of it. They played Negaunee baseball. I couldn't be more proud of them.”
Nine of these 12 boys were on the Negaunee team that won the state championship and competed in the Major Boys (age 11-12) Central Regional last year in Indianapolis. One of them is infielder and pitcher Thomas Dix.
“It was a little bit crazy, but baseball is baseball,” Dix said of this month-long odyssey. “It feels pretty good. I mean, we're probably among the top 15, top 20, teams in the US probably.”
It was also an eye-opener for 14-year-old infielder Gabe Kangas, who had never played sanctioned baseball before this tournament run.
“Being with these boys, it's just a great team, all great teammates,” Kangas said. “It was a good experience. A good run, and it was a fun time. We just fielded good (on defense) and kept the balls in front of us.”
Unlike Saturday's loss to the Illinois team, when the Negaunee offense did not get a sniff on offense, the Miners had plenty of scoring chances early on in Sunday's game.
But they could not get the big hit with men on base, and the Whitefish Bay second baseman Julian Pande turned a double play to end the third inning when Nathan Harvala scorched one toward right field with the bases loaded. Pande also made a tough play on Kalen Johnson in the fourth inning when Johnson smoked a shot toward right field.
Juntti took the loss on the mound for Negaunee, which finishes All-Star season with a 10-3 overall record. Juntti had two hits in Sunday's loss, while Johnson and Kangas had the other hits.
“We put the ball in play, and had to make them make the plays,” Dix said.
Mateo Blake got the win on the mound for Whitefish Bay, allowing four hits but no walks in five innings of pitching. Stu Dickerson and Josh Irwin both drove in three runs for the Wisconsin state champions.
“We had plenty of chances,” Hermes said. “The kids battled with a lot of heart and grit. What more can you ask for as a coach? Third in the region, with nine 13-year-olds. Pretty incredible feat.”
So, will all of these 13-year-olds come back next summer for one more run at it?
“Yes,” Dix said, without hesitation.
