D2 Semis: Finals Veterans Book Return
June 12, 2014
By Andy Sneddon
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – Dillon McInerney delivered at the plate for Richmond on Thursday.
On Saturday, it may be his arm that helps bring the Blue Devils an MHSAA Division 2 championship.
McInerney’s sixth-inning RBI double broke a 1-1 tie and lifted Richmond to a 2-1 win over DeWitt in their Semifinal at Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium.
Richmond (35-3) will play Mount Pleasant (31-8-1) in the title game Saturday. The Blue Devils, ranked No. 10, could turn to McInerney – or any number of standout arms – as they try to take the step that eluded them last season when they lost, 3-0, in the Final to Grand Rapids Christian.
“We just want it more this year because we lost last year,” said McInerney, who had two of Richmond’s eight hits. “We’re hungry. We’re not done yet, that’s for sure.”
Zach Leach went the distance for the win, striking out five, walking two and surrendering four hits. Leach improved to 11-1, while McInerney is 12-0 with a 1.00 earned run average and could get the ball in Saturday’s Final.
Third-year Richmond coach Scott Evans would not tip his hand as to who would start, but did say his players know full well what it’s going to take to win their 33rd consecutive game Saturday.
“You’ve got to have that stud rise up, and (Leach) was our guy today,” Evans said. “When it comes time for Saturday’s game, one of our studs has to play like a stud. Last year, no one stepped up for us in that final game.”
Leach stepped up big time when his team most needed him Thursday. Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, DeWitt loaded the bases on a Chris Ruby single and two walks. Ruby scored on a wild pitch, but Leach regained his composure and got the final out of the inning on a called third strike, stranding runners at second and third and keeping the game tied.
“I’ve just learned to clear my head and not worry about the base runners or what’s going on behind me and just throw the next strike,” Leach said. “(The umpire) gave me a low strike call, and I thank him for that because that was definitely a tight spot and if I wouldn’t have gotten that call it would have been bases loaded with two outs.”
“That was a good opportunity,” DeWitt coach Alan Shankel said. “It was a close call and it didn’t go our way. That’s the way the game is. It’s an uncontrollable factor. We don’t worry about those things, and you go to the next opportunity. They did a great job of keeping us off balance and limiting our opportunities.”
It didn’t take long for Richmond to regain the lead. Evan Kratt singled with one out in the top of the sixth inning, and then McInerney smoked the ball over the head of the centerfielder for a double, scoring Kratt with the go-ahead run.
Leach held the fort one last time when the Panthers threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Timmy Lowe doubled and reached third with two outs, but Leach got a game-ending grounder.
Evans stuck with Leach, a senior right-hander, despite several relief options, including Ryan Boyd, his shortstop and closer.
“He’s a four-year starter,” Evans said of Leach, “and he’s a guy that when you go out to talk to him at about 85 or 90 pitches, he says ‘I’m just getting loose Coach, get back to the dugout.’”
Leach doubled with two out in the second inning and scored on a Boyd single to break a scoreless tie.
Sam Smith struck out five and walked two in taking the loss. DeWitt, making its first Semifinal appearance since 2003, finished 23-11. Click for the box score.
Mount Pleasant 7, Richland Gull Lake 1
Hunter Buczkowski had three hits, drove in three runs and pitched a complete game in leading the Oilers to their first MHSAA title game since 2008.
Buczkowski struck out four, walked three and allowed five hits.
Dean Marais also had three hits including a two-run double off the top of the fence in right field in the first inning, staking the Oilers – who had 12 hits – to a 2-0 lead.
Joe Genia added a pair of two-run singles for Mount Pleasant, which will vie for its third MHSAA title and first since 2007.
The Oilers fell in the Quarterfinals last season.
“They weren’t playing not to lose; they came here to win, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” Mount Pleasant coach Luke Epple said. “We thought we could have been here last year pretty easily, but we didn’t execute at the end (of the Quarterfinal loss) and we didn’t throw strikes.
“This year we’ve played much better defense and our pitching has been strong just like last year, but you’re seeing some of our young guys swing the bat and hit with men on. These are big games for us. Five of our (starting) guys today were underclassmen. We have confidence in them, and we know that they’re going to be good ballplayers.”
Buczkowski, one of four sophomores in the Oilers’ lineup Thursday, issued all three of his free passes and hit a batter in the seventh inning when the Blue Devils (30-10) scored their only run.
Buczkowski struck out Gull Lake cleanup hitter Jarod Burton with the bases loaded to end the game. Epple twice visited Buczkowski on the mound in the seventh.
“He said, ‘This is your game and I want you to finish it,’” said Buczkowski, who threw 115 pitches in improving to 8-2. “That seventh inning was the longest inning I think I’ve ever played.”
Walter Graf walked two and struck out two in taking the loss for Gull Lake. Click for the box score.
PHOTOS: (Top) A Richmond hitter connects during his team’s 2-1 Semifinal win over DeWitt on Thursday. (Middle) Hunter Buczkowski threw a complete game for Mount Pleasant as it advanced to Saturday’s Division 2 championship game.
Small Ball, Brawley Come Up Big in Repeat
June 16, 2018
By Jason Schmitt
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – Never underestimate the importance of defense – especially when it comes down to one final game to decide it all.
Stevensville Lakeshore played solid defense and took advantage of four Saginaw Swan Valley errors, and enjoyed a stellar pitching performance by senior Joel Brawley to claim a 6-3 victory in Saturday’s MHSAA Division 2 Final.
The championship was the Lancers’ second straight, making them the first to repeat at the Finals level of the tournament since Grand Rapids Christian in 2012-13.
“I always tell (my team), good teams get to the final four, great teams win it,” said Lakeshore head coach Mark Nate, whose team beat Bay City John Glenn in the 2017 title game. “That’s how we lived it last year, and we weren’t just happy to get here. Last year, we wanted to win it, and we did.
“This year, the whole talk was – for 365 days – repeat, repeat and we had a long way to go. The way we were playing in April, you would have never believed we’d be standing here now.”
Lakeshore’s game is built around pressuring its opponents by playing small ball. It worked right from the start Saturday. It didn’t take the Lancers long to take advantage of Swan Valley’s struggling defense, as they struck twice in the top of the first inning with a pair of runs on throwing errors.
Senior Sean Branch got things started with a base hit to center field. After stealing second, he moved to third on an infield single by senior Bray Plomb, then scored on an overthrow to first base. On the next play, junior Cam Dalrymple beat out a bunt to third base, and courtesy runner Ryan Soper scored on a poor throw to first, giving his team a 2-0 lead.
Lakeshore (27-14) would add two more runs in the fourth inning, again aided by the Vikings’ defense. Sophomore Oli Carmody walked to start the inning, stole second base and scored on a bunt single by Brawley when the throw to first sailed into foul territory. Brawley’s courtesy runner, junior Kyle Wojahn, would later score on a fielder’s choice by Branch to up the lead to 4-0.
“We lost four good (players) from last year, but we gained three to four good ones. And once they started learning our game, it started to click for us,” Nate said. “At the end of the day, if you stick with the plan, you can produce a lot of runs by not really even hitting the ball, (using) speed and small ball. It’s a huge part of Lakeshore baseball.”
The Lancers capped off their scoring with two runs in the fifth. Carmody walked and moved to second on a single by junior Jared Evans. Brawley then hit a grounder to short, but the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing Carmody to score. Senior Logan Morrow then drove in Evans with a bloop single to make it 6-0.
Swan Valley (33-9-3) scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to three singles, two that didn’t leave the infield. Junior Conner Sika had a one-out single to get things started. With two outs, senior Cameron Schroeder and sophomore Brian Ross pieced together back-to-back infield hits.
Sophomore Mitchell Jebb then hit a grounder to third, but the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing Sika to score the Vikings’ first run of the game.
Swan Valley would add two more in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run double by sophomore Easton Goldensoph, which plated sophomores Victor Mancini and Brian Ross.
Brawley went 6? innings on the mound, scattering 10 hits before being pulled due to pitch count. Carmody came in and got the last out to end the game.
“There’s nothing like it, to go back-to-back,” said Brawley, whose cousin Connor pitched 7? scoreless innings Thursday, helping his team to a 3-0 shutout victory over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in a Semifinal game. “This team has worked so hard, and we feel like we deserve it. I felt like this was just another game; that’s how you’ve got to think of it. I had to go out there and do my job and let the defense work, and good things will happen.”
Connor Brawley, Evans and Morrow each collected a pair of hits in their team’s victory.
Ross, one of eight sophomores on Swan Valley’s roster, took the loss on the mound. He pitched 3? innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs while striking out four.
“Hey, we had a great year. That’s a very good team,” Swan Valley coach Craig Leddy said. “We’re young. I know it’s tough to get back here, but we’ve got all the kids to get back here. Our No. 1 is a freshman, our No. 2 is a junior and our No. 3 is a sophomore. We’ve just got to play clean ball like we did all year. You can’t play in a championship game and make mistakes, and we made mistakes.”
VIDEO: Logan Morrow had two hits, including this RBI single in the fifth inning for Stevensville Lakeshore.
PHOTOS: (Top) Stevensville Lakeshore’s Joel Brawley delivers a pitch during Saturday’s Division 2 Final at McLane Stadium. (Middle) Swan Valley’s Easton Goldensoph stretches to beat a throw to first base.