D4 Baseball Final: Raiders Take 4th Title

June 16, 2012

BATTLE CREEK – Few had gotten to Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett the last two seasons.

But Decatur, and especially junior outfielder T.J. Stambeck, found a way in Saturday’s Division 4 Final.

He was 2 for 3 and played big parts in starting both Raiders rallies as Decatur won its first title since 2003 and fourth overall by downing the top-ranked Knights 4-1 at Bailey Park.

Stambeck also drove in a run, and senior shortstop Theo Rufo drove in two for Decatur, which finished 36-6 and was ranked No. 2 heading into the tournament. Junior Tim Cerven got the win on the mound, striking out two but giving up only five hits.  

Sophomore Patrick Broder drove in University Liggett’s run, in the second inning. The Knights finished 25-4. Senior Alex Daar took the pitching loss to fall to 16-1. Click for a complete box score.

PHOTO: Decatur huddles in front of its dugout during Saturday's Division 4 Final.

'One more reason why baseball is awesome'

May 26, 2016

The Maple City Glen Lake and Bellaire baseball teams found themselves confined to their dugouts Wednesday afternoon as rain clouded an otherwise typical late-spring doubleheader. 

Typically "awesome," that is. 

The following came from Glen Lake coach Kris Herman explaining another reason "why baseball is awesome." We'd contend fun stories like this say a lot about not only baseball, but high school sports as a whole. 

The teams were restricted to their dugouts by rain and thunder for 45 minutes when ...

" ... our guys decided to sing “International Harvester” at the top of their lungs while the Bellaire players just looked at us like deer in headlights, but they were smiling. We proceeded to play euchre (baseball players must always carry cards … it’s an unwritten rule in baseball culture), and then we heard a Bellaire player yell “heads up” as a ball bounced into our dugout. On the ball was a tic-tac-toe board and a written message that said, 'You First.'

"The whole team gathered around the ball to argue about strategy, and when we threw the ball back, their whole team did the same thing. It was absolutely hilarious. A ball being thrown back and forth through a rain delay, one team huddling around the ball when they had it and arguing about what they were going to do, the other team staring at them likes seals waiting for a fish." 

The two teams were starting up a different game when the delay ended.

"Good stuff …THAT’S the kind of thing that people don’t usually hear about that makes baseball awesome."