Early Bumps, Smooth Landing for DeLaSalle
June 18, 2016
By Andy Sneddon
Special for Second Half
EAST LANSING – A bunch of young Warren DeLaSalle Pilots earned their wings Saturday.
And from the looks of it, DeLaSalle baseball could be flying high for a while.
Sophomore Bryce Bush put the Pilots ahead to stay with a sixth-inning two-run single, and another sophomore, Nino Puckett, pitched out of a bases-loaded jam to notch the save as DeLaSalle defeated Saline, 7-6, in the MHSAA Division 1 baseball championship game at Michigan State University’s McLane Baseball Stadium.
It was the fourth MHSAA crown for DeLaSalle (28-13), which entered the tournament unranked. Second-ranked Saline (35-7) lost in the Final for the fifth time in school history.
Two other sophomores, starting pitcher Easton Sikorski and catcher Mac Graybill, played key roles in the Pilots’ victory.
“At the beginning of the year, we knew we might take our lumps a little bit and we did early on, but we grew from it,” DeLaSalle coach Matt Cook said. “We lost a lot of close games, a lot of one-run games. You learn from it and you chalk it up as experience and you move on and you try to get better every day.
“Our seniors, they kept this team together. You need leadership when you have a young team and five seniors – you couldn’t ask for better leaders. I didn’t name captains this year because all five of them were captains in my mind. They were the guys.”
The Pilots led 4-0 after two innings, but Saline chipped away and used a three-run sixth – highlighted by Sean O’Keefe’s two-run homer – to seize a 6-5 lead.
DeLaSalle responded in the bottom of the sixth as Matt Kostuch was hit by a pitch leading off. Brett Sandora pinch ran and was sacrificed to second. Graybill was then hit by a pitch, prompting Saline to go to its bullpen for O’Keefe.
An O’Keefe pitch was in the dirt and Sandora stole third, sliding in under the tag, while Graybill moved up to second. Bush then delivered a hard single back through the box, scoring Sandora to tie the score and Graybill with the go-ahead run.
“They read ball-in-dirt,” Cook said of his base runners. “We’re not a big stealing team, especially with Bryce Bush and (cleanup hitter) Rob Zurawski, we know they can drive guys in, so I don’t want to run into outs.
“We tell our guys read ball-in-dirt, and as soon as (Sandora) saw the ball go in the dirt he instinctually took off like he should. Thank goodness he was safe because that put Bryce in a great position. Bryce comes through time and time again.”
Puckett relieved Sikorski to start the top of the seventh inning. Three walks – one intentional to O’Keefe – and a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases with one out. Puckett induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Sikorski allowed six hits, walked two and struck out two in earning the victory.
Josh Nelson, Saline’s second pitcher, took the loss. He allowed three runs on two hits, walked three and struck out three over 4 1/3 innings. He had also entered Thursday’s Semifinal in relief, earning the win over reigning champion Hartland.
The Pilots entered the tournament with 21 wins against 13 losses – hardly an attention-grabbing win percentage. But few teams across the state can lay claim to having played the type of schedule that De La Salle did.
“Every Wednesday and Saturday, when we have our league doubleheaders, we’re facing some of the best teams in the state,” said Cook, who rattled off some of the Pilots’ opponents, a list that reads like a who’s who of the state best programs, including the likes of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Birmingham Brother Rice, Dearborn Divine Child, Detroit U-D Jesuit and Detroit Catholic Central.
In addition, the Pilots’ schedule this season included Sterling Heights Parkway Christian and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, both of which played for MHSAA championships Saturday.
“It’s state-championship caliber baseball every game you play,” Cook said. “It puts you in position where you’re ready.
“We never played bad baseball this year; we always played good baseball. We were just learning to finish a day. We’d split doubleheaders, we’d win by a couple runs, we’d lose by one (run). We just learned to finish, play a complete day of baseball, and we started to do that and things started to roll and the kids were confident.”
PHOTOS: (Top) A Warren DeLaSalle hitter gets around on a pitch during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) Saline shortstop Thomas Miller turns to throw to first base for a potential double play as DeLaSalle’s Ben Hyndman slides into second.
Flint Powers Catholic, Spring Lake End Long Waits to Reach Season Finale
By
Scott DeCamp
Special for MHSAA.com
June 14, 2024
EAST LANSING – After his eighth-inning, game-winning hit to finish Flint Powers Catholic’s Division 2 Semifinal win Friday, Chargers senior Gavin Darling gave away the secret to how 42-year head coach Tom Dutkowski stays so young and energetic.
“That dude works out more than probably half the team, honestly,” Darling said. “He’s a great guy, and we just want to do it for him as well.”
What top-ranked Flint Powers is aiming to do is capture a state baseball championship. Powers has that chance after Darling’s walk-off single to deep left field scored Eli Sturgess for a 4-3 victory over Trenton at Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium.
Powers (36-6) will face Spring Lake (32-9) in Saturday’s 5 p.m. Final. The Chargers are seeking their first Finals title since 1980, and first under Dutkowski’s tutelage.
“We want to win for him, man. It’s not only for us, but it’s for him,” Darling said. “He’s been working hard just like we have.”
Powers and pitcher Grant Garman cruised through the first four innings Friday, Garman carrying a perfect game as the Chargers built a 3-0 lead.
Trenton (30-11-1) began to make Powers work for it in the fifth. The Trojans collected five hits and scored three runs in the inning, keyed by Carson Boike’s two-run single, to knot the score at 3.
The tie remained until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Darling came to the plate with one out and the bases loaded. Powers’ cleanup hitter saw a pitch he could drive, and the rest is history.
“Just (looking for) a pitch to hit, man. They were playing in, so I just had to go for it. I don’t care if it’s a bloop single or a shot like that, I’ve just got to do what I’ve got to do,” Darling said. “(It felt) pretty good to know that I had a guy on third that either way, if it’s caught, he’s tagging and we win the game.
“It’s an unreal feeling, man. These guys are my family, and I can’t thank them enough. They have my back just like I have theirs, and I can’t thank them enough.”
Garman allowed three earned runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts and one walk in five innings. Isaac Sturgess picked up the win in relief, not allowing a hit or run with four strikeouts and one walk over three innings.
Garman led the Powers offense with three hits, while Darling had a pair of RBIs.
Caleb Kidd finished with two hits to pace Trenton. Kidd got the start and worked four innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in four innings. Joel Mator took the loss in relief for the Trojans, surrendering one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and five walks in 3 1/3 innings.
“I can’t say enough about the fight that was in them,” Trenton coach Todd Szalka said. “He had a shutout (perfect game), we’re going into the top of the fifth, he’s throwing a no-hitter, and then, all of a sudden, we challenge them in the dugout and we come away with five hits in the fifth inning. I mean, that’s almost unheard of, especially against a good pitcher like (Grant) Garman.
“No. 1 team in the state, you’re down 3-0, stakes are on the line, you’re looking at your last nine outs and our kids just continued to fight and went into extra innings. They got the big play when they needed it, and we had gotten the big play the last three games with walk-offs. I’m really proud of the way we came out today.”
Dutkowski instructed Darling to be “short to the ball” on his game-winning hit. The coach was very happy for the player, who “works as hard as anybody.”
Dutkowski believes his team is plenty battle-tested, too, competing in the Saginaw Valley League.
“The Saginaw Valley League is a gauntlet, especially for a school like Powers (as) the smallest school,” he said. “Not that we feel bad about that because we’ve got great players this year, but it is tough.
“ … We beat Bay City Western two out of three this year, and we beat Northville in the Flint Champions Tournament. Neither team was pitching their best, but we beat them. Yeah, we’re battle-tested.”
Dutkowski said that in his younger years, he might have been jumping up and down in the third-base coach’s box during the walk-off play.
On Friday, he said he stayed planted and wanted to make sure Eli Sturgess was tagging at third in case Darling’s deep fly ball was caught.
“I used to be what you’d call an athlete. I used to do all the histrionics, but now my job is to kind of keep guys steady, you know – get them back to neutral as soon as possible,” Dutkowski said.
“I have an ankle-foot orthotic. I am drop foot. I had fusion surgery about 19 months ago on L-4/L-5. No, I’m a wreck. I have this carbon fiber thing,” he said as he pointed to his lower right leg, “that keeps me upright. I’m retired now, so I work out.”
Spring Lake 5, Richland Gull Lake 2
“Next pitch” has been a theme for the Spring Lake baseball team during its run to the Finals.
Of course, when you have Zane Stahl throwing the pitches, that always helps.
The 6-foot-6 Louisville commit scattered five hits and pitched to contact in powering Spring Lake to a 5-2 victory.
On Saturday, Spring Lake will be making its first Finals appearance since 1995 and third overall. The Lakers got there Friday in large part because of Stahl, the defense behind him, and timely hitting.
Stahl, a right-handed junior, struck out four, walked four, and allowed two earned runs in the complete-game effort.
“(The defense) has been incredible. I’ve been able to make my pitch,” Stahl said. “You know, it’s not always about strikeouts; it’s about making the pitch and getting a ground ball. I mean, they’ve been able to make the routine plays that they’re supposed to and even make them outside of that, so it’s been great.”
Stahl helped his own cause, too. He finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs. Oliver Smies doubled twice for Spring Lake, while Gabe Trask had two hits for the Lakers, who have won 19 of their last 20 games.
Spring Lake took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and created separation with four runs in the fifth inning on four hits.
“Somebody else always seemed to pick us up at the right time. We got a couple of nice ground-ball double plays, so some things have fallen into place for us but I’m also a believer, sometimes you make your own luck,” Spring Lake coach Bill Core said. “What we’ve been impressed with so much is somebody always seems to pick up their teammate or somebody’s been coming through with a big play at the right time.
“We’re not a bunch of superstars, but everybody has a role and we’ve got a different hero (each game).”
Gull Lake (26-12) showed life in the later innings, scoring a run on two hits in the sixth and another run on two more hits in the seventh.
Western Michigan University commit Julian Harris took the pitching loss for the Blue Devils. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in four innings.
“When you get to the final four, no one’s weak, especially against a good arm like (Stahl’s) – you’re scratching and clawing for every run that you get,” Gull Lake coach Reggie Walters said. “If you tie that ballgame up, it just changes the feel of things instead of chasing.
“We wanted to wear (Stahl) down and he started to show that in the sixth and the seventh, but he threw a great game. … It was like, ‘Man, if we would have started it one inning earlier, you don’t know where you’re going to end up.’”
PHOTOS (Top) Flint Powers Catholic's Eli Sturgess (3) crosses the plate for the winning run during his team's Semifinal victory Friday at McLane Stadium. (Middle) Spring Lake’s Gabe Trask drives a pitch.