Richard Pitchers Rise to Occasion Versus High-Scoring Beal City in D4 Clincher
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
June 18, 2022
EAST LANSING – Riverview Gabriel Richard baseball coach Mike Magier admitted he was a little nervous while preparing to put in a freshman at a crucial point in Saturday’s Division 4 championship game.
“You talk to him in the dugout, we’re going back and forth and he doesn’t seem fazed,” Magier said, chuckling. “I don’t know if he knows the situation or not. But he says, ‘I'm ready Coach.’ He throws a lot of strikes, and we had our best defense behind him when he’s on the mound.”
Drew Everingham entered in relief with a runner on and one out in the seventh inning. He hit his first batter, gave up an RBI single, then got a game-ending double play as Gabriel Richard edged Beal City, 4-3, for its second Finals title in five years. The Pioneers also won the Division 3 title in 2018.
The pitching victory went to senior Ashton Nowak, who started and went 6 1/3 innings before having to leave the game due to the pitch count rule. He was in center field when the final outs were recorded.
“That’s exactly what we needed,” he said. “It feels amazing. It took everyone, even the entire school coming out to watch us, to get that win.”
The Pioneers (17-12) took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Brendan Hills doubled and scored on a single by Connor Silka. Richard added two more runs on a double to the left-center field gap off the bat of catcher Bryan Tuttle.
Beal City, which finished the season having averaged an MHSAA-record 12.5 runs per game, scored twice in the sixth inning on a bases-clearing triple by Jack Fussman to make the score 3-2. But Richard added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI single by Nick Wisniewki.
The Aggies (30-3) had one more comeback try, trailing by two runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Jake Gauthier walked to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a single by Brayden Haynes. But the rally fell short.
“Like I told them after the game, they battled,” Beal City coach Steve Pickens said. “They battled all year. They’re a great group of guys. I’d go to war with them. It bounced a little different today than it usually does, but that’s baseball.”
For the Pioneers, a season of ups and downs ended at the pinnacle.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Tuttle, who was behind the plate for all but three innings this season for the Pioneers. “This is what we’ve dreamed of since the beginning of the season, and now that it’s come true, it’s unbelievable.”
PHOTOS (Top) Brenden Hills crosses the plate for Riverview Gabriel Richard on Saturday at McLane Stadium. (Middle) Pioneers catcher Bryan Tuttle puts a tag on Beal City’s Konnor Wilson during the third inning.
Performance of the Week: Orchard Lake St. Mary's Brock Porter
June 1, 2022
Brock Porter ♦ Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
Baseball ♦ Senior
One of Michigan’s most highly-regarded baseball talents in years, Porter continued his dominating senior season May 20 with his fourth no-hitter of the spring – this time in a 4-0 win over Detroit Catholic Central in the Catholic High School League Bishop semifinals at Comerica Park. He struck out 16 hitters, upping his season total to 87 with only 17 walks over 42 innings. He’s 6-0 and has allowed only one earned run – and three total – this season.
Porter grew up playing baseball and football, and downhill ski racing, before turning his full athletic attention to the diamond. He has signed to continue his baseball career at Clemson University, and he also is expected to be a first-round selection in July’s Major League Baseball draft. Porter threw a 12-strikeout six-hitter in last season’s Semifinal against New Boston Huron as the Eaglets went on to win the Division 2 championship, and St. Mary’s is up to 37-0 this season and has won 59 straight games. Porter also is a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council.
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2021-22 Honorees
May 20: Brady Schultz, Menominee track & field - Report
May 13: Robert Burns, Flint Powers Catholic golf - Report
May 6: Bo Lockwood, Hartland lacrosse - Report
April 28: Nonah Waldron, Oak Park track & field - Report
April 21: Theryn Hallock, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central soccer - Report
April 14: Kaitlyn Pallozzi, Farmington Hills Mercy softball - Report
April 7: Mason Docks, Williamston basketball - Report
March 24: Mya Petticord, Ypsilanti Arbor Prep basketball - Report
March 16: Charley Bayer, East Grand Rapids diving - Report
March 9: Ja'Marcus Smith, Detroit Mumford wrestling - Report
March 2: David Schaberg, Holt bowling - Report
Feb. 24: Adelaide McRoberts, Kingsford swimming - Report
Feb. 17: Christopher Kavanaugh, Petoskey hockey - Report
Feb. 10: Ira Jenkins, Whitehall wrestling - Report
Feb. 3: Emma Stewart, Salem gymnastics - Report
Jan. 28: Tyler Ray, Pinckney swimming - Report
Jan. 21: Elle Craven, Traverse City Central skiing - Report
Jan. 14: Nevaeh Williams, Mount Clemens basketball - Report
Dec. 2: Lucas Dunn, Chelsea football - Report
Nov. 25: Riley Nugent, Plainwell swimming - Report
Nov. 18: Harper Murray, Ann Arbor Skyline volleyball - Report
Nov. 11: Abby VanderKooi, Muskegon Western Michigan Christian cross country - Report
Nov. 4: Arianne Olson, Holland West Ottawa cross country - Report
Oct. 28: Jack Guggemos, Okemos soccer - Report
Oct. 21: Sachiv Kumar, Northville tennis - Report
Oct. 14: Kate Brody, Grand Blanc golf - Report
Oct. 7: Lilly Nelson, Negaunee tennis - Report
Sept. 30: Stella Chapman, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Sept. 23: Riley Hough, Hartland cross country - Report
Sept. 16: Josie Bloom, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Porter family.)