Gladstone Keeps Winning Streak Alive In Negaunee

NEGAUNEE---There were almost as many walks as hits on the scoreboard as the Gladstone Braves and Negaunee Miners met in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Negaunee's Iron Town Field.

Gladstone's Hunter Garling In Game #1

Pitchers on both teams became frustrated with a tight strike zone and either missed "high and wide" with numerous pitches, or threw it right down the middle to be hit.

The result was 14 combined walks in three innings, including five walks with the bases loaded. The Braves were able to muck their way through the game after nearly blowing a 9-1 lead, and posted a 16-6 victory.

Gladstone also won the nightcap, 4-2.

The sweep gave the Braves a 16-1 record, including three wins over the Miners, a team that the Braves will meet in the district tournament.

Negaunee's record is now 8-5.

Gladstone came out with lively bats in the first two innings of the opener, taking a 6-0 lead while getting seven hits off of Miners starter Grant Johnson.

And the Braves would have had more runs, but two kids were thrown out on the basepaths and there were two double plays.

Negaunee's Dylan Tasson was frustrated.

Gladstone's lead grew to 9-1 after Christian Tackman had a two-run single and Christian Groleau followed with an RBI hit in the fourth inning.

But then came the bottom of the fourth, which took a half-hour to play and saw Gladstone sophomore Hunter Garling throw 50 pitches. He issued two bases-loaded walks before Groleau came in to pitch and also walked in a run.

That made it a 9-6 game, and the bases were still loaded. But Groleau struck out Eric Lori to stop the scoring onslaught.

In the top of the fifth inning, Miners pitcher Dylan Tasson also struggled to throw strikes, issuing a pair of bases-loaded walks. That was part of a seven-run Gladstone scoring outburst that also included an RBI single by Ben Schwalbach and several errors.

In the bottom of the fifth, Garling, now playing center field, threw a strike to catcher Sam Pouliot to cut down a runner at the plate. Then Groleau used his lefty move to pick off another runner between first and second base to end the ballgame.

Braves' Nick Trudeau leads off second.

Garling earned the mound win, allowing six runs on just three hits (two of them were infield hits). Groleau, who entered the game with the tying run at the plate, earned a save for his 1 1/3 innings worth of scoreless relief pitching.

Gladstone had 17 hits in the first game. Garling went 4-for-5 with two of the hits being doubles, and he drove in a run and scored twice.

Tackman was 3-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in, and Groleau was 4-for-4 (two of his hits were infield singles).

In the second game, the Braves took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Justin Jurek got a two-out single, stole second, and scored on a hit by Tommy Bailey. But that was only made possible after Bailey's foul pop-up was dropped on the previous play.

Groleau was tagged to start the second game on the mound for the Braves, but he walked the first three men he faced and was pulled. Jake Peterson came in to pitch, and he gave up a two-run single to Jay Lori to put the Miners in front.

Drake Draze (10) goes into second base.

Peterson got the next three men to keep it a 2-1 game. The Braves tied it in the second inning when #9 batter Drake Draze singled home Groleau.

And in the bottom of the inning, the Miners had a scoring chance when Tyler Lajoie singled, Chad Larson walked, and Eric Lori got an infield hit.

But Lajoie got too far off of third base and was
tagged out after getting into a pickle between third and home. It stayed 2-2 until the fifth inning, when Draze led off with a base hit down the left field line. He was bunted to second by Peterson, but Garling popped up.

With two out, Jurek hit a fly ball that right fielder Jay Lori ran towards but could not catch. Draze, who was named the Player of the Game on the radio, scored the go-ahead run.

Gladstone added an insurance run in the sixth inning on a single by Schwalbach.

Kurt Lauscher Interviewed By TV-3.

Peterson appeared to be on cruise control on the mound, having taken over in the first inning and at one point, retiring 14 of 15 men he faced.

But with two out in the seventh inning, Negaunee got the tying runs on base as Tyler LaJoie beat out an infield hit and Larson drew a walk. But Peterson struck out Eric Lori to end the game.

Peterson scattered five hits over seven innings to earn the win, striking out six and walking just two. Owen Lajoie pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on eight hits.

Gladstone has a make-up game with Stephenson Thursday afternoon at 5:30 at the Don Olsen Field. Then, the Braves will travel to Green Bay Notre Dame on Saturday.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see even more photos from the game, taken by Lori Jurek.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

4/18	4:00 PM	at Reed City High School	12 - 2 (W)	1-0

4/18	6:00 PM	at Reed City High School	9 - 0 (W)	2-0

4/19	11:00 AM	at Kingsley Stags	5 - 1 (W)	3-0

4/19	1:30 PM	at Kingsley Stags	6 - 7 (L)	3-1

4/22	4:30 PM	Negaunee Miners	6 - 4 (W)	4-1

4/23	4:30 PM	Norway Knights	5 - 1 (W)	5-1

4/26	2:00 PM	at Charlevoix Rayders	8 - 4 (W)	6-1

4/26	4:00 PM	at Charlevoix Rayders	9 - 6 (W)	7-1

4/28	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	22 - 4 (W)	8-1

4/28	6:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	12 - 1 (W)	9-1

5/5	4:00 PM	at Norway Knights	13 - 0 (W)	10-1

5/5	6:00 PM	at Norway Knights	4 - 1 (W)	11-1

5/8	4:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	1 - 0 (W)	12-1

5/9	4:30 PM	at Oconto Falls Panthers	6 - 4 (W)	13-1

5/10	11:00 AM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	7 - 3 (W)	14-1

5/14	4:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	16 - 6 (W)	15-1

5/14	6:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	16-1

5/15	5:30 PM	Stephenson Eagles	15 - 5 (W)	17-1

5/17	12:00 PM	at Green Bay Notre Dame	1 - 11 (L)	17-2

5/19	4:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	15 - 0 (W)	18-2

5/19	6:30 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	14 - 3 (W)	19-2

5/20	4:00 PM	Houghton Gremlins	11 - 3 (W)	20-2

5/20	6:30 PM	Houghton Gremlins	7 - 3 (W)	21-2

5/22	5:30 PM	at Stephenson Eagles	7 - 4 (W)	22-2

5/23	4:30 PM	Marquette Redmen	2 - 3 (L)	22-3

5/23	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	12 - 4 (W)	23-3

5/26	6:00 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	3 - 1 (W)	24-3

5/27	6:30 PM	at Green Bay Preble	3 - 6 (L)	24-4

5/30	1:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	25-4

5/30	7:00 PM	Houghton Gremlins	10 - 0 (W)	26-4

6/7	10:00 AM	at Traverse City St. Francis	10 - 2 (W)	27-4

6/7	4:00 PM	Boyne City	5 - 2 (W)	28-4

6/10	12:00 PM	Muskegon Oakridge	3 - 2 (W)	29-4

6/13	2:30 PM	Decatur Raiders	1 - 2 (L)	29-5