Oberg, Lotterman Lead Redmen Upset Over Braves

GLADSTONE---He warned them.

Gladstone Baseball Manager Don Lauscher warned his players that they would need to bring their "A Game" to beat the Marquette Redmen on Friday.

He warned them that Marquette has turned its program around. He warned them that Marquette would not be impressed with the Braves' 22-2 record and No. 2 state ranking.

Lauscher warned them, but the guys showed up and played without much intensity, and the result was a 3-2 loss that spun the high-flying Braves down to earth.

The Braves rebounded for a 12-4 win in the second game of the doubleheader, but Lauscher says the loss in the opener is a lesson learned as districts loom next week.

"I can't put my finger on it," Lauscher said. "We should have been able to hit the ball hard. But we didn't. We made a couple of errors. No excuses, but we have guys in positions, young kids, freshmen, where they're not quite ready."

Coach Don Lauscher post-game comments.

Power-hitter and first baseman Tommy Bailey sat out with cracked ribs from a play earlier in the week against Houghton, and Justin Jurek was limited to designated hitter on Friday because of a sore arm.

That put freshmen Brandon Cooper and Jack Stephenson in starting positions, along with fellow freshman Ben Schwalbach.

But for whatever reason, the Braves were unable to muster much offense against Marquette pitcher Jay Oberg.

Oberg does not throw hard, but he tossed a lot of "junk" that the Braves could not handle. At one point, Oberg retired 13 straight batters.

"He was throwing pretty good," Garling said. "But we didn't come out with any intensity until the seventh inning. It was too late."

Gladstone grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Christian Tackman singled and scored on a double by Jurek. But the Braves stranded two base runners in the inning, and Marquette took the lead in the second inning on a three-run homer over the left field fence by #9 hitter Brandon Lotterman.

"I hung a change-up high and inside," Garling admitted. "He sent it for a ride."

Hunter Garling gets a strike out

The game stayed 3-1 all the way to the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Braves tried to rally against Oberg. Jake Peterson got a one-out single, and then Christian Groleau drew a walk.

Sam Pouliot singled to load the bases. A wild pitch scored a run, and the Braves had runners an second and third with only one out, down 3-2.

Lauscher asked Stephenson to squeeze home the tying run, but he bunted foul. On the next pitch, Stephenson took a called third strike for the second out. Then Tackman swung at the first pitch and flied out to left field, ending the game.

Oberg allowed just five hits in the seven innings of work, walking three and striking out four.

For the Braves, Garling allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, in six innings. Tackman threw a scoreless and hitless seventh inning in relief.

In the second game, Pouliot got the ball, and he struggled in the first inning, giving up an infield hit and two walks to load the bases.

But he struck out Jake Phillips and Trevor Koski to end the inning.

Then, the Braves went to work against Marquette's freshman pitcher, Garret Finkbeiner, in the bottom of the first inning. Garling and Drake Draze each had RBI singles in that inning, and Groleau ripped a two-run double to the fence to give the Braves a 4-0 lead.

Hunter Garling two-run triple.

In the second inning, Garling drove in another run with a single, scoring Tackman to make it a 5-0 game.

Marquette got a two-run homer from Gabe Apple in the third inning to cut the lead to 5-2, and then in the third inning, Pouliot got wild, hitting two batters and walking two others.

That forced home a run to make it 5-3, but Pouliot got a pop-up to end it.

Gladstone blew the game open with four runs in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Tackman, a two-run triple by Garling, and an RBI grounder from Jurek.

Gladstone added three runs in the fifth inning on a dropped fly ball and a wild pitch.

The Braves are now 23-3 on the season, and Marquette is now 12-7.

Lauscher says that the Redmen are now a team to be reckoned with in the Upper Peninsula.

That despite that fact that the American Legion Marquette Blues continues to run a team at the same time as the high school team, and bars most Redmen players from joining the Blues later as the Legion season stretches into August.

Christian Groleau two-run double.

"Todd (Koski) really turned that program around," Lauscher said. "He told me that they had a three-year plan of getting them above .500 for the first time, and he's right on schedule. I'm telling you, that was one impressive team today. I mean, one through nine, they were impressive. They made some really good defensive plays."

The second game ended with a play that irritated both coaches.

The Braves' players decided to do the "hidden ball trick" where, after a conversation, the pitcher pretends that he has the ball, but the shortstop really has it.

So when the Marquette player led off of second base (thinking that the pitcher had the ball), he was tagged out.

Koski was furious. And Lauscher wasn't too happy, either.

"That's not what we're about here in Gladstone," Lauscher said. "Their coach was upset, and he should be. I appologize. We're bigger and better than that. I told the guys to not do that anymore because it's a balk.

"I get that the kids like it and think that it's funny, but on the other hand, that's not real good sportsmanship."

Hunter Garling post-game comments.

Gladstone has two games left in the regular season.

The Braves will travel to Escanaba for a make-up game on Memorial Day against the Eskymos.

Game time is 6:00 and it will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

The Braves close the regular season on Tuesday afternoon at Green Bay Preble.

"We have to hit it hard at practice," Garling said. "We have a lot of stuff to work on."

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to read the details, see photos and videos taken by Lori Jurek, and listen to radio replays and post-game interviews.

Gladstone first baseman Jake Peterson leaps high into the air to save a bad throw Friday. (Lori Jurk photo)

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