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Braves Finish Downstate Road Trip With DH Split
 CHARLEVOIX---The Gladstone Braves wrapped up their second straight weekend trip below the Mackinac Bridge with a win and a loss on Saturday in Charlevoix. The Braves lost Saturday's opening game to the Rayders, 7-2, before rebounding to win the nightcap, 7-4. These games followed Gladstone's two wins over Grayling on Friday (see story below). Last weekend, the Braves won four games downstate over Cadillac and Kingsley. On Saturday, senior Jake Peterson got the ball on the mound, testing that shoulder that has been tender all spring long. Braves Manager Don Lauscher says that Peterson looked fine to him, and the result doesn't reflect how well Peterson pitched on Saturday. "Poor Rizzo," Lauscher said. "He had five errors behind him. He pitched outstanding, but we played lousy defense behind him. That's just the truth of it. It was pretty sad." Peterson pitched all six innings, allowing just five base hits. But the Rayders scored three runs in the third inning on only one base hit. There were three Braves errors. Offensively, the Braves had eight base hits. Peterson had three of them (3-for-4), and the team's other senior, Justin Jurek also had three hits. Jurek drove in both runs. In the second game, Elliot Danhoff went back to the mound for the Braves. Danhoff has proven to be a surprisingly durable pitcher for Lauscher in this season's first month, battling back after a disasterous debut a few weeks ago against Appleton North. Danhoff pitched all six innings on Saturday, and he carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He had to settle for a two-hitter, and Danhoff did not walk a batter. "Elliot, again, is amazing us," Lauscher said. "And our defense was real good." Peterson and Jurek again led the way at the plate in this second game. Peterson had a two-run double in the fifth inning, and Jurek had two more hits. Ben Schwalbach had two hits in the nightcap, and Hunter Garling added an RBI single. Gladstone (8-4) hosts Superior Central in a doubleheader on Monday at 4:30, then the Braves host Escanaba on Tuesday. That game will be broadcast on WCHT-AM (600). STORY FROM FRIDAY'S GAMES FOLLOW: GRAYLING---Sometimes, it takes a little adversity before a baseball team wakes up, digs deep, and finds a way to have some success. That was the situation for the Gladstone Braves on Friday, as the boys played a doubleheader in Lower Michigan against Grayling. The Braves were smarting a bit after having their five-game winning streak snapped Thursday night in Norway. But the boys started a new winning streak on Friday, beating the Grayling Vikings, 2-0 and 9-4, in a pair of six-inning games downstate. "We really responded well after that lackluster performance last night," Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher said. "There were a lot of positives here." One of those "positives" was the pitching of Hunter Garling in the first game. He threw all six innings, allowing just two hits, striking out eleven, and walking none. "Hunter was outstanding," Lauscher said. "That's the best I've seen him pitch since the Charlevoix game (early) last year. He just overpowered them with his fastball and he was on top of his curveball. It was really biting hard, and that made his fastball better." The game's only runs came in the third inning. Jake Peterson led off with a hit, and A.J. Lundberg was safe on an infield error. A double steal moved both boys into scoring position, and then Justin Jurek's grounder scored the first run. The second run scored on an error. Gladstone had just five hits in the game, with Peterson getting two of them. In the second game, Gladstone fell behind early as Brandon Cooper struggled on the mound. But he settled down and gave Lauscher four innings, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks. Nick Trudeau, who's last time on the mound was last Tuesday in a blizzard against Negaunee, finished this game with two strong innings of relief. "Nick had their guys backing out of there with his curveball," Lauscher said. "He did a great job. It was fun to watch." Peterson had three more base hits, a sacrafice fly, and two runs batted in during the nightcap. That gave Peterson five hits in the doubleheader. Ben Schwalbach had two hits and an RBI, and Lucas Weinert and Jake Wacholtz got their first Braves base hits. Owen Hanson had a big game in the nightcap with his bat, and with his glove. Hanson had three base hits, and he had two difficult catches in center field. "I was really, really pleased with him," Lauscher said. "He is gonna be a really good player for us in the future, I'll tell you that." |
| Date | Time | Opponent | Score | Record |
4/11 |
1:00 PM |
at Appleton North Lightning
|
1 - 9 (L)
|
0-1
|
4/11 |
3:30 PM |
at Appleton North Lightning
|
0 - 16 (L)
|
0-2
|
4/17 |
4:00 PM |
at Cadillac Vikings
|
7 - 4 (W)
|
1-2
|
4/17 |
6:00 PM |
at Cadillac Vikings
|
6 - 3 (W)
|
2-2
|
4/18 |
11:00 AM |
at Kingsley Stags
|
12 - 0 (W)
|
3-2
|
4/18 |
1:30 PM |
at Kingsley Stags
|
6 - 3 (W)
|
4-2
|
4/20 |
4:30 PM |
North Central Jets
|
ppd - rain (L)
|
ppd
|
4/21 |
4:30 PM |
Negaunee Miners
|
7 - 5 (W)
|
5-2
|
4/23 |
4:00 PM |
at Norway Knights
|
3 - 6 (L)
|
5-3
|
4/24 |
4:00 PM |
at Grayling Vikings
|
2 - 0 (W)
|
6-3
|
4/24 |
6:30 PM |
at Grayling Vikings
|
9 - 4 (W)
|
7-3
|
4/25 |
1:00 PM |
at Charlevoix Rayders
|
2 - 7 (L)
|
7-4
|
4/25 |
3:00 PM |
at Charlevoix Rayders
|
7 - 4 (W)
|
8-4
|
4/27 |
4:30 PM |
Superior Central Cougars
|
19 - 4 (W)
|
9-4
|
4/27 |
6:30 PM |
Superior Central Cougars
|
15 - 0 (W)
|
10-4
|
4/28 |
4:30 PM |
Escanaba Eskymos
|
5 - 4 (W)
|
11-4
|
4/30 |
4:30 PM |
Marquette Redmen
|
10 - 4 (W)
|
12-4
|
5/1 |
5:30 PM |
at Peshtigo Bulldogs
|
6 - 7 (L)
|
12-5
|
5/2 |
12:00 PM |
at D.C. Everest Evergreens
|
4 - 6 (L)
|
12-6
|
5/2 |
3:00 PM |
at Wausau West Warriors
|
9 - 5 (W)
|
13-6
|
5/4 |
4:30 PM |
Norway Knights
|
3 - 0 (W)
|
14-6
|
5/4 |
6:45 PM |
Norway Knights
|
10 - 0 (W)
|
15-6
|
5/7 |
4:30 PM |
at Escanaba Eskymos
|
4 - 5 (L)
|
15-7
|
5/9 |
10:00 AM |
Hancock Bulldogs
|
10 - 2 (W)
|
16-7
|
5/9 |
12:30 PM |
Hancock Bulldogs
|
19 - 0 (W)
|
17-7
|
5/11 |
5:30 PM |
at Green Bay Preble
|
3 - 4 (L)
|
17-8
|
5/13 |
4:00 PM |
at Negaunee Miners
|
10 - 0 (W)
|
18-8
|
5/13 |
6:00 PM |
at Negaunee Miners
|
3 - 1 (W)
|
19-8
|
5/16 |
12:00 PM |
at Green Bay Notre Dame
|
5 - 4 (W)
|
20-8
|
5/18 |
6:00 PM |
at Crivitz, Wis.
|
4 - 3 (W)
|
21-8
|
5/19 |
4:30 PM |
at Marinette Marines
|
7 - 1 (W)
|
22-8
|
5/22 |
5:00 PM |
at Marquette Redmen
|
1 - 5 (L)
|
22-9
|
5/26 |
6:00 PM |
Hancock Bulldogs
|
14 - 1 (W)
|
23-9
|
5/30 |
12:00 PM |
at Negaunee Miners
|
8 - 3 (W)
|
24-9
|
5/30 |
5:00 PM |
Houghton Gremlins
|
7 - 2 (W)
|
25-9
|
6/6 |
10:00 AM |
at Tawas
|
3 - 2 (W)
|
26-9
|
6/6 |
4:00 PM |
at Traverse City St. Francis
|
4 - 2 (W)
|
27-9
|
6/9 |
12:00 PM |
Muskegon Oakridge
|
6 - 5 (W)
|
28-9
|
6/12 |
11:30 AM |
at Buchanan Bucks
|
4 - 6 (L)
|
28-10
|
