WALK-OFF MAGIC!! BRAVES RETURN TO MSU!!

TRAVERSE CITY---Hunter Garling's solo home run in the bottom of the tenth inning led the Gladstone High School baseball team to a 6-5 win over the Muskegon Oakridge Eagles in an MHSAA Division Three state quarterfinal Tuesday in Traverse City.

Garling rifled a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence at Traverse City West High School to complete a Braves comeback from a 4-0 deficit.

The win sent Gladstone into the state semifinals on Friday at Michigan State University against the Buchanan Bucks.

Gladstone got off to a rocky start on Tuesday. Oakridge scored two runs in the first inning as the Braves made two errors. Jordon Fairchild singled home one run, and the second came home on a Brady Luttrull ground ball to short.

The Braves had a runner on third base in each of the first two innings, as Jake Peterson singled in the first inning and Tyson Seymour singled to start the third inning. But both men were stranded, and then the Oakridge Eagles went to work in the third inning.

Hunter Garling walk-off home run.

Hunter Benson led off with a single against Braves starter Justin Jurek, and then Kolin Chahorski followed with a base hit. Braves manager Don Lauscher brought the infielders in, and sure enough, Fairchild hit a pop fly to short center field that would have been caught by the second baseman.

Two runs scored, and Oakridge led, 4-0.

Gladstone got on the board in the fourth inning with an unearned run, and then in the fifth inning, the Braves took advantage of another Eagles error to tie the game. Jurek had an RBI single, while Garling and Ben Schwalbach each had sacrafice flies. It was 4-4.

Jurek gave up a walk in the sixth inning but retired the other three men he faced.

He finished his six innings of work with four runs allowed (three earned) on five hits. Jurek struck out seven and walked two as he had his longest pitching stint of the season.

In the seventh inning, Garling took over on the mound, two days after shutting down Traverse City St. Francis with a complete-game effort in Saturday's regional final.

Garling gave up three straight hits in the top of the seventh inning, with Chahorski coming through with the RBI hit. Braves left fielder Owen Hanson helped the cause when he made a diving catch of a Fairchild fly ball. A groundout ended the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Braves loaded the bases on an error, walk, and Schwalbach base hit. With the bases loaded and Gladstone down to its final out, Hunter Botruff walked on four straight pitches to force home the tying run, 5-5.

Hunter Garling walk-off home run!

Lucas Weinert grounded back to the m0und after that, however, so we went to extra innings for the second time in three games. Gladstone needed 11 innings to beat Tawas in the regional final on Saturday, and this game went well past the usual seven innings.

In the eighth inning, Garling gave up a lead-off single to Nate Wahr, but he got the next three outs. In the bottom of the inning, Braeden Lamberg drew a walk, but the Braves could not bring him home. In the ninth inning, Garling had a 1-2-3 inning.

So, in the bottom of the ninth, the Braves prepared to win the game. Jurek and Schwalbach had back-to-back hits to start the inning. Seymour bunted, moving the runners ahead.

The throw was wild to first base, so Lauscher told Jurek to try to score and end the game. Jurek was tagged out at the plate on the slide.

That brought up Botruff, with the winning run at third. He put down an excellent bunt, but Schwalbach missed home plate on the slide. He was tagged out as he tried to get back to the plate, so there were two outs.

Weinert followed with a walk to re-load the bases, but Jack Stephenson, with the bases loaded, popped up to third to end the threat.

Garling easily retired the Eagles 1-2-3 in the tenth inning, and the Braves saw their first two batters go out in the bottom half against Oakridge reliever Jaegar Beattie. But Garling got ahold of Beattie's 3-2 pitch and ripped it to right field, ending the game.

Justin Jurek RBI single.

Gladstone improved to 28-9 on the season while Oakridge fell to 31-6.

Gladstone returns to the state final four for the second straight year. The Braves will face the Buchanan Bucks in a semifinal game on Friday.

Game time is 11:30 Friday morning at MSU, and the game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on www.rrnsports.com.

GLADSTONE BOYS NAMED ALL-REGION---The Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association has named its Division Three All-Region Team. Gladstone's Jake Peterson made it as an outfielder, and Hunter Garling made it as a utility player. This means that both boys are now eligible for All-State consideration.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Lori Jurek, videos taken by Laura Lamberg, and hear radio replays and interviews.

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