Mistake-Prone Cubs Routed; Menominee Hangs On

MARINETTE, Wis.---The Marinette Firecracker American Legion Baseball Tournament came to an end on Sunday with four games.

The Escanaba Cubs made seven errors and lost to Manitowoc, 14-1. Menominee hung on to beat Green Bay, 3-1, while Watertown beat the Marquette Blues, 5-3.

Escanaba and Menominee both finished 1-3 in the tournament, while Marquette was 2-2 and Ishpeming was 0-4. The Watertown and Marinette teams both finished 4-0.

The Cubs were trying to get a split for the weekend, despite having only ten players available, with starters like Sean Bissell and Justin Popelka missing for the tournament.

Sunday's game was never close, as the Cubs gave up two runs in each of the first three innings, and four of those six runs were unearned due to defensive mistakes.

Manitowoc added eight runs in the fourth inning to put the game out of reach for Escanaba. Escanaba's only run came in the second inning when Logan Lamb singled home Lewis Ostrander, who had walked earlier in the inning.

The Cubs hit into two more double plays, to go along with two they hit into during Saturday's 9-2 loss to Watertown.

Escanaba Cubs Lewis Ostrander rips double

The Cubs had just three hits: Parker LaMarch in the first inning, Lamb in the second, and Ostrander's double in the fourth. The game ended on the five-inning mercy rule.

Before it did, Cubs Manager Tom Ohman had to go deep into the bench to get enough pitching to make it through those five innings. Ostrander threw 3 2/3 innings, giving up eleven runs (six earned) on ten hits. He struck out six and walked three.

Bailey Lamb tried to finish things, but he did not retire a batter. He walked three guys and was charged with three runs.

So, rookie Parker LaMarch came in to pitch. He walked in a run, but got a fly out to end the fourth inning. LaMarch gave up a single in the fifth inning, but got a line drive double play, second to first, to end that inning.

For Manitowoc, Issac Pethan had a double and two singles, and he drove in a run. Tanner Natzke had two singles and two RBI, and cleanup hitter Austin Schleis had a double, two singles, and a run batted in. Ezra Emme drove in three runs.

Meanwhile, on the other field, Menominee scored three early runs and held on to beat the Green Bay Blue Jays, 3-1. Red Wave pitcher Matt Hanson threw a complete game, but had to hang on as the Blue Jays put two men on base in the seventh inning.

Hanson got Tyler Vandenhoogen to hit a pop fly that was caught by right fielder Spencer Howell to end the game, allowing Menominee to salvage the final game.

Next, Marquette faced Watertown on the small Haase Field. The Wisconsin team slipped past the Blues, 5-3, sending Marquette down to a 2-2 record for the tournament.

The Blues went 1-3 at the Escanaba/Gladstone tournament last weekend, but Coach Derek Swajanen's team saw great competition over those eight tournament games.

Marquette will travel to Gladstone for a pair of Mid Pen League games on Tuesday.

Game time is 5:00 for the opener, and the twinbill will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Escanaba will travel to Menominee for a single game Tuesday night at 7ET/6CT.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos from the Escanaba-Manitowoc, Menominee-Green Bay games.

Marinette Firecracker Tournament Scoreboard
Sunday's Games
Menominee 3, Green Bay 1
Manitowoc 14, Escanaba 1
Watertown 5, Marquette 3
Ishpeming vs Marinette