SOGGY BASEBALL: Braves Slip Past Marquette 3-2

GLADSTONE---It was a waterlogged evening at Don Olsen Field in Gladstone, but the Gladstone Braves and Marquette Redmen managed to play seven innings of baseball Friday night. And the teams played another tight game, with the Braves winning, 3-2.

Brandon Cooper had the walk-off base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the Braves to the victory on a night where the weather...and the team's lack of clutch hitting...caused lots of headaches for Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher.

"The biggest thing is pitch selection," Lauscher said. "That's what we talked about after the game. Swinging at stuff that's up by their eyes. That's what's killing us. And again, I'm just trying to find guys who can step up in pressure situations."

The Braves stranded the bases loaded twice in the first three innings, with two left on base in the second inning, for a total of eight base runners stranded early on.

The only run the Braves could manage was on a bases loaded walk to Braeden Lamberg.

After playing the first few innings in the rain, and sitting through a 63-minute rain delay, Marquette scored its two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Zach Carter was safe on an error and rode home on a booming double by Austin Wachnicki. Wachnicki then scored all the way from second on a wild pitch that ended up in the first base dugout.

Things could have been worse for the Braves in the fifth inning when Alec Gadzinski walked and Alec Beauchamp singled, putting runners at second and third with one out.

Jack Kocheavar hit a bullet toward left field, but Braves third baseman Lucas Weinert caught it, and then tagged Gadzinski before he could get back. A huge double play.

"It was a hard-hit line drive," Weinert said. "I just had to catch it. I saw the guy running out there and I tagged him! We didn't play too well sometimes (tonight), but we have to keep going, keep trying, keep working hard, pick everybody up when it's needed."

"Look at Lucas at the beginning of the year versus Lucas now, and it's light years difference," Lauscher said. "Aggressive. Gets after the ball. Not shying away anymore. He's playing an absolutely tremendous third base for us the last couple of weeks. He's a tough hockey player. Takes them off the chest. Works hard."

Gladstone tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a groundout by Cooper, who sat the bench for the early part of the game. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Hunter Botruff was safe on a throwing error. With two out and Botruff on second, Cooper ripped a line shot to left field. Carter's throw to the plate was just late, and Gladstone won.

"He (Lauscher) told me I had to hit it on the right side because we had one out and runners on second and third," Cooper said. "I had to hit it to the right side to tie the game up. On the last one, I told myself I had to put it in there because there's no sense in striking out. If I put it in play, they could make an error or something."

"I didn't want to go into extra innings, either."

Cooper also did it with his glove, making three straight plays on defense at second base during the sixth inning. Lauscher says that Cooper has now earned a starting spot at second base.

"I didn't start him tonight," Lauscher said. "He could have sat on the bench and pouted, but he took it as 'I have to play harder and be clutch'. Boy did he do that tonight. I guess he showed me. And I that's what I told him: good for you, Coop. He showed me that he wants to play every day, and that's going to happen."

Both teams used three pitchers. Marquette starter Jay Oberg and Gladstone starter Owen Hanson did not throw after the rain delay in the third inning. Blake Henrikson threw for Marquette and Jared Crow pitched for the Braves through the middle innings.

With the game tied at the end, Elliot Danhoff came in and threw the seventh inning, and struggled, walking two batters and hitting another.

But Botruff picked off one of the runners and Danhoff struck out the other two. Danhoff earned the pitching victory with one inning of relief.

Garrett Finkbeiner took a tough pitching loss, as the only run against him was unearned due to that seventh inning throwing error. It was another tough loss for the Redmen, who fell to 9-15 on the season, with at least a half-dozen of those games coming by one run.

Marquette travels downatte to compete in the Division One District Tournament next Saturday against Traverse City Central.

Gladstone (17-12) hosts Escanaba (18-8) in the annual Memorial Day game to close the season Monday night. Game time is 6:30, and it will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and over the Internet at www.rrnsports.com. Then, it's the Division Three District Tournament in Gladstone on June 4th against Superior Central at 11:30 a.m.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see videos taken by Nate Bellville, photos taken by Brenda Crow, listen to the radio calls of plays by Weinert and Cooper, and to hear post-game interviews.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

4/15	4:00 PM	Ladysmith, Wis.	5 - 6 (L)	0-1

4/16	2:00 PM	Goodhue, Minn.	13 - 11 (W)	1-1

4/16	5:00 PM	Prentice, Wis.	11 - 7 (W)	2-1

4/23	1:00 PM	at Appleton North Lightning	2 - 3 (L)	2-2

4/23	3:00 PM	at Appleton North Lightning	3 - 9 (L)	2-3

4/26	4:30 PM	Negaunee Miners	14 - 6 (W)	3-3

4/28	4:30 PM	Norway Knights	3 - 4 (L)	3-4

4/29	5:30 PM	at Green Bay Preble	0 - 3 (L)	3-5

4/30	12:00 PM	at Wausau West Warriors	0 - 4 (L)	3-6

4/30	3:00 PM	at D.C. Everest Evergreens	5 - 10 (L)	3-7

5/2	4:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	14 - 0 (W)	4-7

5/2	6:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	20 - 0 (W)	5-7

5/3	5:00 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	3 - 3 (T)	RAIN

5/5	4:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	1 - 0 (W)	6-7

5/5	6:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	5 - 2 (W)	7-7

5/6	4:30 PM	Peshtigo Bulldogs	0 - 2 (L)	7-8

5/9	4:00 PM	at Norway Knights	0 - 1 (L)	7-9

5/9	6:00 PM	at Norway Knights	0 - 2 (L)	7-10

5/12	4:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	2 - 1 (W)	8-10

5/13	4:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	4 - 0 (W)	9-10

5/13	6:45 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	5 - 3 (W)	10-10

5/14	12:00 PM	at Southern Door H.S., Wis.	6 - 4 (W)	11-10

5/18	4:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	5 - 0 (W)	12-10

5/18	6:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	13-10

5/20	5:00 PM	at Traverse City St. Francis	3 - 5 (L)	13-11

5/21	11:00 AM	at Beaverton	1 - 2 (L)	13-12

5/21	1:00 PM	Big Rapids	4 - 0 (W)	14-12

5/23	4:30 PM	Houghton Gremlins	4 - 0 (W)	15-12

5/23	6:30 PM	Houghton Gremlins	8 - 3 (W)	16-12

5/27	4:30 PM	Marquette Redmen	3 - 2 (W)	17-12

5/27	6:30 PM	Marquette Redmen	- (T)	RAIN

5/30	6:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	4 - 3 (W)	18-12

6/4	11:30 AM	Superior Central Cougars	15 - 0 (W)	19-12

6/4	2:45 PM	Negaunee Miners	13 - 1 (W)	20-12

6/11	12:00 PM	Kalkaska High School	5 - 3 (W)	21-12

6/11	2:00 PM	Boyne City	7 - 2 (W)	22-12