Braves Outlast Eskymos In Eleven-Inning Marathon

GLADSTONE---On and on it went. Deep into the night, the Gladstone Braves and Escanaba Eskymos kept battling each other in a baseball game that looked like it might never end. It was fun, dramatic, and intense. And then, an anti-climatic ending.

The Braves got some more extra-inning good fortune Monday night, beating the Eskymos, 4-3, at Don Olsen Field. Just two weeks after a throwing error gave Gladstone a victory in nine innings, this time, it went even longer: eleven innings. And this Memorial Day game ended with Clay Cole being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

A walk-off HBP! Imagine that!

It was pretty much your typical Escanaba-Gladstone game, where anything can and will happen. There were great plays on defense, and some not-so-good plays on defense.

There were some nice hits that sent the outfielders running to the fence. And there were other times where both teams were just-that-close to winning, but couldn't get a clutch hit.

So, the fact that it ended on a bases-loaded HBP might be appropriate after all.

Both coaches decided to use multiple pitchers, with the district tournaments coming up this weekend. Justin Popelka got the call for the Eskymos, and Elliot Danhoff started for the Braves. By the time it was over, seven pitchers went to the hill for the teams.

Escanaba's first two runs against Danhoff scored on throwing errors, when the Eskymos decided to get aggressive on the base paths.

In the first inning, it was Parker LaMarch walking, stealing second, and then, as he stole third, a bad throw allowed him to come home (with a nice slide).

Gladstone took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning when Owen Hanson and Tyson Seymour led off with hits off of Popelka.

Both were bunted into scoring position by Ben Schwalbach, and both scored on a Hunter Botruff rocket into the left field corner.

But Escanaba's C.J. Barron answered with a rocket of his own with two outs in the top of the third inning. His shot went to the fence for two bases, and he waved his arms and pumped his fist as he stood at second base. Barron stole third, and in a moment of deja vu, came home on a bad throw.

It stayed 2-2 until the fifth inning, when Danhoff started to tire. He gave up a long double to Logan Lamb leading off the inning, then Aaron Young came through with a base hit down the left field line to put the Eskymos in front. Young was thrown out at second base, but the inning continued as Courage Krueger drew a walk and stole second.

Danhoff regrouped, however, getting Parker LaMarch to ground out and Barron to fly out, limiting the Eskymos to one run, and a 3-2 lead heading into the late innings.

By this time, Popelka left the mound, after throwing three innings. Brandon Punzel took over in the fourth inning, and put goose eggs on the scoreboard for his team in three straight innings.

And it appeared that the Eskymos would give Punzel some insurance when they loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning.

A.J. Lundberg, who had relieved Danhoff an inning earlier, was removed, and Hanson came on in a sticky situation. The infield was brought in, and Hanson had to deal with the top of the Eskymo batting order.

Hanson struck out Parker LaMarch, got Barron to fly out to right field, and got Punzel to hit into a force play at third base. Inning over.

So, Gladstone trailed just 3-2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, and freshman Jared Crow came off the bench for a pinch-hit single. Lucas Weinert bunted runner Daniel Martin to second, and then Martin went to third on a ground out. With Nick Trudeau at the plate, Punzel's pitch got away and Martin scored the tying run.

In the eighth inning, both teams had a chance to score. In the top half, Popelka got an infield hit with one out, but the inning ended whenLundberg started a 5-6-3 double play.

In the botom of the eighth, Hanson struck out, but he reached first when the ball bounced back to the screen. He went to second on a wild pitch, then Seymour bunted Hanson to third base. Schwalbach drew a walk, then Braeden Lamberg was intenationally walked. The strategy of setting up a force at any base worked for the Eskymos as Botruff hit it back to the mound, starting a 1-2-3 double play.

In the ninth inning, Hanson retired the Eskymos in order, and the Braves had a chance to win in the bottom half against new Escanaba pitcher Johnny Schlenvogt. With one out, Weinert ripped a shot to right-center field for a hit. The Braves tried to get Weinert into scoring position with a steal, but Barron threw out his second runner of the game.

Seymour came on to pitch in the tenth inning for Gladstone, and he retired the Eskymos in order. Schlenvogt did the same to the Braves in the bottom half, so the game went into an eleventh inning. And it looked, again, like the Eskymos would break through.

Hunter LaMarch nearly hit the ball out of the park, but settled for a leadoff double just shy of the fence. Seymour bounced back to get Popelka to fly out, and after Jack Valentine walked, Logan Lamb flew out and Schlenvogt popped up, ending the threat.

That brings us to the bottom of the eleventh inning. Lamberg got a pop fly base hit with one out to start the rally, and then Botruff drew a walk. With runners on first and second, Martin flew out for the second out of the inning.

Weinert then hit a sharply-hit grounder deep in the hole at short. Hunter LaMarch got to the ball and flew off-balance to second base. Parker LaMarch saved the winning run by scrambling to get the errant throw.

So, with the bases loaded and two out, Cole came up, and the Schlenvogt pitch appeared to graze his arm. Dead ball. Game over. Gladstone wins.

With the win, Gladstone finished the regular season with a 18-12 record, including a record of 11-2 in their last 13 games. Escanaba dropped to 18-9 on the season, with one game left on the schedule: Tuesday night against Rudyard.

The Escanaba-Rudyard game starts at 5:00 and will be a nine-inning game. It will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to hear interviews with Hanson, Seymour, and Manager Don Lauscher, as well as radio replays. Also, see photos and videos taken by Nate Bellville.

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