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THREE-PEAT!!! Gladstone Wins Baseball Regional
 CHARLEVOIX---Things weren't always pretty for the Gladstone High School baseball team this season. At one point, the team was struggling with a 7-10 record. At one point, the team had been shut out three times in a row and went 19 innings without a run. And then pitching coach Kurt Lauscher had to leave for a job in Colorado. But the adversity led the Braves to get tougher as the playoffs approached. And on Saturday in Charlevoix, the boys were in a familiar spot: holding an MHSAA Regional Championship Trophy. Gladstone continued a late-season push on Saturday that would have seemed improbable a month ago, as the Braves beat Kalkaska, 5-3, in the regional semifinals, and then topped Boyne City, 7-2, in the championship game. And so on Tuesday, the Braves will play in the Elite Eight in Traverse City. Against Kalkaska, the Braves grabbed the early lead, watched the Blazers tie the game, but then take advantage of some mistakes to regain the advantage late in the contest. Gladstone took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Tyson Seymour singled and scored on a double down the left field line by Ben Schwalbach. The Braves scored an unearned run to go ahead, 2-0, but the Blaers tied the game with two runs in the fourth inning. Along the way, though, Gladstone pulled off two 4-6-3 double plays to stay in the game, and in the top of the fifth inning, Gladstone broke the 2-2 tie with three runs. Clay Cole led off with a walk, and Seymour got another base hit to put two on. Schwalbach bunted them to second and third, and then Hunter Botruff popped up a bunt with two strikes on him that landed near the Kalkaska pitcher. Cole scored to make it a 3-2 game. Lucas Weinert ripped one back to the pitcher, and he couldn't handle it, and so another run scored. And then a passed ball scored Botruff to make it a 5-2 game. Kalkaska got a run in the bottom of the fifth to cut it to 5-3, and the Blazers got the tying runs on base against Gladstone pitcher Elliot Danhoff in the seventh inning. But Danhoff and the Braves were able to get out of the jam, and Gladstone advanced to the finals. And in that championship game, freshman Jared Crow pitched well and the Braves jumped out to a 7-0 lead over Boyne City before crusing to the 7-2 victory. Gladstone (22-12) will advance to the state quarterfinals on Tuesday against Mason County Central at a familiar place: Traverse City St. Francis High School. That's where the team won their past two regional titles, and where they played a regular season game a month ago. Game time is scheduled for 12:00 noon. The Braves game will be broadcast live on WUPF-FM (107.3), as well as on-line. |
| 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
|
