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POWER OUTAGE: Marinette Boys Handcuff Cubs
 MARINETTE, Wis.---Tyler Skufca pitched a complete game five-hitter, but he got no run support late Friday night as the Escanaba Cubs lost to Marinette, 4-0, in the opener of the Firecracker Tournament in Wisconsin. Skufca allowed just one earned run, as a dropped fly ball in right field opened the flood gates for Marinette in the fourth inning.  It was a 0-0 game in the fourth inning when Skufca got the first two outs, but Tommy Swainski and Kevin Konyn got back-to-back hits. Skufca appeared to get out of it when he got Luke Johnson to hit a fly ball to right. Right fielder Sam Hall raced in, caught the ball, but it popped out of his glove for an error. Two runs scored on the play. Tyler Oleson followed with an RBI single to give Marinette a 3-0 lead, and then the home team scored again in the seventh inning on an RBI hit by Bailey Brix. Escanaba had base runners in every inning, but Osterberg, who nearly led Coleman (Wis.) High School to the state finals this spring, got big strikeouts every time.  Osterberg threw 118 pitches in six innings, striking out 13 Cubs batters, walking three, and allowing four hits. In the seventh inning, Kevin Charlesworth came on to throw and walked Parker LaMarch and Skufca to start the inning. But Hunter LaMarch and Justin Popelka became strikeout victims #14 and #15, and then Brandon Punzel popped up. Game, set, match. Early in the game, Hunter LaMarch made two outstanding defensive plays to support Skufca. Skufca ended up throwing 116 pitches, allowing five hits and fanning five. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos taken by Sheila Olsen. |
