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Cubs, Indians Finish Soo Tourney With Semi Losses
 SAULT STE. MARIE---The Escanaba Cubs and Gladstone Indians American Legion Baseball teams finished with 2-3 records after losing in the Sault Ste. Marie tournament on Sunday. Both Delta County teams played in the semifinals of the eight-team event after going through pool play with two wins and two losses. In the first semifinal on Sunday, the Escanaba Cubs lost to Ida, a team from southern Lower Michigan, 9-0. In the second game, the Gladstone Indians had a two-run lead in the seventh inning before losing in walk-off fashion to the EUP Travelers, 6-5.  Noah Lancour got the win in the first game, pitching six innings, scattering seven base hits. Sam Hall got the win in the nightcap, fighting off errors along the way, allowing just one earned run. Justin Popelka got the final out to save the victory. Gladstone, meanwhile, lost a heartbreaker to Ida, 3-2, despite a strong pitching performance from Brandon Cooper. The Indians bounced back to beat the EUP Travelers, 9-0, as Tyson Seymour threw a shutout in a mercy-shortened game. On Saturday, Escanaba had to face Ida on the small wooden bat field, and it didn't go well, as the Cubs lost, 12-2. Braden Olsen took the loss on the mound, and youngster Riley Lamb also got his feet wet with a pitching appearance to eat up innings. In the second game, the Cubs fell to the host EUP Travelers, 9-3, to finish pool play. Gladstone's first game on Saturday went well, as the Indians beat the Sault junior team, 14-5. And things were going well in the second game against Copper Country early on as Seymour hit a two-run homer and Gladstone built a 4-0 lead.  Ian Schwalbach and Zach Hanson came in to try to slow the Flames, but the damage was done. Gladstone also finished pool play with a 2-2 record. When Saturday's play ended, the Cubs were the #4 seed, with Ida being the top seed. The Indians, meanwhile, were the #3 seed, with EUP being the #2 seed. The Marquette Blues, Copepr Country Flames, Ishpeming Blue Storm, and Sault junior team all finished play on Saturday, missing the semifinal round. Escanaba was feeling good about the Sunday semifinal, as pitching ace Popelka was still available to throw. But the Cubs made too many errors and Ida capitalized, 9-0. Gladstone had va back-and-forth game with the Travelers in the second semifinal. Finally, in the seventh inning, Braeden Lamberg, Hunter Garling, and Seymour strung together base hits to plate two runs, breaking a 3-3 tie. But the lead didn't last. In the bottom of the seventh, two walks and an error loaded the bases with no outs for the EUP. And the Travelers put three runs on the board to walk off with the win. The Indians fell to 14-4 on the season with the loss. The Cubs are now 6-10. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos of the Cubs games, taken by Sheila Olsen.  |
