Groleau, Ballard Lead Braves Past Marquette, 10-2

GLADSTONE---Will the Gladstone Braves baseball team ever find a warm evening with gentle winds to play some ball? Maybe a night where winter coats aren't needed?

Well, the school's first try at varsity baseball since 1959 has mostly been played under cold, rainy, windy, and sometimes snowy, conditions so far this "spring", and Thursday night's game against the Marquette Redmen was no different from the others.

The Gladstone Braves boys try to stay warm in the dugout during Thursday's game.

Gladstone and Marquette braved the elements for six innings before Mother Nature won yet again. The Braves topped the Redmen, 10-2, in the first game of what was supposed to be a doubleheader. The second game didn't happen.

"Oh, man it was miserable," Gladstone Coach Don Lauscher said. "It was nice the last couple of days, and it seems like every time we have a game scheduled here, here it comes. We heard the thunder an inning or so ago, and then the skies opened up."

Christian Groleau pitched six innings of four-hit ball, striking out nine batters. The win gave him his third pitching victory of the season, and his curveball was nasty.

"He had it going tonight," Lauscher said. "He's pitching with confidence now, and that's the big thing. With Kurt (pitching coach Lauscher) working with those guys, it seems to be really working out. Everyone who's getting the ball is getting the job done."

Groleau didn't have much of a curveball while playing for the Indians American Legion team last year. But this curveball was biting, and it fooled Marquette's batters.

"The way it learned it was, last year, (Indians teammate) Colin O'Neal taught me how to hold that," Groleau said. "And it worked for me, so I just kept throwing it. Today, I barely had to throw it. Just lob it up into the wind and let the wind take it the rest of the way! They were crushing the fastball, so we just mixed in a bunch of curveballs."

Christian Tackman (10) stands on first after getting a base hit Thursday night.

Offensively, Ballard's grand slam home run in the bottom of the sixth inning was the highlight.

It was the first home run in "modern" Braves baseball history, and it was the first home run for Ballard in his whole life. And that is Little League and Legion ball included.

"We were just talking about that a week or so ago," Lauscher said. "Blake said 'Coach, I've never hit a home run', and I said 'you've got to be kidding me' because he's in excellent shape and is strong. So I said, 'well I guarantee you one thing. You will hit one this year.'

"Boy, he launched that one today, wind or no wind. That was way out of here."

Gladstone scored twice in the first inning when Christian Tackman was hit by a pitch and scored on an infield hit by Justin Jurek. Jurek later scored on a Tom Bailey single.

Blake Ballard grand slam home run.

Marquette cut the lead to 2-1 in the second inning, but Gladstone added three runs in the bottom half.

One run scored on Jurek's second hit of the game (this one to the outfield), and the other two scored on an error off of a Ballard ground ball.

The Redmen (0-4) got a solo home run from Brandon Lotterman in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 5-2. It stayed that way until the sixth inning when Tackman and Hunter Garling got singles and Jurek walked. With the bases loaded, Ballard launched one to deep left field, well over the fence for a grand slam home run.

Marquette Redmen catcher Brandon Higbie.

"That was the first one, ever!" Ballard said with a huge grin after the first home run of his life. "It was crazy. I didn't know if it was gonna go out or not, so I was watching it and then everyone started cheering and it was just awesome!"

Gladstone outhit Marquette, 10-4. Pouliot had three hits for the Braves, while Jurek and Bailey each had two hits. Gladstone finished a seven-game homestand a perfect 7-0.

Gladstone (7-2) will make the short trip to Escanaba to compete in the Lions Club Invitational on Saturday. The Braves will face Negaunee at 10:00 in their first game.

That Gladstone-Negaunee game will not be broadcast on the radio, unless it goes past 12:00, then the broadcast will join the game in progress. Gladstone's second game, at either 3:00 or 5:00, will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600) and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos from the game, and to listen to post-game interviews.

Gladstone's Jake Peterson takes a big swing during Thursday night's Braves game against Marquette.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

4/20	12:45 PM	at Remus Chippewa Hills	0 - 4 (L)	0-1

4/20	3:00 PM	at Whitehall Vikings	4 - 6 (L)	0-2

4/26	4:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 3 (W)	1-2

4/26	6:30 PM	Negaunee Miners	5 - 0 (W)	2-2

4/27	12:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	11 - 1 (W)	3-2

4/27	2:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	10 - 1 (W)	4-2

4/29	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	4 - 2 (W)	5-2

4/29	6:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	12 - 1 (W)	6-2

5/2	4:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	10 - 2 (W)	7-2

5/4	10:00 AM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	8-2

5/4	5:45 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	1 - 5 (L)	8-3

5/6	4:30 PM	Norway Knights	4 - 3 (W)	9-3

5/6	6:45 PM	Norway Knights	7 - 1 (W)	10-3

5/9	6:00 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	8 - 14 (L)	10-4

5/10	5:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	5 - 10 (L)	10-5

5/10	7:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	13 - 3 (W)	11-5

5/15	4:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	5 - 7 (L)	11-6

5/15	6:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	12-6

5/18	10:00 AM	Cheboygan Chiefs	2 - 3 (L)	12-7

5/18	12:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	6 - 7 (L)	12-8

5/18	2:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	13 - 3 (W)	13-8

5/20	4:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	9 - 4 (W)	14-8

5/20	6:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	8 - 0 (W)	15-8

5/24	4:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	10 - 4 (W)	16-8

5/24	6:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	7 - 0 (W)	17-8

5/27	6:30 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	1 - 5 (L)	17-9

5/28	6:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	3 - 3 (T)	17-9-1

5/31	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	8 - 0 (W)	18-9-1

6/1	1:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	2 - 3 (L)	18-10-1