Fireworks Come One Day Late As Blues Edge Cubs

MARQUETTE---The Independence Day fireworks were set off Thursday night in most Upper Peninsula communities, but there were still a few short fuses on the ballfield in Marquette Friday night as the Escanaba Cubs faced the Marquette Blues.

Ben Kleiman gets a hit in the first inning.

The Cubs became increasingly frustrated by numerous umpire calls, and the result ended up being arguments that led to two coaches and one player being ejected from the game.

For the most part, the strike zone wasn't the main issue of contention. It was the calls on several close plays on the basepaths, and two call-reversals, that set the Cubs off. Every one of the plays went against the Cubs, and things eventually bubbled over.

On one play, Cubs relief pitcher Tyler Skufca picked off a Marquette runner at second base. As the boy ran to the Marquette dugout, the umpire said that time had been called.

Earlier, in the fourth inning, Marquette's Ryan Hanson hit one that Cubs second baseman Nick Vandermissen made a nice play on for the out. But one umpire overruled the other, and Hanson was ruled safe. A Marquette run scored.

That was enough for Cubs manager Tom Ohman, who argued the call and was eventually tossed from the contest.

Tom Ohman watches from behind fence.

So, that left Jon Bintner and Tony Punzel as coaches. But in the bottom of the sixth inning, things got heated as Marquette had the bases loaded and an 8-6 lead.

Colton Wiggins hit a hot shot that Escanaba third baseman Tim Lueneburg snared, touched the bag, and threw to Brandon Punzel at first base for what looked like an inning-ending double play.

But one of the umpires called the runner safe at first, and a Marquette run scored. The situation became heated as Punzel argued the call a bit too vigorously. He was ejected from the game, and seconds later, Punzel's dad and coach, Tony, was also kicked out.

That left the Cubs with just one coach (Bintner), so Andrew Sedlar, who had pitched earlier in the game, was promoted as the new first base coach.

But the Cubs can't only blame some unfortunate calls for this loss. In the second inning, McKinley Larson hit a pop up that would have ended the inning, but neither first baseman Punzel nor second baseman Nick Vandermissen caught the ball.

Andrew Sedlar pictched...and then coached!

A Marquette run scored on that play, and the Blues had a 5-2 lead at that point.

Devin Olsen, who had shut out Marquette, 5-0, in the Gregg Johnson Tournament two weeks ago, didn't have it on the mound this time.

Even though his team staked him to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, Olsen managed only two innings on the mound.

Sedlar came in to throw the third and part of the fourth innings, but he walked five batters and allowed three more runs. Marquette led, 8-5, after four innings and each team scored just one more run the rest of the way.

Tyler Skufca pitched the final 2 2/3 innings for the Cubs, giving up no base hits. He walked two batters and hit two others, however, and was charged with a run when the Cubs did not get the double play call in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The game was a see-saw affair, with Escanaba taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Punzel's RBI hit and a bad pick-off throw that allowed Vandermissen to score from third base. But Marquette scored three times in the bottom of the inning as Olsen walked Luke Swajanen with the bases loaded and Derek Stone had a two-run hit.

Andrew Miller leads off as Trevor Bratonia plays third for Marquette.

Marquette scored two more in the second inning before the Cubs tied it at 5-5 with three runs in the top of the third inning. One run scored on a wild pitch, and the other two came home on sacrafice flies by Olsen and Skufca.

But Marquette scored three in the bottom of the third inning, and it was all downhill from there for the Cubs.

Escanaba (4-11) hosts Menominee Monday night at Al Ness Field. Game time is 8:00, with the Junior Cubs playing the Junior Red Wave at 5:30.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box on the top of this page to see photos taken by Sheila Olsen.

Top photo: Tim Lueneburg slides in safely at home plate as Marquette catcher Sam Leow looks for the ball.

Tyler Skufca (9) stretches out to get the throw as Marquette's McKinley Larson tries to reach the bag.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

6/14	1:00 PM	at Green Bay Shockers	1 - 11 (L)	0-1

6/14	3:30 PM	at Marinette Marines	3 - 0 (W)	1-1

6/15	12:30 PM	at Ash-Port, Wis.	1 - 9 (L)	1-2

6/15	3:00 PM	at Green Bay Shockers	8 - 17 (L)	1-3

6/21	5:30 PM	Chief Pontiac	1 - 5 (L)	1-4

6/21	8:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	10 - 2 (W)	2-4

6/22	4:45 PM	Marquette Blues	5 - 0 (W)	3-4

6/22	7:00 PM	Midland Berryhill	0 - 9 (L)	3-5

6/23	10:00 AM	Plover, Wis.	1 - 2 (L)	3-6

6/25	8:00 PM	Gladstone Indians	0 - 3 (L)	3-7

6/29	12:00 PM	Green Bay Blue Jays	6 - 7 (L)	3-8

6/29	6:30 PM	Watertown Legion	1 - 0 (W)	4-8

6/30	11:30 AM	Manitowoc Legion	1 - 11 (L)	4-9

7/3	6:00 PM	at Gladstone Indians	1 - 3 (L)	4-10

7/5	6:30 PM	at Marquette Blues	6 - 9 (L)	4-11

7/8	8:00 PM	Menominee Red Wave Legion	10 - 0 (W)	5-11

7/12	2:00 PM	Sudbury Ontario Legion	7 - 3 (W)	6-11

7/12	6:00 PM	at Eastern U.P. Travelers	2 - 8 (L)	6-12

7/13	10:00 AM	Alpena Wildcats	14 - 0 (W)	7-12

7/13	1:00 PM	Petoskey Legion	2 - 4 (L)	7-13

7/14	10:00 AM	at Eastern U.P. Travelers	1 - 9 (L)	7-14

7/20	2:00 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	10 - 3 (W)	8-14

7/24	1:00 PM	Ishpeming Blue Storm	5 - 3 (W)	9-14

7/24	7:00 PM	at Menominee Red Wave Legion	1 - 2 (L)	9-15

7/25	2:00 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	2 - 1 (W)	10-15

7/27	11:00 AM	Marquette Blues	7 - 5 (W)	11-15

7/27	1:00 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	4 - 1 (W)	12-15

7/27	5:00 PM	Hancock Legion	5 - 2 (W)	13-15

7/28	12:00 PM	Gladstone Indians	0 - 15 (L)	13-16

8/1	4:00 PM	Ida Legion	7 - 0 (W)	14-16

8/2	6:00 PM	at Hudson Legion	0 - 4 (L)	14-17

8/3	10:00 AM	at Gladstone Indians	1 - 0 (W)	15-17

8/3	12:00 PM	Hudson Legion	3 - 4 (L)	15-18