NEGAUNEE---It doesn't erase the sting of losing two championship games to the Negaunee Miners in a pair of tournament championship games earlier this month.
But Thursday night's 10-0 win gave the Escanaba Eskymos a little bit of satisfaction against the Miners at Negaunee's Iron Town Field.
Devin Olsen allowed just one hit in four innings of pitching, and Ben Kleiman scattered three hits in the final three innings as the Eskymos beat the Miners for the first time this season.
The Miners beat the Eskymos in two tournament championship games in Escanaba earlier this month. The Escanaba boys did not forget those losses.
"We lost to them twice, so we really wanted to come out here and get a win today," Olsen said, adding that the field conditions were tough. "There's bumps all over the grass. You don't know what you're gonna get. You don't know of it's gonna go right or left, or bounce straight up. There were bad hops all over the place."
"There were no hard feelings," Eskymo senior Bailey Lamb added. "But we really wanted to come out and put this team away."
"We're happy with the win," Eskymo Manager Kirk Schwalbach said. "We want to create momentum going into the districts. Hopefully, this is the start of us starting a couple of weeks of really good baseball."
Escanaba scored first on an RBI single by Hunter LaMarch in the second inning.
The Eskymos added three runs in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead. Lamb had a sacrafice fly, and the other two runs scored on a wild pitch and on a throwing error.
The Eskymos added a run in the fourth inning as Kleiman walked with the bases loaded. In the sixth inning, Devin Olsen had an RBI single to make it 6-0.
Then in the top of the seventh inning, Negaunee made four errors and the Eskymos scored runs on delayed steals of home by Lamb and Sean Bissell. Bissell also had an RBI double.
Lamb hit the ball hard all day, getting two hits along with that sacrafice fly.
"It felt good," Lamb said. "I hurt my back the other day, but it felt really good today."
Olsen pitched the first four innings, allowing just one base hit and three walks. Kleiman threw the final three inning, giving up three base hits and one walk.
"I felt pretty good today," Olsen said. "My arm finally got back to full (strength)."
Negaunee's Tyler Lajoie, who beat the Eskymos twice this season, managed to throw 3 1/3 innings this time. He allowed five runs on five hits.
Chad Larson threw 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball, and Grant Johnson was charged with five runs (one earned) in two innings on the mound.
Escanaba (12-8) will host the Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Legion team in a doubleheader on Saturday. Game time is 12:00 noon. The games will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.
But Thursday night's 10-0 win gave the Escanaba Eskymos a little bit of satisfaction against the Miners at Negaunee's Iron Town Field.
The Miners beat the Eskymos in two tournament championship games in Escanaba earlier this month. The Escanaba boys did not forget those losses.
"We lost to them twice, so we really wanted to come out here and get a win today," Olsen said, adding that the field conditions were tough. "There's bumps all over the grass. You don't know what you're gonna get. You don't know of it's gonna go right or left, or bounce straight up. There were bad hops all over the place."
"There were no hard feelings," Eskymo senior Bailey Lamb added. "But we really wanted to come out and put this team away."
Devin Olsen post-game comments
The Eskymos added three runs in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead. Lamb had a sacrafice fly, and the other two runs scored on a wild pitch and on a throwing error.
The Eskymos added a run in the fourth inning as Kleiman walked with the bases loaded. In the sixth inning, Devin Olsen had an RBI single to make it 6-0.
Then in the top of the seventh inning, Negaunee made four errors and the Eskymos scored runs on delayed steals of home by Lamb and Sean Bissell. Bissell also had an RBI double.
Lamb hit the ball hard all day, getting two hits along with that sacrafice fly.
"It felt good," Lamb said. "I hurt my back the other day, but it felt really good today."
Bailey Lamb post-game comments
"I felt pretty good today," Olsen said. "My arm finally got back to full (strength)."
Negaunee's Tyler Lajoie, who beat the Eskymos twice this season, managed to throw 3 1/3 innings this time. He allowed five runs on five hits.
Kirk Schwalbach post-game comments
Escanaba (12-8) will host the Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Legion team in a doubleheader on Saturday. Game time is 12:00 noon. The games will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.
