Esky Cubs Blank Soo Canada For Tournament Split

ESCANABA----It was a mixed result for the Escanaba Cubs on Friday as the boys opened the Gregg Johnson Memorial Tournament with a win and a loss.

The Cubs lost to the Kingsford Blues, 7-6, in the afternoon game that went nine innings after being interrupted by rain. And then the Cubs shut down the Sault Ste. Marie (Ont.) Black Sox, 8-0, in a game that was shortened to five innings by the mercy rule.

In the night game, Matt Jensen got the ball and he handcuffed the Black Sox hitters, taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning.

Andrew Kausak pitched the fifth inning for the Cubs in a mop-up role.

Ben Kleiman had an RBI hit Friday.

Escanaba's big inning was the second, when the Cubs scored three times. Austin Young (pictured above) had an RBI double, and Ben Kleiman followed with an RBI single.

Kyle Berres had a nice game at the plate, with a solid single and a pair of walks.

Cubs Manager Tom Ohman was relieved to see the offense, after his team managed only three base hits in a loss earlier in the day to Kingsford.

"We played a clean game and our pitchers threw strikes," Ohman said. "Matt Jensen had a great game. We played defense and we hit the ball. When you get seven or eight hits, you give yourself a chance to win.

"When you only get three hits, you don't do much, so that was really the difference, we just hit the ball tonight."

In the first game, the Cubs made numerous mistakes but still had a chance to win it at the end. They scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. Jusytn Doucette's RBI single drove in one run, then a second run scored on a double steal when Blues catcher C.J. Qualley threw to second base but no one was there.

Pitcher Trent Schwalbach was lifted after the rain delay.

But Kyle Sexton hit a two-run homer in the third inning to tie the game, and then the lightning and the rains came.

The game was delayed for nearly an hour, and Ohman decided to lift starting pitcher Trent Schwalbach, turning to Devin Olsen instead.

In the top of the fourth, the Blues got a free run when a Mike McCole pop-up was not caught by any of the infielders with two out in the inning. It was one of five errors the Cubs had (although technically, it was ruled a base hit for McCole).

"The kids know that you can't play that way and expect to win," Ohman said.

The Cubs were playing without two top players: Alex DeHaan and David Falish, who were both attending non-baseball-related events.

Kingsford's Aiden Wienke was solid on the mound, allowing just three hits in his six innings of work. The game was tied entering extra innings, and this tournament uses the international tiebreaker format, where each team starts the inning with a man on second base. It looked like the Cubs would win it in the eighth inning when Jensen, playing in left field, threw out a runner at the plate in the top of the inning.

Devin Barton throws out a man trying to steal.

In the bottom of the inning, the Cubs had the winning run at third with one out, but Dane Messersmith and Devin Barton both struck out. So, it was on to the ninth.

Kyle Sexton (13) celebrates his homer.

Kingsford scored twice in the top of the inning on a Austin Murdock RBI hit and a Cub error. In the bottom of the inning, Young had an RBI groundout, but that was all.

"The fact that we were in the game and made it go to a tie when we only had three hits and five errrors is a good thing," Ohman said. "But we didn't deserve to win that game."

Escanaba (4-4) is 1-1 in the tournament and will play Midland Berryhill Saturday at 5:15, and Chief Pontiac at 7:30.

Both games will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600) and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box at the top of the page to see more pictures and videos from the games.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

6/15	1:00 PM	at Green Bay Shockers	0 - 8 (L)	0-1

6/15	3:30 PM	at Kaukauna Legion	3 - 0 (W)	1-1

6/16	1:00 PM	Manitowoc Legion	7 - 8 (L)	1-2

6/16	6:00 PM	Sheboygan Legion	8 - 7 (W)	2-2

6/17	11:00 AM	Kaukauna Legion	7 - 10 (L)	2-3

6/19	6:30 PM	at Marquette Blues	11 - 9 (W)	3-3

6/22	3:00 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	6 - 7 (L)	3-4

6/22	8:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	8 - 0 (W)	4-4

6/23	5:15 PM	Midland Berryhill	0 - 8 (L)	4-5

6/23	7:30 PM	Chief Pontiac	1 - 7 (L)	4-6

6/27	8:00 PM	Marquette Blues	3 - 0 (W)	5-6

6/29	4:00 PM	at Appleton Post 38	0 - 10 (L)	5-7

6/30	4:00 PM	at Highland, Indiana	0 - 10 (L)	5-8

6/30	6:30 PM	at Kimberly, Wis.	8 - 10 (L)	5-9

7/6	1:15 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	17 - 0 (W)	6-9

7/6	8:00 PM	at Eastern U.P. Travelers	5 - 7 (L)	6-10

7/7	10:00 AM	Petoskey Legion	9 - 3 (W)	7-10

7/7	3:00 PM	Alpena Wildcats	3 - 4 (L)	7-11

7/19	8:00 PM	Gladstone Indians	0 - 3 (L)	7-12

7/22	1:00 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	3 - 1 (W)	8-12

7/22	3:30 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	5 - 2 (W)	9-12

7/24	8:00 PM	at Menominee Red Wave Legion	16 - 3 (W)	10-12

7/26	2:00 PM	Marquette Blues	13 - 3 (W)	11-12

7/26	7:30 PM	Menominee Red Wave Legion	2 - 5 (L)	11-13

7/27	12:00 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	15 - 4 (W)	12-13

7/28	10:30 AM	at Gladstone Indians	7 - 6 (W)	13-13

7/28	2:00 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	17 - 3 (W)	14-13

8/2	10:00 AM	Menominee Red Wave Legion	5 - 6 (L)	14-14

8/3	9:30 AM	Marquette Blues	0 - 8 (L)	14-15