Hardwick Leads Indians Past Kingsford In Finale

GLADSTONE---The game wasn't supposed to mean anything. With the Gladstone Indians and Kingsford Blues locked into their positions in the Mid Peninsula League, Thursday night's season finale was supposed to be a "loosy-goosy" fun affair.

But a real baseball game broke out at Don Olsen Field as the Indians ended the league season the right way with an 8-2 victory.

The Indians enter this weekend's league tournament with the top seed, having finished 19-1 in league play this spring and summer.

"You never want to go into a tournament with a loss," Indians Manager Jim Groleau said. "I told the kids that we were taking the game seriously."

Hayden Hardwick's pitching debut.

With the tournament coming this weekend, Groleau turned to Hayden Hardwick to throw.

The Rapid River boy known as "Double-H" hadn't pitched since Little League All-Stars, when he appeared during the 14-year-old state finals in Saginaw. Hardwick more than held his own, tossing a three-hitter and a complete game, allowing only one earned run.

He says he even surprised himself.

"I threw strikes and kept it low in the zone," Hardwick said. "Fraz (Cody Frazer) wanted to get up there (and pitch) and a couple of other guys wanted to get up there, but once the third inning rolled around, I felt good and I wasn't coming off until I had to." Well, he never did come off, and he had a lot of defensive help.

Second baseman Paul Tomaszewski made an outstanding play in the third inning to rob Matt Wiitanen of a hit. He went well past second base to get the ball and made an accurate off-balance throw to get the out.

Peyton Jurek, playing at first base instead of his usual center field post, made a super play as somehow he got to C.J. Qualley's base hit attempt, touched the bag, then wheeled around and threw to second base to get Paul Deyeart for the double play.

Cody Frazer behind the plate.

Then in the final inning, Matt Weyers, who enjoys playing third base about as much as he likes having a tooth pulled, caught a screaming line drive off the bat of Aidan Wienke.

Not bad for a team that was supposed to be just going through the motions.

"Our defense really stepped up," Groleau said. "Kingsford hit the ball, a lot of hard hits."

"There were good plays in the outfield, Matt had a good one at third surprisingly, and Fraz (Cody Frazer) called a good game back there," Hardwick said. "It was just a good all-around team effort, I guess."

Kingsford took a 2-1 lead in the second inning when Mike McCole singled and rode home on a double by Deyeart. There were still two men on base in scoring position when Hardwick got the next two guys to pop up.

"I just took some speed off the ball and they popped them up," Hardwick said.

From there, Kingsford managed only one more base hit: an infield single by Bryce Kerscher in the sixth inning.

Justin Jurek leads off as Kingsford first baseman Aiden Wienke watches.

Offensively, Gladstone took the lead with three runs in the third inning, with Cody Frazer's grounder bringing home one and the other two scoring on errors.

The Blues had five errors in the game. Then Hardwick helped his own cause in the fourth inning when he ripped a three-run homer over the left field fence to make it 7-2.

"I've been struggling a little bit, so I just had a good swing," Hardwick said. "I didn't think it was gonna get out. I just kind of trotted to first, but then I seen a guy climbing the wall and I guess it went over."

Jared Stenson singled and scored on a wild pitch in the sixth inning for the final run.

Kingsford (21-16 overall, 14-6 Mid Pen League) used three pitchers. Mike McCole tossed the first four innings, giving up seven runs (four earned) on eight hits.

Dusty Neuens pitched one inning, giving up one run. And Deyeart, who never pitches, threw in the sixth inning....and he got the Indians out 1-2-3.

Gladstone (31-7 overall, 19-1 Mid Pen League) had ten hits in the game, with Frazer, Tomaszewski and Stenson all collecting two hits.

Kingsford's Paul Deyeart pitched for the first time this season.

"I'm real proud of the group," Groleau said. "That's a good accomplishment. If you would've told me that we would be 19-1 in conference, I would have said 'no way'. I knew we were a good team, and I knew we had a shot to win the conference, but to go 19-1, that's just incredible."

The Indians host the southern division of the Mid Pen playoffs on Saturday.

Gladstone faces fourth seed Iron Mountain, while Kingsford and Channing in the #2-#3 game. Games are at 3:00 and 5:30, but who plays in which game is still up in the air.

The division championship game is at 8:00 Saturday night, and the league championship game against the northern division champion will be played at 1:00 Sunday afternoon at Iron Town Field in Negaunee.

Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see more pictures and listen to radio replays and post-game interviews.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

5/2	6:30 PM	Marquette Redmen	11 - 1 (W)	1-0

5/6	1:00 PM	Channing Railroaders	10 - 0 (W)	2-0

5/9	7:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	5 - 4 (W)	3-0

5/12	1:00 PM	at Menominee Red Wave Legion	3 - 2 (W)	4-0

5/12	3:30 PM	at Menominee Red Wave Legion	15 - 3 (W)	5-0

5/14	6:30 PM	at Marquette Redmen	3 - 2 (W)	6-0

5/18	6:30 PM	at Ishpeming Blue Storm	10 - 1 (W)	7-0

5/19	12:00 PM	at Channing Railroaders	12 - 2 (W)	8-0

5/19	2:30 PM	at Channing Railroaders	9 - 1 (W)	9-0

5/22	6:30 PM	at Marquette Blues	2 - 5 (L)	9-1

5/29	6:30 PM	Ishpeming Blue Storm	4 - 0 (W)	10-1

5/30	6:00 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	4 - 3 (W)	11-1

6/3	4:00 PM	Iron Mountain Golds	7 - 0 (W)	12-1 For.

6/3	6:30 PM	Iron Mountain Golds	7 - 0 (W)	13-1 For.

6/5	6:30 PM	at Iron Mountain Golds	10 - 5 (W)	14-1

6/6	7:00 PM	Menominee Red Wave Legion	5 - 4 (W)	15-1

6/9	1:00 PM	Oconto Falls Legion	7 - 10 (L)	15-2

6/9	3:30 PM	Oconto Falls Legion	12 - 2 (W)	16-2

6/12	6:30 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	4 - 3 (W)	17-2

6/14	6:30 PM	Marquette Blues	3 - 0 (W)	18-2

6/17	1:00 PM	at Kingsford Legion Blues	11 - 2 (W)	19-2

6/17	3:30 PM	at Kingsford Legion Blues	11 - 6 (W)	20-2

6/20	6:30 PM	Channing Railroaders	8 - 2 (W)	21-2

6/22	5:30 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	5 - 4 (W)	22-2

6/22	8:00 PM	Ash-Port, Wis.	1 - 11 (L)	22-3

6/23	12:45 PM	Midland Berryhill	2 - 10 (L)	22-4

6/23	5:15 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	11 - 6 (W)	23-4

6/24	11:30 AM	DePere Panthers	5 - 6 (L)	23-5

6/28	6:30 PM	at Ash-Port, Wis.	1 - 13 (L)	23-6

6/29	1:30 PM	at Neenah, Wis.	3 - 7 (L)	23-7

6/30	11:00 AM	at Hortonville, Wis.	11 - 4 (W)	24-7

7/5	6:30 PM	Channing Railroaders	10 - 0 (W)	25-7

7/8	4:00 AM	Iron Mountain Golds	1 - 0 (W)	26-7for

7/8	12:00 PM	Hancock Legion	6 - 2 (W)	27-7

7/8	2:30 PM	Hancock Legion	8 - 3 (W)	28-7

7/10	5:30 PM	Negaunee Diamonds	16 - 0 (W)	29-7

7/10	8:00 PM	Negaunee Diamonds	12 - 4 (W)	30-7

7/12	6:30 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	8 - 2 (W)	31-7

7/14	3:00 PM	Iron Mountain Golds	7 - 0 (W)	32-7

7/14	8:00 PM	Channing Railroaders	14 - 0 (W)	33-7

7/15	1:00 PM	at Marquette Blues	3 - 5 (L)	33-8

7/19	8:00 PM	at Escanaba Cubs	3 - 0 (W)	34-8

7/21	12:00 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	6 - 5 (W)	35-8

7/21	2:30 PM	Eastern U.P. Travelers	0 - 16 (L)	35-9

7/26	3:00 PM	Hancock Legion	9 - 6 (W)	36-9

7/27	9:00 AM	Kingsford Legion Blues	9 - 7 (W)	37-9

7/27	3:00 PM	Channing Railroaders	14 - 4 (W)	38-9

7/28	10:30 AM	Escanaba Cubs	6 - 7 (L)	38-10

8/2	10:30 AM	Hudson Legion	11 - 13 (L)	38-11

8/3	10:00 AM	Menominee Red Wave Legion	6 - 7 (L)	38-12