LaChance Swings Big Stick; Eskymos Top Kingsford
Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and hear post-game comments from Esky's Bon LaChance and Kingsford's Nic Novara. ESCANABA---The Escanaba Eskymos threw seven pitchers one inning apiece and Bon LaChance drove in four runs in a 6-2 win over the Kingsford Flivvers Wednesday night. LaChance had a single, double, and home run to pace the offensive attack. As you might expect, he was most happy about that home run, his first since he hit one last year in Manistique. Kingsford had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on hits by Garret Brown and Gavin Trevillian, a walk to Nic Novara, an infield grounder, and an error at first base. But in the botom of the inning, Scott Hiller and Trent Lawson led off with infield hits and both scored on a double to left field by LaChance. He later scored on a pop fly to make it 3-2. Then with two out in the second inning, Lawson ripped a line drive double to left and rode home on the home run by LaChance to left field, making it 5-2. Kingsford was unable to get much offense going, managing only two more hits in the game. Both of those cane in the fifth inning, by Andreas Finley and Henry McRoberts. But Eskymo pitcher Adam Willette got a ground ball to end the threat. Novara took the loss for Kingsford, allowing five runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. "I felt like I need to get the ball over the plate more consistently, but besides that, I was all right," Novara said. "I think we're going to improve. We've just got to take this one lightly and move on. We've just got to start putting the ball in play more and good things will happen for us." Sawyer Pugh threw the final 2 2/3 innings in relief for Kingsford, allowing one run on three hits. Escanaba, with doubleheaders Thursday against Negaunee and Friday against Sault Ste. Marie, and a single game Saturday against North Central, used seven different pitchers in this one Wednesday night for one inning apiece (in this order): Jared Hanson, Chase Cloutier, Tony Derkos, LaChance, Adam Willette, Lawson, and Hunter Lancour. Combined, the seven pitchers struck out nine Flivvers, walked three, and yielded four hits. The two teams will play each other in the MHSAA Division Two district tournament play-in game at the end of May in Quinnesec. |