DISTRICT CHAMPS! Gladstone Tops Norway, 6-1

Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and hear post-game comments from Gladstone's Landon Pepin, Carter Sanville, and both teams' managers.

ESCANABA---The Gladstone Major Little League All-Stars (age 11-12) completed an undefeated run through the District Ten tournament on Friday, beating Norway, 6-1, in the championship game in Escanaba. Carter Sanville threw a complete game for the Purple, sending the team to the state tournament in Grand Rapids.

"I wasn't really sure I could do it," said Sanville, who threw five shutout innings before giving up two hits and two walks in the final inning. "I've never pitched so many innings before, and I didn't know if I could do it."

But he did, striking out six batters along the way, and keeping his pitch count low by walking no batters until he walked two in the final inning. Sanville also allowed only two base hits before allowing two in the final inning as Norway made a desperation push.

"Carter did a great job of just keeping them off-balance, and I'm just so proud of him," Gladstone Manager Mike Sanville said. "He started with that cutter, and had them lunging out. This is very exciting. I remember 30 years ago when we did it and went to St. Clair (for states) and I wanted this to happen for them. The memories they're going to make going to Grand Rapids are going to last for a lifetime."

Carter Sanville agreed.

"My cutter," he said. "When I had two strikes, or I knew that it was a pretty big hitter. I'm super-excited!"

Gladstone took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning aftter Sanville and Norway's Colton Lord both put up three gooseeggs for the first half of the game. In the top of the fourth, Nick Proehl and Landon Pepin led off with back-to-back shots for base hits, and they both scored on productive groundouts by Logan DeMay and Dylan Nelson.

In the fifth inning, Gladstone scored four times, and all after two were out. Braylin Carter, Sanville and Proehl all singled to load the baaes. Pepin came through with a two-run single to explode Gladstone's lead to 5-0.

"It felt great," Pepin said. "We were playing really solid offense and defense. It's a big accomplishment because we lost to them twice in travel ball, so it felt real good to get our wins. I think it was a team win, and I think I got my bat going on the last two."

Norway didn't go quietly. In the sixth inning, walks to Remi Buchanan and Landon DeBakker put two on, and then with two out, Dylan Erickson smacked a base hit to load the bases. Tucker Buchanan followed with an RBI single to bring one run home, and Hunter Langin tried to do the same wit a shot up the middle, but Gladstone made the play at second base.

"We just didn't hit the ball until the sixth inning," Norway Manager Scott Sternhagen said. "I don't know what it is about this field. Last night on our home field, we hit the ball. But this Escanaba field...I don't know. We had one bad inning on defense and they hit the ball hard. That's what did it."

Erickson was the only Norway player to have two hits. Lord threw five innings before running out of pitches, and DeBakker tossed a scoreless sixth inning. Sternhagen says his boys have a lot of success, including last year's run to the state championship game in 9-10 baseball.

"We have a lot of 11 year-olds, and some of my 12-year-olds are young," Sternhagen said. "This was a young group. Learning how to hit off-speed pitches and breaking balls is something we will have to work on. They're an unebelievable, unselfish group of kids."

Gladstone leadoff hitter Hank Sholten was on base three times with two hits and a walk. Proehl ended up with two hits and a walk, and scored twice. Pepin also scored twice.

Gladstone will open state tournament play July 21 in Grand Rapids.