Negaunee Manager Terry Tincknell says everybody contributed to the win.

“It was a tough game but we got on them a little bit in the fifth inning,” he said. “That's what we needed to do. Every at-bat counts. No matter if they get on with a base hit, a walk, a bean (hit-batter). You've just got to get on.”

Negaunee trailed, 2-1, after four innings, because they couldn't get the big hit with men on base. And early in the game, Dellangelo dropped two pop ups at shortstop and Richmond took advantage with an RBI single by Jayce Whittaker.

There was also good defense, too, as Ty Niemi made a highlight-reel catch in left field to rob Kaden King of extra bases and a run batted in. And in the fourth inning, Colton Gillum was robbed on a line drive that was caught by second baseman Griffin Leece, who turned it into a 4-3 double play.

That fifth inning rally started with Ethan Gaston drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch. He stole second, and then Paeyton Black, with two strikes on him, came through with a bullet to right field for an RBI double to tie the game up at 2-2.

“It felt pretty good,” Black said. “I mean, you get down in those situations where you have two strikes, and you get in your head, and you've just got to stay calm, stay cool. You just have to realize that the next pitch has to come. You can't get down before that.”

With one out, Niemi smoked a base hit to right field to put two men on, and then he stole second base. That brought up Vince Tincknell in the #11 spot in the batting order, and he came through with a two-run double to the fence to give Negaunee a 4-2 lead.

“Insane!” he said. “I've been in a slump for a while now and haven't hit the ball. When I got that hit and saw it soaring through the air, it was the best feeling I've had in a while.”

Leece followed with a ground ball that was missplayed at shortstop, allowing Negaunee's fifth run to score. Mason Swenor rifled a base hit to left field, but it looked like Richmond could get out of trouble when Frustaglio popped up.

But Dellangelo, who had smoked a triple in the first inning, came to the plate, and even though a base was open, the Kentucky state champions pitched to him. Bad mistake. Dellangelo crushed a long home run that cleared the left field fence by at least 25 feet, bringing in three runs and effectively putting the game away at 8-2.

“So, I was just sitting in the box, you know, waiting for that pitch,” Dellangelo said. “He gave me a pitch right down the middle. I mean, no way he gave me a pitch right down the middle! You know I had to send that way out of the place.”
 

“Ev's just got to sit back and use his athletic ability,” Coach Tincknell said. “He just can't get ahead of the ball. When he turns on a ball, it just flies, and look what happened. He's outstanding and is one of the best players in the State of Michigan.”

Negaunee's pitching strategy was to not burn up any pitchers, saving all for the coming rounds. Had they not rallied in the fifth inning at the plate, that strategy would have backfired.

But as it turned out, it worked perfectly, with starter Killian Ryan throwing 35 pitches, Max Frustaglio throwing 20, Drake Ayotte 50, and Dellangelo 35. All will be able to pitch when Negaunee plays its next game on Friday.

Ayotte went 2 2/3 innings of relief to earn the victory. He had a couple of walks, but got big strikeouts to end both the fourth and fifth innings when his team was down 2-1.