Click the thumbnails to see photos taken by Jayger Quinn

GLADSTONE---The Norway Vikings American Legion baseball team as opened defense of last year's Upper Peninsula Zone Five championship with an impressive run through pool play at this year's eight-team event in Delta County.

The Vikings won both of their games on Thursday, 7-3 over Ironwood and 11-1 over Menoninee, and then on Friday, they dusted off the Gladstone Indians, 7-2, at Don Olsen Field.
 

The results send the Vikings into the semifinals of the tournament, and a game on Saturday against the Eastern U.P. Wood Ducks at 11:00 CT in Gladstone.

The Indians also advanced to the final four by winning twice on Thursday before the loss to Norway on Friday. The Indians play the rival Escanaba Cubs on Saturday.

In Friday's game, Niko Burgoon wrapped up a great Dickinson County baseball career by throwing a complete-game three-hitter. The Iron Mountain High School graduate struck out seven batters and walked four. Both runs against him were unearned.

Norway (11-6 overall) has struggled with numbers recently, at times playing with only nine or ten players. But Coach Tracy Haferkorn's team has played some of its best baseball at the right time, giving itself a chance to repeat as UP champions.

On Friday, Norway battered Gladstone pitcher Cooper Curtis, jumping to a 6-0 lead in the first four innings. And they took advantage of an error and a couple of walks in the third inning after Landon Amundson got a one-out double. The error on Gladstone's Tyler Darmogray off an Owen Baij grounder brought two runs in and made it 3-0.

Then in the fourth inning, Cameron Varda's RBI single brought home Burgoon to make it 4-0, and Hayden Amundson followed with a two-run single, making it 6-0.

The Indians (10-9 overall), the defending state runners up, had the bases loaded in the fourth inning on a walk, error, hit batter, and a wild pitch. Casey Alworden and Trevor Thorbahn both scored on that wild pitch to make it 6-2, and the Indians had a chance for more when Isaac Ketchum was intentionally walked.

Austin Pepin took a called third strike, though, ending the scoring chance.

Burgoon walked Aedan Creten to start the bottom of the sixth inning, but Trent Rutter hit into a line drive double play as Landon Amundson made the grab and touched the bag. Norway scored an insurance run in the seventh inning on a Bryce Adams grounder with the two Baij brothers on the bases.

Norway's defense turned two double plays and made just one error.

The Vikings will take on the Wood Ducks at noon ET/11 a.m. CT on Saturday in Gladstone, while the Indians will face the Escanaba Cubs in Escanaba at the same time. The championship game is set for 3:00 ET/2:00 CT in Escanaba.

The Radio Results Network continues with its coverage of the Zone Tournament, with both games on the radio and Internet on Saturday. The Escanaba-Gladstone game will be broadcast on FM-93.5 and AM-600, as well as at www.rrnsports.com. The Norway vs EUP game will be broadcast on FM-94.3 as well as at www.radioresultsnetwork.com/breeze.