'STILL IN SHOCK' Walther Sends Blues Into Finals
Click the thumbnails to see photos taken by Jayger Quinn and videos taken by Jack Hall, and to see/hear post-game interviews with Blake Walther and Logan Peterson. Also see/hear interviews with Isaac Sarles, Tristan Slater, Easton Miller, and Aiden Steele from Thursday's win over Gaylord.
MARQUETTE---"One of the best days of my life".
That's how Blake Walther described his feelings after he had a career night at the plate for the Post 44 Legion Blues in the state semifinals at Haley Field Friday night.
Walther, a Munising High School graduate playing on the Marquette-based Legion team, slugged a solo home run and a pair of doubles, driving in three runs and scoring four times, as the Blues knocked off Three Oaks, 9-4, to advance to Saturday's state championship game.
The win, combined with Thursday's 5-1 victory over Gaylord, moved the Blues to within one win of capturing their third state championship, and first since 2021.
“Probably one of the best feelings of my life, honestly,” Walther said. “Words just can't describe it. I'm still in shock from what just happened. From how good we played out there. I mean, these last two games, the boys have just been on fire. It feels amazing. There's no other feeling like it."
Walther smacked an RBI double in the first inning to bring home Logan Peterson, who was safe on an error. And then, leading off the third inning, Walther slugged a solo home run to make it a 4-1 game. It's the only home run to be hit in the entire tournament.
“Honestly, it was more that I was seeing the ball well today,” Walther said. “I came into the game with a good mindset. I had a good pre-game routine. I hit a lot of BP (batting practice), and I just felt good coming into today.”
Three Oaks, a team from the Michigan-Indiana border who came to the Upper Peninsula missing six of its players, had a scare before the game when Manager JC German took a ball to the upper chest during pre-game warm-ups. German was shaken up and in pain throughout the game as he stayed in the shaded dugout and his assistants ran the game.
But German also couldn't help himself, and on several occasions, the “coach” in him kicked in, as he started to strategize, as well as pump up his team, as the Oakers tried to stay in the game against the host team.
Three Oaks got to within 4-2 in the top of the fifth inning when Connor Billington led off with a double and eventually scored on an Auggie Barnes sacrifice fly.
Marquette (18-10 overall), came right back in the bottom of the fifth inning when Peterson got a bunt single and scored on a double by Walther, his third extra base hit of the game.
An Easton Miller drive to the spacious center field fence drove in another run on a sacrifice fly, rebuilding the Blues' lead to 6-2.
Three Oaks (4-12 overall) closed to within 6-4 in the sixth inning on a two-run double by Brayden Schwark. But the Blues put the game away in the bottom of the inning when Oakers starting pitcher Ethan Adamczyk reached his pitch count, and the Blues scored twice on wild pitches and once on a Carsen Belanger ground out.
Walther, who played his high school ball on the Superior Central High School team because Munising does not have one (and doesn't even have a field), says that he loves baseball so much that he did what he had to do to be able to get on the field.
“Luckily I had enough close friends who live in Munising and we were able to use the field up in Wetmore,” Walther said. “We'd go up to that field and play with whiffle balls. Sometimes, we'd bring out the pitching machine. It doesn't always have to be actual baseball. It can be whiffle ball, or throwing up any round ball with a stick. It's just hand-eye coordination, and just having fun.”
Marquette pitcher Isaac Sarles was in control of the game, even when he technically wasn't. Sarles, using his usual calm demeanor and baseball savvy, was able to keep his pitch count low and managed to work all seven innings for a complete game win.
Sarles, who will play at Saint Norbert College in Green Bay this fall, struck out five, walked two, and yielded four runs. Only one of those runs was an earned run.
|