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SLOPPY VICTORY: Braves Rally To Beat Sentinels
 Click the thumbnails to see video comments from Austin Pepin and Vinny Rebholz, and to see highlights from the final two innings of the game. MARQUETTE---It was not an “instant classic” by any means, but there was plenty of drama Thursday night as the Gladstone Braves met the Marquette Sentinels in high school baseball at Gerard Haley Field. In a game that saw more errors than base hits or runs, the Braves rallied on their final out to force extra innings and then beat Marquette, 5-3, in the eighth inning. Austin Pepin’s RBI double tied it with two out in the seventh inning, and then Casey Alworden’s seeing-eye single in the top of the eighth inning broke the tie. Vinny Rebholz pitched a rocky bottom of the eighth that saw Marquette get the tying and winning runs in scoring position, but he got a routine fly ball to the outfield to secure the victory. “I pitched the last couple of innings for us in extra innings, and our defense played really well tonight,” Rebholz said. “Our bats came around towards the end.” Well, that’s being kind. The defense was leaky for both teams all night long, with each team making five errors. Those ten errors were more than the total base hits combined for both teams (eight) and total runs (also eight). But Pepin came through with the biggest one of the night off Marquette reliever Gibby Jezewski as the Braves were on the brink of another loss. “I was looking for a fastball and he gave it to me right down the middle,” Pepin said. “I ripped it up (the middle) and got the job done. It felt good to get the win tonight and hopefully we can keep this going forward.” The Braves have been rocked nu inconsistent play this season, combined most recently with several key players being out of the line-up for disciplinary reasons. This program is not used to having a 12-15 record heading into the final few games of the regular season, but the Braves are still hoping they can make some noise in the districts in two weeks. Marquette (10-6 overall) had its pitching ace, Dezzy Gleason, on the mound, and for the first few innings, he and Gladstone’s Trevor Thorbahn matched each other pitch-for-pitch. Gleason struck out eight batters early on and Thorbahn fanned five before being lifted for pitch count reasons. Marquette had just two base hits in the entire game, but took advantage of Braves errors, walks, and three hit batters, to take a 3-2 lead entering the final inning. Easton Jezewski’s line drive base hit in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Marquette the lead. But the Braves got even in the top of the seventh inning when Aiden Burie singled, stole second, and scored on that clutch two-out hit by Pepin. In the bottom of the seventh, Braves first baseman Bret Seger caught a line drive that he turned into a double play, and Rebholz got Gleason on a check-swing strikeout to send us to an extra inning. In the top of the eighth, Nate Beauchamp was hit by a pitch, was bunted to second by pinch hitter Landon VanTassell, and scored the go-ahead run on a bouncer by Casey Alworden that made it into the outfield. Gladstone took a 5-3 lead when Gavin Frossard’s grounder was missplayed at third base. In the bottom of the eighth, Marquette got a walk and an infield hit to get two men into scoring position. But Rebholz got Aiden Mason to fly out to end the threat, giving the Braves a much-needed win as they head downstate to face Benzie Central and Kingsley on Saturday. Marquette, meanwhile, is off this weekend, and will make the short trip to Negaunee on Monday before coming to Gladstone on May 22nd.  |
