TRAVERSE CITY---The Negaunee High School baseball team battled hard on Saturday, but could not get over the hump in a MHSAA Division Three regional championship game against perennial powerhouse Traverse City St. Francis.

The Miners fell behind the Gladiators, 4-0, and rallied to within a run before falling a run short, 4-3, in Traverse City.

The loss leaves the Miners with a final record of 34-7, but short of what every man on the team said all year was the goal: a trip to the Final Four at Michigan State University.

Instead, it will be St. Francis who, again, will go to the state semifinals after the Gladiators also beat Pinconning, 10-1, later on Saturday.

Tristan Slater got the ball for the Miners, just three days after pitching his team to a semifinal win in Gladstone. And he made it through the first three innings just fine, allowing just two base hits. St. Francis pitcher Sam Wildfong was doing the same for his team, although his pitch count was elevated as struck out eleven Negaunee batters.

Finally, the Gladiators scored on an an unearned run in the top of the fourth inning, and then added three more runs in the fifth inning. And two more Negaunee errors helped to plate those runs, putting the Miners in a 4-0 hole.

The Miners didn't fold. Devin Jurmu's single after an Aiden Steele walk put runners at the corners, and then Owen Cardinal singled in a run to cut the deficit to 4-1.

In the sixth inning, Evan Dellangelo got a one-out triple to right field and scored on a wild pitch. Slater followed with a base hit, and after Steele walked (again) Jurmu hit a fly ball to left field that was misplayed, bringing Slater home and Steele into third base.

Negaunee had the tying run at third and go-ahead run at second, but Cardinal popped up to end the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, hoe. Jack Siik struck out and Ian Engstrom grounded out, and the Negaunee season came to an end just one run short.