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BIG TURNAROUND: Cubs Win Two, On To Semis
 Click the thumbnails to see photos, videos, and hear post-game comments from Bon LaChance, Ashton Rymkos, and Coach Paul LaChance. The Cubs needed two wins to advance to the semifinals of this eight-team tournament, and they got them, 7-0 over Niagara and 3-1 over DePere. The wins moved the Cubs into the semifinal game on Sunday inning against the Plover Black Sox, while Niagara and DePere were were eliminated. Also eliminated was the other UP team in this tournament, the Kingsford Greens, who beat Sault Ste. Marie Canada, 13-3, but the Greens finished third in their pool. For Escanaba Manager Paul LaChance, it was a welcome change after Friday night's error-filled and offensively-stale 6-1 loss to Sheboygan. “Oh, it was horrible,” LaChance said of Friday's loss. “This was a new day. And last night was the first time we wore gray pants. So, more gray pants. We're only wearing white pants the rest of the year. Good teams come here.” “I think our energy (was better),” Cubs pitcher Ashton Rymkos said. “Last night, we were kind of slumped down, and we weren't really 'there'. Today, we realized that we had to win both, to play (Sunday).” Bon LaChance, the Cubs' RBI leader and power hitter, came through with a three-run homer in the first inning to lead his team to the win over DePere. This after a miserable Friday night in which he hit into double plays with the bases loaded once, and with two men on another time. “That was one of the worst days of baseball for me in a while,” the Bay College sophomore admitted. “I definitely needed to get the ball in play. I don't know how I've been swinging and missing, but I've been doing it. Just focused on hitting the ball. Power comes with easy swings.” His three-run homer off pitcher Max Zimmerman came on a 3-2 pitch in the first inning, a sigh of relief after Friday's nightmare night at the plate. “He was painting the outside corner pretty well,” LaChance said. “He got me outside, and then he actually came inside. Tough at-bat, and I was thinking about a lot of things. He never threw me a curveball, so that was in the back of my mind. He threw me a nice fastball right down the middle. Easy swing. Two strikes.” The rest of the game, the Cubs didn't score again, even though they got plenty of baserunners. Escanaba had 12 baserunners...five on hits and seven on walks, but Zimmerman made big pitches with men on base, and his defense was strong. Escanaba's defense was also good behind Rymkos, who also walked seven batters but wiggled out of several jams to make it within one out of a complete game. “I just started painting on the inside (corner of the plate),” Rymkos said. “They really couldn't find a barrel. They were trying to square it up, but they were just hitting deep fly balls, and the outfielders made great plays, and Graham (catcher, Johnson) was great behind the plate, and the infield played well.” Much different from Friday's loss, when four errors gave Sheboygan four unearned runs. It still came down to the last play of the game, when Coach LaChance intentionally walked Aiden Schilling with a runner on second base and one out. “That boy that I walked, he's the one that drove that ball deep to center field with the wind blowing in (caught by Copper Curtis),” LaChance said. “With the wind blowing out, I wasn't going to give him that chance.” Rymkos got clean-up hitter Ryan Martin to fly out or the second out, but he reached his 105-pitch limit. Adrian Mercier, playing his seventh year of American Legion Baseball, came on to pitch and made the big play defensively with the tying runs on base. Zimmerman hit a half-swing bouncer to the right side of the mound, and Mercier raced over, bare-handed it, and underhanded to first base just in time for the final out. “It was boom, boom, quick play,” Coach LaChance said. “He's a good, quick kid with fast hands. It almost looked like a (football quarterback) pitch. It was the ending.” Earlier in the day, the Cubs strolled past Niagara, 7-0, as Curtis threw a complete game three-hitter with nine strikeouts and only two walks. Rymkos had a two-run double and an RBI triple, and Johnson had a two-run single to lead the way at the plate. Niagara got a great game from shortstop Ryan Ehler, with two sharply-hit base hits and strong play on defense. Mason Richtig threw the whole game and took the loss on the mound, allowing all seven runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks. Escanaba (8-1) will face Plover in the semifinals on Sunday at 10 a.m. Due to religious programming, we cannot broadcast the game. However, should the Cubs win and make the championship game, it will be live on FM-93.5, AM-600, and rrnsports.com, at 3:00 Sunday afternoon. FINAL POOL PLAY STANDINGS POOL A
POOL B
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