Eskymos, Braves Close Season With A Friendly Tie

GLADSTONE---After seven innings of nip-and-tuck baseball, the Escanaba Eskymos and Gladstone Braves lined up and started shaking hands at home plate.

What the heck? The game was tied at 3-3, and everyone around the Don Olsen Field was getting ready for extra innings in this latest installment of the Battle of Delta County.

Sam Pouliot (12) is tagged out by Devin Olsen at the plate in the second inning.

But Escanaba Coach Kirk Schwalbach and Gladstone Coach Don Lauscher had other ideas.

They decided that their teams had accomplished their goals for the night, and playing this game to its conclusion would be pointless.

So, for the first time in a long time, the two rivals walked off the field equally happy (or unhappy). Sharing bragging rights, at least for this night.

"I think Don would agree that we both got what we wanted out of this game," Schwalbach said. "We got a lot of kids in, throwing in preparation for the districts. He wanted to win, I wanted to win. But ending in a tie, it's OK, I guess."

"Kirk and I talked in the bottom of the seventh before we even came up to bat," Lauscher said. "He said 'no matter what happens, why don't we call it just call it a game'. I was in total agreement with that. Saves pitchers' arms."

So, what did the kids think about this unusual end to an Escanaba-Gladstone game?

Ben Kleiman leads off base Tuesday night.

"It was fun," Eskymo junior pitcher Ben Kleiman said. "I'm just glad that we didn't lose it for the seniors. I mean, a tie is better than a loss."

"I would have rather we kept playing to the end," an honest Braves first baseman Tom Bailey said after the game.

It looked like Escanaba's defensive mistakes would be costly as the Braves scored three unearned runs throughout the course of the game. In the second inning, Hunter Garling was safe on an error and rode home on Sam Pouliot's triple for a 1-0 Braves lead.

In the third inning, Justin Jurek was also safe on an error and eventually scored on a Blake Ballard sacrafice fly. That gave Gladstone a 2-0 lead, but the Eskymos came back as Brandon Punzel doubled in the third inning and scored on a Bailey Lamb double.

Sam Pouliot RBI triple gives Braves the lead.

But Ballard was able to get the final two outs on the mound, and so his team carried a 2-1 lead into the late innings.

Gladstone picked up what looked like would be an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Christian Groleau lead off with a single and stole second. Ballard bunted him to third, and Groleau scored on a wild pitch uncorked by Punzel.

Braves pitcher Sam Pouliot on Tuesday.

In the seventh inning, Lauscher brought in Pouliot to pitch, even though Groleau had not allowed a hit or a run in two innings of relief pitching on the mound.

"Groleau was pitching very well, and he said, 'Coach I want to go that final inning'," Lauscher said. "But I said, 'no, you're at 47 pitches, and I need you for Friday and Saturday. So, Rizzo (Peterson) and Sam came in, and that's what we had to do."

Pouliot got David Falish on a groundout to start the seventh inning, but Kleiman got a base hit. It was Kleiman's fourth time on base in the game (two hits, two walks).

Pouliot struck out Sean Bissell for the second out, then was within one strike of victory as Nick Vandermissen battled through the count. Vandermissen won the battle, getting a base hit on a 3-2 pitch as people on both sides of the field chanted and cheered.

Nick Vandermissen RBI hit in 7th Inning for Esky.

Pouliot then walked Punzel and hit Lamb with a pitch. Then a high fastball to Tim Lueneburg went off of catcher Hunter Garling's glove, and Vandermissen scored the tying run.

Lauscher brought in Jake Peterson to pitch, the fifth Braves hurler of the game. Peterson struck out Lueneburg to end the top of the seventh inning.

Sean Bissell at the plate Tuesday night.

In the bottom of the seventh, Schwalbach brought Falish to the mound. The senior was pitching for the first time this season after missing most of the year with a foot injury.

Falish walked Lucas LaCosse to start the inning, but got the next two batters. Bailey smoked a base hit to center for his third hit of the game, giving Gladstone a chance to win it.

A passed ball moved the runners to sec0nd and third with Groleau at the plate.

Groleau took a called third strike, and the game appeared to be headed to an eighth inning, until the two coaches decided that the regular season was officially over.

"The pitching was good," Schwalbach said. "Their pitchers threw well, and I think that my kids, for the most part, pitched well. I think we all agreed that the strike zone was, I mean, a little (laughing) 'whatever' and we played through that. I give my kids credit because they hung in there, battled, and it was a good baseball game, for sure."

Escanaba Manager Kirk Schwalbach post-game comments.

Escanaba used four pitchers. Devin Olsen threw the first two innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits and a walk. Kleiman tossed the next two innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit.

Punzel threw the next two innings, and gave up one unearned run on one hit. Falish allowed no runs on one hit in his one inning.

Blake Ballard was one of five Braves pitchers during Tuesday night's game.

Schwalbach wants to see better defense from his team heading into districts.

"Lackadiscial stuff," Schwalbach said. "Things that reminded me of some of the stuff that we did last year, and we haven't done that for the most part this year. We've got to clean that up. We're not gonna win against good teams playing like that."

Gladstone used five pitchers. Christian Tackman threw the first two innings, allowing no runs on one hit and a walk.

Ballard tossed the next two innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks. Groleau threw the next two innings, then Pouliot gave up two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning.

Peterson finished up, retiring his only batter.

Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher post-game comments.

"The game, I thought, was played very well," Lauscher said. "The way that our kids responded from last night's game (5-1 loss to Kingsford) was good, too.

"We changed a couple of things in our warm-ups, and the kids came out and responded very well." Both teams had five base hits in the game.

Nick Vandermissen goes for a pop fly.

Gladstone (17-9-1) hosts Superior Central in the district semifinals Friday afternoon 4:00.

The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and at www.rrnsports.com.

Escanaba (16-6-1) travels to Cheboygan for its district semifinals Saturday afternoon against Petoskey. Game time is 12:30. That game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and over the Internet at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos taken by Lori Jurek, and to listen to post-game interviews.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

4/20	12:45 PM	at Remus Chippewa Hills	0 - 4 (L)	0-1

4/20	3:00 PM	at Whitehall Vikings	4 - 6 (L)	0-2

4/26	4:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 3 (W)	1-2

4/26	6:30 PM	Negaunee Miners	5 - 0 (W)	2-2

4/27	12:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	11 - 1 (W)	3-2

4/27	2:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	10 - 1 (W)	4-2

4/29	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	4 - 2 (W)	5-2

4/29	6:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	12 - 1 (W)	6-2

5/2	4:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	10 - 2 (W)	7-2

5/4	10:00 AM	Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	8-2

5/4	5:45 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	1 - 5 (L)	8-3

5/6	4:30 PM	Norway Knights	4 - 3 (W)	9-3

5/6	6:45 PM	Norway Knights	7 - 1 (W)	10-3

5/9	6:00 PM	at Escanaba Eskymos	8 - 14 (L)	10-4

5/10	5:00 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	5 - 10 (L)	10-5

5/10	7:30 PM	Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	13 - 3 (W)	11-5

5/15	4:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	5 - 7 (L)	11-6

5/15	6:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	4 - 2 (W)	12-6

5/18	10:00 AM	Cheboygan Chiefs	2 - 3 (L)	12-7

5/18	12:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	6 - 7 (L)	12-8

5/18	2:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox	13 - 3 (W)	13-8

5/20	4:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	9 - 4 (W)	14-8

5/20	6:00 PM	at Superior Central Cougars	8 - 0 (W)	15-8

5/24	4:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	10 - 4 (W)	16-8

5/24	6:00 PM	at Marquette Redmen	7 - 0 (W)	17-8

5/27	6:30 PM	Kingsford Legion Blues	1 - 5 (L)	17-9

5/28	6:30 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	3 - 3 (T)	17-9-1

5/31	4:00 PM	Superior Central Cougars	8 - 0 (W)	18-9-1

6/1	1:00 PM	Negaunee Miners	2 - 3 (L)	18-10-1