TRAVERSE CITY---The dogpile was so intense that Gladstone Braves back-up catcher A.J. Lundberg suffered a fractured wrist.
That mishap aside, the Braves rolled back to the Upper Peninsula with a 3-2 win over Muskegon Oakridge Tuesday in quarterfinal at Traverse City West High School.
The emotional win moves the Braves into the state's Final Four in East Lansing.
Gladstone had to withstand a last-second Eagles rally in the seventh inning to preserve the Braves' first-ever trip to the Final Four.
The Braves made two errors with two outs in the final inning, and an Eagle base hit loaded the bases, making for anxious moments.
Oakridge's clean-up hitter, James Abriatis, smoked one toward right-center field. It had "base hit" written all over it. But Gladstone freshman Ben Schwalbach caught it.
"I saw it coming to my right," Schwalbach said. "And then it tailed off at the last second. I just...I tried my hardest to catch it, and I did!"
And after the freshman caught the ball? Can you explain the reaction, and the emotion?
"It's just an adrenaline rush," Schwalbach explained. "It's crazy. It's unbelievable. I don't think it could have gotten more exciting than that. Bases loaded. Two outs."
Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher was holding his breath at the end.
"We made errors on a couple of plays that were relatively easy," Lauscher said. "And that kid hit an absolute laser, and it was right at Ben. So, that's baseball. Our kids played well enough to win. But give credit to Muskegon. They never gave up."
Oakridge (22-10-1) scored first, on an RBI single by Jordan Fairchild.
The Braves tied it in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Tommy Bailey. Then in the third inning, Justin Jurek's RBI double put the Braves in front, 2-1, entering the late innings.
The Eagles managed to tie the game in the fifth inning as Gladstone made two errors and Muskegon's Hunter Benson got his second hit of the game. He was the only man to get two hits off of Garling, who pitched a complete-game four-hitter.
In the fifth inning, the Braves had their first two men strike out against Eagles ace Wyatt Hilton, who had won ten games and thrown for 93 innings during the regular season.
But Bailey got a base hit, then Lauscher ran for Bailey with freshman Nick Trudeau. That paid dividends when Christian Groleau hit a fly to left that was missplayed. The bal landed and a run scored, putting Gladstone ahead, 3-2. It ended that way.
Gladstone (29-4) advances to the state semifinals, with a game against Decatur Friday afternoon. That game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com. The game will be on-line only at 10:00, and it will be broadcast on the radio on a tape-delayed basis at about 12:00 noon on Friday.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICELE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos, and to hear radio replays and interviews.
That mishap aside, the Braves rolled back to the Upper Peninsula with a 3-2 win over Muskegon Oakridge Tuesday in quarterfinal at Traverse City West High School.
Gladstone had to withstand a last-second Eagles rally in the seventh inning to preserve the Braves' first-ever trip to the Final Four.
The Braves made two errors with two outs in the final inning, and an Eagle base hit loaded the bases, making for anxious moments.
Oakridge's clean-up hitter, James Abriatis, smoked one toward right-center field. It had "base hit" written all over it. But Gladstone freshman Ben Schwalbach caught it.
"I saw it coming to my right," Schwalbach said. "And then it tailed off at the last second. I just...I tried my hardest to catch it, and I did!"
And after the freshman caught the ball? Can you explain the reaction, and the emotion?
"It's just an adrenaline rush," Schwalbach explained. "It's crazy. It's unbelievable. I don't think it could have gotten more exciting than that. Bases loaded. Two outs."
Ben Schwalbach catches game-ending line drive
"We made errors on a couple of plays that were relatively easy," Lauscher said. "And that kid hit an absolute laser, and it was right at Ben. So, that's baseball. Our kids played well enough to win. But give credit to Muskegon. They never gave up."
The Braves tied it in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Tommy Bailey. Then in the third inning, Justin Jurek's RBI double put the Braves in front, 2-1, entering the late innings.
The Eagles managed to tie the game in the fifth inning as Gladstone made two errors and Muskegon's Hunter Benson got his second hit of the game. He was the only man to get two hits off of Garling, who pitched a complete-game four-hitter.
In the fifth inning, the Braves had their first two men strike out against Eagles ace Wyatt Hilton, who had won ten games and thrown for 93 innings during the regular season.
But Bailey got a base hit, then Lauscher ran for Bailey with freshman Nick Trudeau. That paid dividends when Christian Groleau hit a fly to left that was missplayed. The bal landed and a run scored, putting Gladstone ahead, 3-2. It ended that way.
Gladstone (29-4) advances to the state semifinals, with a game against Decatur Friday afternoon. That game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com. The game will be on-line only at 10:00, and it will be broadcast on the radio on a tape-delayed basis at about 12:00 noon on Friday.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICELE HIGHLIGHTS box to see photos and videos, and to hear radio replays and interviews.
