ESCANABA---It was a hard day's night for the Escanaba Eskymos. Again.
After battling for 11 innings Monday night in Gladstone, the Eskymo baseball team battled for ten innings Tuesday against the Rudyard Bulldogs. And this time, the two coaches agreed that a 5-5 tie would be a fine way to end the regular season.
Escanaba rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to post the tie in the regular season finale.
"It would have been nice to get a win," Escanaba Manager Kirk Schwalbach said. "I told the boys it's like kissing your sister. But I was pleased with how we battled back. Some of the guys hit."
"CJ's (Barron) bat is starting to come around a little bit. There's still some things that we've got to clean up before districts. We'll work on our two-strike hitting and using the opposite field a little more. But I give the kids credit for coming back."
And they did it while running on fumes, with 21 innings of ball in two nights.
"I'm tired," Eskymo senior shortstop Hunter LaMarch admitted. "It's been a long, long few days. Feet are sore. Body's sore. It's time to get some rest now."
"It's been a long two days of baseball, for sure," Eskymo catcher CJ Barron added. "I mean, catching is kind of hard on the knees. It's a little much. But I'm fine!"
Rudyard came in on a 16-game winning streak, and used four pitchers in preparation for their Division Four districts, which will be held in Rudyard on Friday.
The Bulldogs made the state semifinals at Michigan State University last year, and they came to Escanaba with a 22-5-1 record on Tuesday. And they built a 4-0 lead off Eskymo pitcher Johnny Schlenvogt, with Billy Bonnee getting an RBI single in the first inning and Carlos Molina getting an RBI double in the fourth inning.
Escanaba pitcher Parker LaMarch relieved Schlenvogt in the fifth inning, and he pitched three scoreless innings.
And the Eskymos rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning for three runs to tie the game at 4-4, with Parker LaMarch getting an RBI single and Hunter LaMarch driving home the other two runs with a single of his own.
In the eighth inning, Escanaba's third pitcher of the night, Barron, got some help from Hunter LaMarch as he rolled back from the shortstop position and chased down a pop fly into the outfield. He made a highlight-reel catch to rob Jake Steiker of a hit.
"Right off the bat, I knew I could get there," Hunter LaMarch said. "I kind of peaked to see what Craig (Kamin, center fielder) was doing. I seen him take a step back, and I knew it was mine. I was just bracing myself because I thought he might dive into me."
Rudyard took the lead again in the top of the ninth inning when Bonnee had an RBI double with two out. But the Eskymos rallied in the bottom of the ninth, with Hunter LaMarch getting down the squeeze to score Barron. With two strikes on him.
"It's nice to know that he (Schwalbach) has faith in me," LaMarch said. "I knew that I couldn't miss this one with the runner coming home."
After neither team scored in the tenth inning, the coaches decided to call the game.
Escanaba (18-9-1) has one less day to get ready for the district tournament. That's because the tournament in Sault Ste. Marie has been moved from Saturday to Friday because of the threat of rain on Saturday there. So, Escanaba will face Petoskey at noon on Friday.
The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600) and rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos taken by Sandi Young, and to hear replays and interviews.
After battling for 11 innings Monday night in Gladstone, the Eskymo baseball team battled for ten innings Tuesday against the Rudyard Bulldogs. And this time, the two coaches agreed that a 5-5 tie would be a fine way to end the regular season.
Escanaba rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to post the tie in the regular season finale.
"CJ's (Barron) bat is starting to come around a little bit. There's still some things that we've got to clean up before districts. We'll work on our two-strike hitting and using the opposite field a little more. But I give the kids credit for coming back."
And they did it while running on fumes, with 21 innings of ball in two nights.
"I'm tired," Eskymo senior shortstop Hunter LaMarch admitted. "It's been a long, long few days. Feet are sore. Body's sore. It's time to get some rest now."
"It's been a long two days of baseball, for sure," Eskymo catcher CJ Barron added. "I mean, catching is kind of hard on the knees. It's a little much. But I'm fine!"
Rudyard came in on a 16-game winning streak, and used four pitchers in preparation for their Division Four districts, which will be held in Rudyard on Friday.
Escanaba pitcher Parker LaMarch relieved Schlenvogt in the fifth inning, and he pitched three scoreless innings.
And the Eskymos rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning for three runs to tie the game at 4-4, with Parker LaMarch getting an RBI single and Hunter LaMarch driving home the other two runs with a single of his own.
In the eighth inning, Escanaba's third pitcher of the night, Barron, got some help from Hunter LaMarch as he rolled back from the shortstop position and chased down a pop fly into the outfield. He made a highlight-reel catch to rob Jake Steiker of a hit.
"Right off the bat, I knew I could get there," Hunter LaMarch said. "I kind of peaked to see what Craig (Kamin, center fielder) was doing. I seen him take a step back, and I knew it was mine. I was just bracing myself because I thought he might dive into me."
"It's nice to know that he (Schwalbach) has faith in me," LaMarch said. "I knew that I couldn't miss this one with the runner coming home."
After neither team scored in the tenth inning, the coaches decided to call the game.
Escanaba (18-9-1) has one less day to get ready for the district tournament. That's because the tournament in Sault Ste. Marie has been moved from Saturday to Friday because of the threat of rain on Saturday there. So, Escanaba will face Petoskey at noon on Friday.
The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600) and rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos taken by Sandi Young, and to hear replays and interviews.
