Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Lenny Peacock and Escanaba Manager Scott Hanson.
PETOSKEY---The Escanaba High School baseball team had its season come to an end Thursday night with a 3-0 loss to the Petoskey Northmen in the MHSAA Division Two regional semifinals in Petoskey. The loss came after a wild 30 hours that saw the Eskymos travel to Sault Ste. Marie only to get rained out, return home to Escanaba to take final exams, and then drive down on abother bus to Petoskey for a game with a regional finals berth on the line.
Eskymo ace pitcher Lenny Peacock threw a complete game, striking out eight batters, and allowing no earned runs until the final inning. But Petoskey pitcher Garrett Wodek was even better, holding the Eskymos to three base hits and four total baserunners.
"The Big Guy (Peacock), could he have pitched any better," Eskymo Manager Scott Hanson said. "That's how many in a row now where he gave us a chance. Obviously, they got the two runs at the end, but you know, your season's got to end at some point."
"I absolutely would have loved to be playing on Saturday, but that's not happening. The seniors, I can't thank them enough. We had our ups and downs this season, but we got it done to get through the district to get here, and to give ourselves an opportunity."
Peacock benefitted from Wednesday's rainout by having a needed extra day of rest, and he used it to his advantage, throwing 93 pitches, 65 of them for strikes.
"You go out there and play like it's your last of the season," Peacock said. "That's what I did. I went out there and left everything on the line. I had all week to recover for this game, and we got a shot to play it on Thursday with full recovery (from last Saturday's pitching), so that was great. Hats off to Petoskey. They made plays and we didn't. They gave up zero runs."
Peacock was hurt by back-to-back fielding errors in the third inning, and with two outs, Haden James singled down the left field line to give the Northmen a 1-0 lead.
That run gave the Northmen (25-13) a huge burst of momentum, and the Eskymos could not string together much offense, despite hitting the ball hard at times only to see Petoskey fielders make the play every time. Wodek did not walk a batter, and did not hit one either.
Escanaba got a leadoff single from Bon LaChance in the second inning, but Mikaiden Hughes bounced out. Hughes' courtesy runner, Alex Ison, stole second, but a fly ball and a grounder ended that scoring chance.
In the third inning, the Eskymos got a one out single from Nick Chiu, but he was caught trying to steal second base. In the fifth inning, Brody Ison rifled a base hit to right field and he stole seond base, but two strikeouts ended that inning. And in the sixth inning, Eli Gardner was safe on an error, but Ben Johnson grounded out to end that scoing chance.
Those were the only four baserunners in the game for the Eskymos, and they never got one past second base.
Despite the three Eskymo errors (and a bunt that no one covered), there were some good defensive plays, too. In the fourth inning, Petoskey had two men on with no one out when Rowan Dohm hit a chopper to Gardner at third base. He quickly threw home and Hughes applied the tag for the out.
Then on the next play, Lucas O'Connell smacked a base hit to left field and Nolan Bink came up firing. He threw a strike to Hughes at the plate for the out.
And then Peyton Harmon hit a flare down the right field line and LaChance, racing over from first base, lept in the air and caught it for the third out of the inning.
Peacock struck out the side in the top of the sixth inning to keep it a 1-0 game, but in the seventh inning, he gave up two hits and walked his only man of the game. With the bases loaded and two out, Brendan Swiss smacked a two-run single to make it a 3-0 game, effectively ending any comeback chances for the Eskymos.
"It was a darn good baseball game," Hanson said. "I was hoping we could get something to drop and make something happen (on offense), but it just didn't happen."
Petoskey leadoff batter Tyler Goeldel went 3-for-4, and O'Connell went 2-for-3.
Escanaba's season ends with an 18-15 record, but Hanson is happy. He's also upbeat about the future, with a line-up that included three freshmen and a sophomore in the starting nine.
"It hurts right now, especially for our seniors, but it ends sometime for everybody," Hanson said. "When we all look back, I think there's a lot of positive memories for me and the kids. I'll definitely have a lot of positive memories about this group."
PETOSKEY---The Escanaba High School baseball team had its season come to an end Thursday night with a 3-0 loss to the Petoskey Northmen in the MHSAA Division Two regional semifinals in Petoskey. The loss came after a wild 30 hours that saw the Eskymos travel to Sault Ste. Marie only to get rained out, return home to Escanaba to take final exams, and then drive down on abother bus to Petoskey for a game with a regional finals berth on the line.
"The Big Guy (Peacock), could he have pitched any better," Eskymo Manager Scott Hanson said. "That's how many in a row now where he gave us a chance. Obviously, they got the two runs at the end, but you know, your season's got to end at some point."
"I absolutely would have loved to be playing on Saturday, but that's not happening. The seniors, I can't thank them enough. We had our ups and downs this season, but we got it done to get through the district to get here, and to give ourselves an opportunity."
Peacock benefitted from Wednesday's rainout by having a needed extra day of rest, and he used it to his advantage, throwing 93 pitches, 65 of them for strikes.
"You go out there and play like it's your last of the season," Peacock said. "That's what I did. I went out there and left everything on the line. I had all week to recover for this game, and we got a shot to play it on Thursday with full recovery (from last Saturday's pitching), so that was great. Hats off to Petoskey. They made plays and we didn't. They gave up zero runs."
That run gave the Northmen (25-13) a huge burst of momentum, and the Eskymos could not string together much offense, despite hitting the ball hard at times only to see Petoskey fielders make the play every time. Wodek did not walk a batter, and did not hit one either.
Escanaba got a leadoff single from Bon LaChance in the second inning, but Mikaiden Hughes bounced out. Hughes' courtesy runner, Alex Ison, stole second, but a fly ball and a grounder ended that scoring chance.
In the third inning, the Eskymos got a one out single from Nick Chiu, but he was caught trying to steal second base. In the fifth inning, Brody Ison rifled a base hit to right field and he stole seond base, but two strikeouts ended that inning. And in the sixth inning, Eli Gardner was safe on an error, but Ben Johnson grounded out to end that scoing chance.
Those were the only four baserunners in the game for the Eskymos, and they never got one past second base.
Then on the next play, Lucas O'Connell smacked a base hit to left field and Nolan Bink came up firing. He threw a strike to Hughes at the plate for the out.
And then Peyton Harmon hit a flare down the right field line and LaChance, racing over from first base, lept in the air and caught it for the third out of the inning.
Peacock struck out the side in the top of the sixth inning to keep it a 1-0 game, but in the seventh inning, he gave up two hits and walked his only man of the game. With the bases loaded and two out, Brendan Swiss smacked a two-run single to make it a 3-0 game, effectively ending any comeback chances for the Eskymos.
"It was a darn good baseball game," Hanson said. "I was hoping we could get something to drop and make something happen (on offense), but it just didn't happen."
Petoskey leadoff batter Tyler Goeldel went 3-for-4, and O'Connell went 2-for-3.
Escanaba's season ends with an 18-15 record, but Hanson is happy. He's also upbeat about the future, with a line-up that included three freshmen and a sophomore in the starting nine.
"It hurts right now, especially for our seniors, but it ends sometime for everybody," Hanson said. "When we all look back, I think there's a lot of positive memories for me and the kids. I'll definitely have a lot of positive memories about this group."
