Coldwater baseball finishes 0-3 at Stout and Sons Invitational
COLDWATER — Each spring season the Coldwater Cardinal baseball program tests their mettle against some of the very best on the diamond, with Coldwater themselves hosting three different elite invitationals throughout the year.
Coldwater held their final baseball tournament of the season on Saturday, welcoming teams to the beautiful grounds at Coldwater High School for the Stout and Sons invitational.
Coldwater finished the day 0-3 after three tough matchups, falling to teams from DeWitt, Grand Rapids Christian, and Haslett.
Game one of the tournament saw DeWitt and Coldwater need extra innings to decide things, a matchup that went the way of DeWitt via the 8-7 decision.
WIth the score tied at 6-6 after five innings, the teams went to extra innings. DeWitt took quick advantage of the rule placing a runner at second to start the extra frame. After a sac bunt attempt to kick off the inning led to a base hit, a two-run single for DeWitt gave them the lead at 8-6.
Coldwater also took advantage of the placed base runner to open the inning, as a Lucas Wischmeyer fielder’s choice allowed Ethan Parker to score, closing the score to 8-7 with only one out. The next two batters went down in order however, as it was DeWitt taking the 8-7 win.
Drake Thornton took the loss on the mound for Coldwater after throwing two innings in relief, allowing two hits and two runs with two walks and one strikeout. Owen Tappenden was strong in the start, throwing four innings, allowing six hits and six runs with six walks and 10 strikeouts.
Wischmeyer drove in three runs while Thornton, Tappenden, Colten Calhoun, and Dayton Ennis all notched singles. Tappenden drove in two runs in the tough loss while Kyle Roby also added an RBI.
Game two saw the Cardinals run into a buzzsaw known as Grand Rapids Christian as the Cardinals fell by the score of 17-2.
Grand Rapids jumped on Coldwater quickly with five runs in the first inning. The Eagles added a run in the third, two in the fourth and fifth, and seven in the sixth while Coldwater scored their two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Grand Rapids out hit Coldwater 15-7 in the win while also taking advantage of four fielding errors by the Cardinals.
Landon Auble took the loss on the mound for the Cardinals after throwing five innings in the start. Auble gave up 11 hits and 10 runs, eight earned, with three walks and one strikeout.
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Ennis led the offense with two hits including a double, to go along with two RBIs. Also notching a single was Wischmeyer, Evan Porter, Thornton, Logan Smiertka, and Brayden Lackey.
The final game of the day was an absolute offensive showcase as the teams combined for 30 runs over the six-inning affair. Coldwater held a 9-7 lead heading to the sixth inning until Haslett plated 12 runs in the top of the sixth to put the game away, as it was the Vikings defeating Coldwater 19-11.
Drake Thornton dropped the decision on the mound after throwing an inning in relief, allowing seven hits and 11 runs, 10 earned, with four walks. Brayden Lackey made the start, throwing five innings while allowing four hits and eight runs, six earned, with seven walks and four strikeouts.
Coldwater’s offensive lineup saw all but one player notch a hit, with Thornton leading the way with two hits, including a single and a triple. Tappenden added a single and two RBIs while Lackey added a double and an RBI. Also recording a hit and an RBI were Calhoun, Ennis, Porter, Smiertka, and Roby.
Coldwater is now 12-14. The Cardinals have a busy week of baseball ahead of them, beginning with an Interstate 8 double-header on Wednesday at Northwest, followed by a non-conference doubleheader at home versus Lakewood on Thursday and at home versus Hanover Horton on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater baseball finishes 0-3 at Stout and Sons Invitational
