Gaylord baseball fights back to earn split with Ogemaw, St. Mary's sweeps Pellston
GAYLORD ― As high school baseball teams begin the final stretches of the regular season, the weather is finally allowing for most Northern Michigan teams to get on the field with relative consistency.
It couldn't come at a better time.
Now less than two weeks form the official start of the MHSAA baseball playoffs, teams are looking to get in the reps they need as they stare down their next challenges in the postseason. With the high expectations surrounding some of the area teams, they'll take all the extra reps they can get before the important games come around.
Gaylord baseball and St. Mary's baseball were all in action on Thursday, May 11, with GHS hosting Ogemaw Heights for a doubleheader while GSM hosted Pellston for a doubleheader as well.
GHS falls in game one, fights back in final inning for split
Gaylord baseball took a short break from its heavy BNC schedule for a doubleheader with Ogemaw Heights on Thursday evening, looking to bounce back after dropping both games to Traverse City West in their last time out.
The Blue Devils' offense had been slowed in the past few games, coming into Thursday's matchups on a three-game losing streak while being outscored 30-11 in those three games. That issue persisted into game one, with Ogemaw holding the Blue Devils to two runs in a 5-2 Falcons victory.
Both teams had seven hits in game one, but Ogemaw made their hits count with three doubles and four runs batted in. Will Bethuy had three hits in the game one loss, while Ogemaw's Xander Kartes led the way with three hits including a double, two runs and an RBI.
Game two was a completely different narrative, however, as both offenses broke through for 31 runs combined through six innings of play. This time, it was Gaylord walking away with a one-run victory in dramatic fashion, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to grab a 16-15 win.
The Blue Devils trailed by three runs heading into the last inning, but a leadoff walk followed by a double from Lucas Green put the Blue Devils in business. From there, Gaylord manufactured the runs they needed, scoring one on a groundout, one on an error and another on an RBI double from Luke Enders to tie the game at 15 runs apiece.
Then, with the bases loaded and the game tied, Isaac Hopp lined a single into left field, driving in the winning run to give Gaylord the 16-15 victory.
Enders led the way at the plate, tallying three hits including the game-tying RBI double, two RBI and three runs scored. Bethuy also doubled twice, adding four RBI and a run scored to his six-hit day.
Ethan Ford got credit for the victory on the mound, not allowing an Ogemaw hit in the last 2.1 innings after Gaylord had allowed 15 runs on 11 hits before he entered.
The Blue Devils' record is now 11-9-1 overall.
Snowbirds baseball sweep Pellston
The Gaylord St. Mary's baseball team has been rolling as of late, accumulating a 7-0-1 record in their last eight games with their last loss coming back on April 19 to Hillman.
They looked to stay undefeated in the Ski Valley Conference as they welcomed Pellston for two games on Thursday, May 11, and they did just that, sweeping the Hornets with a 5-4 victory in game one and a 7-1 win in game two.
GSM took an early 4-1 lead in game thanks to a four-run first inning, but Pellston fought back for three runs in the top of the third to tie the game. St. Mary's took the lead right back, however, with Brett Koscielniak's RBI single putting the Snowbirds up 5-4, a score that would hold through the final inning.
Brody Jeffers got the win on the mound, while also tallying two hits, an RBI and a run scored. Donovan Blust also had two hits including a double, while Dillon Croff's first-inning RBI triple proved to be the game's big hit for GSM.
Game two was a bit less stressful for the Snowbrids as they scored seven runs on ten hits, taking home a six-run victory for their fifth-straight win.
Daniel Jacobson gave up just one unearned run in his win on the mound, while Croff (two hits, double, three RBI) and Gavin Bebble (three hits, one run scored) led the way offensively.
GSM is now 13-1-1 on the year.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord baseball fights back to earn split with Ogemaw, St. Mary's sweeps Pellston
