Hitting comes alive for Cheboygan baseball in split with Blue Devils
CHEBOYGAN – Game one against rival Sault Ste. Marie was about as ugly as it could get score-wise for the Cheboygan baseball team.
But the beauty of doubleheaders is you always have a chance to redeem yourself in the next game.
For the Chiefs, they took full advantage of their second chance in game two by avenging a 17-1 defeat and bouncing back with an 11-5 victory over the Blue Devils in a key Straits Area Conference twinbill on Wednesday.
“I’m very proud of the kids. They came back and rebounded well,” said Cheboygan coach Kevin Baller. “I thought defensively we did a better job, but the kids did a nice job of hitting the ball. They really hit it hard. Eli (Couture) leading it off, and then JJ (Jankoviak) and Sean (Postula). They did a great job.”
Up against it after a lopsided loss in the opener, the Chiefs (4-10, 4-2 SAC) stepped up their hitting and delivered a much better offensive showing in the nightcap. Sparking the Cheboygan attack was Postula, a sophomore who nearly hit for the cycle by ripping a triple, a double and a single. Postula also finished with a team-high four RBI.
The confidence continues to grow for Postula, who homered during a road clash at Trenton last weekend.
“He’s worked his butt off at becoming a better hitter,” Baller said of Postula. “You could see his swing has changed from last year to this year. He’s done an outstanding job of staying inside the ball and hitting the other way.”
Couture and Jankoviak helped Cheboygan by finishing with two hits and two runs scored apiece, while Luke Munger had two hits and scored a run. Blake Blaskowski added a hit and scored twice. Gavin Rose scored a run.
Postula was also Cheboygan’s winning pitcher, striking out three, allowing seven hits and walking three in four innings pitched. Jankoviak, who tossed the last inning, struck out one and allowed a hit.
In game one, Munger’s one hit and one run knocked in paced the Chiefs, who received a hit apiece from Patrick Smith, Jankoviak and Couture. Postula scored a run.
Jankoviak took the loss on the mound, striking out two, allowing eight hits and walking three in 2 2/3 innings pitched. James Charboneau threw 1 2/3 innings of relief, allowing six hits and walking one. Brantley pitched the final 2/3 innings, scattering two hits and walking two.
By splitting with the Blue Devils, the Chiefs kept themselves in the race for the SAC title. The Chiefs also split with Rudyard, another conference favorite, just recently.
“It’s very good because the Sault’s a good baseball team,” Baller said. “We dueled with them last year in two really good games at our place, and for us to come away with a split against them in conference is very big, because they are a good team. Anytime you can square off against a good team – especially after they just took it to you 17-1 in game one – and to bounce back and get the win after that tough showing in the first game, that’s big.
“I’m very proud of the boys, they did an outstanding job.”
Cheboygan travels to face Kingsley in a non-conference doubleheader on Monday, May 8.
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Hitting comes alive for Cheboygan baseball in split with Blue Devils
