Mason baseball's rally falls short in first regional appearance
MASON ― In a season full of ups and downs, Mason baseball was playing the best it had all year heading into Wednesday's Division 2 regional semifinal against No. 14-ranked Adrian.
The Bulldogs were coming off the first district title in program history after last weekend's win over Chelsea and had won nine of their last 12 games prior to the start of the postseason.
Mason got the first run of the game, but a four-run third inning vaulted Adrian in front. Adrian starter Sean Parker rode that momentum and kept Mason at bay while the Maples added an insurance run in the fourth on their way to an eventual 5-3 victory.
Mason's bats perked up in the sixth as the Bulldogs got two runs back on a fielder's choice groundout and an RBI single from junior Hunter Brackenwagen.
But Bulldogs' two-out rally fell short in the seventh. Senior Ty Bercaw hit a triple to keep Mason alive, but another sharply hit ball right at the Adrian shortstop was the final out of the season.
"These guys, it's been a roller coaster of a season but the last two weeks they've really turned it up and cranked it up a lot and been playing the best they had all year," Mason coach Kohl Tyrrell said. "They put the work in and they deserved to be here today."
Bercaw is one of just two seniors on Mason's squad, which should come back next season with a plethora of talent and experience at the varsity level.
"(Bercaw) was such a great leader for us on the field. He hit well over .400 all season and was such an asset for us on the field," Tyrrell said. "He'll be missed and a tough guy to replace in our lineup, but the young guys really stepped up and if you watched our practices or games you wouldn't think that we had freshmen on this team.
"This group definitely set a new standard," Tyrrell added. "It was a lot of fun and it's something I'll never forget, our coaching staff will never forget and sure enough our guys will never forget."
Mason's season ends with a 20-14-1 record, while Adrian (30-7) moves on to the Division 2 regional final where it will face Dearborn Heights Annapolis (21-7).
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Mason baseball falls to Adrian in regional semifinal
