'One of the best feelings': Marine City baseball wins first district title since 2008

RICHMOND — Even before the Marine City baseball team took the field Saturday, its season was already deemed a memorable one. Nothing in the state tournament could diminish that.

But in the span of a few hours, the Mariners' 2023 campaign went from memorable to unforgettable.

Marine City stymied Macomb Lutheran North, 8-3, in a Division 2 district championship game at Richmond High School.

Eight players had at least one hit for the Mariners, who improved to 21-5 overall and advanced to Wednesday's regional semifinal against Madison Heights Lamphere (21-11).

In addition to capturing their first district crown since 2008, they also became the first team in program history to win both conference and district titles in the same year.

"It's one of the best feelings," Marine City coach Ryan Felax said. "I'm just so happy for these boys ... it's been a long time coming (for the program) and I'm so proud of these guys."

"It feels awesome," said senior Josh VandeVyver, who pitched four innings and got the win. "At the beginning of the season, I didn't even know if I was going to play because I had surgery on a broken ankle. But coming back and being able to play with this team has been awesome."

Marine City struck first when Anthony Ruffino scored on a balk in the second inning. The Mariners added five more runs in the third to grab a 6-0 lead. Lutheran North eventually trimmed the deficit to three in the top of the fifth. But VandeVyver countered with a two-run single in the inning's bottom half to keep the Mustangs at bay.

"The championship (game) was all about our bats doing what our bats typically do," Felax said. "We really, really saw the ball well."

VandeVyver led the way at plate, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and one walk. Senior Zach Tetler (2-for-4, one RBI) was the other Mariner with multiple hits.

"As a team, we played really loose," VandeVyver said. "We don't let many things get in our heads."

"Our pitchers did a great job of locating (the strike zone) today," Tetler said. "We hit our spots, grooved the corners and it was nice to see."

In the district semifinal earlier in the day, Tetler pitched all seven innings of the Mariners' 2-1 win over rival St Clair. He totaled nine strikeouts and allowed just one run on three hits.

"Our calling card is defense," Felax said. "And we played well enough today to win."

The Mariners know they'll have to be even better for Wednesday's regional semifinal, which is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Richmond High School. Marine City split the season series with Lamphere, 1-1.

"The competition is going to be there for sure," VandeVyver said. "We're going to have to play well. But I'm up for it and ready for the challenge."

"I'm excited," Tetler said. "Most of us are football players, so we're used to playing in big games. They're really fun and this is the best part of the season."

While the Mariners are no strangers to the bright lights on the gridiron, the diamond is a different story. It's been 15 years since Marine City made it this far in the state tournament.

But Felax has never doubted his players' abilities. The coach made that clear before the season began.

"I don't know if they envisioned (us playing in a regional semifinal)," Felax said. "But I know I did. I told them, 'You don't look like a bunch of football players playing baseball. You look like a damn good baseball team.' "

That's exactly what the Mariners are. And it's why they're still playing.

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Marine City baseball wins first district title since 2008