Hurons split a pair with Blue Devils Thursday
The Hurons split a pair of baseball games last week and lost a pair of games Saturday to the weather. After losing to Gaylord in the first game of Thursday?s doubleheader and winning the second game, a date with Escanaba was canceled due to cold, windy and snowy conditions Saturday.
In Thursday?s first game, Gaylord used a six-run fourth inning to power to a 9-8 win. Rogers City led 4-1 heading into the top of the fourth. A three-run rally in the Huron second inning got started with singles from Matt Mertz and Pat Quaine. Levi Ellenberger and Sid Marx each drove in a runs with a sacrifice flies. Then Alex Jozwiak singled in front of Erik Meharg?s RBI hit.
Trailing 9-6, Rogers City cut the lead to one with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Mertz doubled and scored on a single by Marx to start the rally. Rogers City had 13 hits in support of Ellenberger, who took the loss. He pitched six innings and notched 10 strikeouts while walking three. He allowed 10 hits, but only three of the runs were earned. Mertz, Quaine, Marx, Jozwiak, Meharg and Tyler Szumila each had two hits for Rogers City.
In game two, the Huron bats came alive in a 17-2 mercy-rule win. A four-hit, 10-run third inning made the winning margin large. Mertz had three RBI and scored three runs while Ellenberger, Jowiak, Marx, Travis Fleis and Ben Tulgetske each drove in two runs in the game. Jozwiak took the win on the mound working four innings of four-hit ball. He surrendered two walks while striking out five. Rogers City hosts a home tournament Saturday beginning at 10 a.m. then plays at Alpena Monday.