Hurons dominate regional tournament with lopsided wins

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

There was no stopping the Huron baseball team as they breezed through Pellston?s Division IV regional tournament with 16-1 mercy-shortened game against Wolverine and a 9-2 blowout against Harbor Light Christian. The offense was firing on all cylinders with a little bit of high-octane fuel in those bats. If they weren?t blasting balls over the fences and outfielders, the Huron hitters were scorching the ball over and by infielders. On the mound, Ben Tulgestke and Tyler Szumila held up their end, turning in winning performances.

The defense also made the plays in the field, for an all-around outstanding effort, which earned the program the regional trophy. ?IT?S A great bunch of kids that can really can get focused,? said head coach Howard Madsen. ?They?ve really come together the last two weeks of the season.? Madsen said the Hurons split with Harbor Light at the end of May. ?We weren?t cocky, but we were playing with a lot of confidence,? said Madsen last Saturday afternoon.

While the Hurons racked up 26 hits in two games, the skipper gave his pitchers credit for battling and shutting the door when the job needed to be done. ?Even when we went up 9-0, and the kid hits the bomb, Tyler battles back and does what he has to do,? said Madsen, who credited the tough regular season schedule for preparing them for the tournament. ?Eight teams that we played this season are still going in the tournament today,? he said. ?I guess that?s why we have 10 losses, because we?ve been playing some tough schools. Our tough schedule has been the key to our success.?

The only surprise in the semifinal game against Wolverine was that it took until the top of the third for the Hurons to breakthrough when 18 batters went to the plate. THE FIRST run came quick as Sidney Marx doubled and came home on Jesse Wilbert?s RBI-single. Szumila knocked him in with a single. Tulgestke singled ahead of the first of two Matt Mertz three run homers in the inning. Levi Ellenberger got it going again with a walk, stole second and was sacrificed to third. Erik Meharg hit the ball to the shortstop, who didn?t know what to do with the ball, and everybody was safe. The run scored for a 6-0 lead.

Pat Quaine walked ahead of a RBI-single by Marx, who brought in Meharg. Wilbert had the second sacrifice of the inning and Szumila deliveryed another RBI-single for a nine run lead. Tulgestke had an infield single and was involved in a double steal, before Mertz parked another ball over the left field fence. That made the score 11-0. Ellenberger and Jozwiak added hits to close the inning and later scored for a 13-0 advantage.

A two-ou

t homer in the bottom of the third was the only run Wolverine could get in. The Hurons added three in the top of the fourth to end the game early, 16-1. Tulgestke went three innings, with five K?s, no walks and one earned run. HEADING INTO the final against Harbor Christian (HL), Madsen told his troops the game would be tough as HL was riding an emotional high after a close win against Rudyard. He told them they needed to play solid defense and hit the ball in play. The teams knocked heads for the first three-and-a-half innings, before the Hurons got one in the bottom of the fourth that opened the floodgates.

Mertz singled and scored in the fourth, doubled and scored in the fifth for a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Quaine led off with a homer to center. Austin Brege, Wilbert and Szumila all got on and scored, while Tulgestke doubled to the center field fence. Mertz added another RBI single for an 8-0 advantage. Zach Sobeck added a single and scored the final run of the game. The Swordsmen countered with two in the seventh. Szumila got the win, pitching all seven innings, with 7 K?s, eight hits, two earned runs and two hit batters.