SAULT STE. MARIE — The Petoskey baseball team was really hoping for an opportunity to advance into the regional final round Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie.
Things don’t always go to plan, however, especially in the spring.
But, the opportunity is still there.
Petoskey’s Division 2 regional semifinal matchup against Escanaba scheduled to be played in the Sault changed up due to weather and field conditions, making for a new scheduled matchup at 5:30 p.m. at Turcott Field in Petoskey Thursday.
The start of Wednesday’s game was pushed back multiple times, before ultimately the game was moved back a day.
The rest of the regional championship and quarterfinal bracket was completed Wednesday night.
Saginaw Swan Valley will be up next for the winner between the Northmen and Eskymos, after Swan Valley earned a 5-3 win over Standish-Sterling.
Sparta topped East Grand Rapids in an 8-4 game as well and Spring Lake beat Whitehall, 4-1.
The winner between Petoskey and Esky will play at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, June 8 at Turcott Field in Petoskey, following the Sparta vs. Spring Lake matchup.
A Division 2 quarterfinal is then scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at Turcott.
Charlevoix advances in Divison 3
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DIVISION 4
East Jordan bows out in regional semi
GAYLORD — For a second straight season, the regional semifinal round for the East Jordan baseball team wasn’t kind.
Meeting a talented Inland Lakes team in Gaylord for their Division 4 regional semifinal matchup, a close game early turned into a late deficit for the Red Devils, too deep to climb out of in an eventual 8-5 loss.
“Our guys battled hard and played a solid game,” Easts Jordan coach Adam Grybauskas said. “It was a fun season and I am really proud of this team for what they accomplished this season.”
The loss closed up a 23-12-1 campaign for EJ, while Inland Lakes (28-4) advanced into the regional championship and quarterfinal bracket.
The Bulldogs will meet up with Onaway at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 8 in Harbor Springs, with the quarterfinal later scheduled for 3 p.m. in Harbor Springs.
At the bottom of the bracket, Norway will meet Rudyard.
Tied 2-2 heading to the fourth, Inland lakes plated three runs in the fifth, then three more between the sixth and seventh Wednesday. EJ then put a rally on with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, though came up shy of completing the job.
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Korbyn Russell went 5 1/3 innings with 14 strikeouts and five hits allowed for EJ, then added a 2 for 4 game at the plate. Lucas Stone also singled and drove in three runs and Ryder Malpass was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
For Inland Lakes, Connor Wallace pitched five innings and struck six batters out in the win, then went 3 for 4 with a double, triple, three runs scored and an RBI.
Jacob Willey went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and a double, Aidan Fenstermaker drove in two runs and Ty Molly went 2 for 2.
DIVISION 4
Harbor Springs falls to D4 power
RUDYARD — The kind of success the Harbor Springs baseball team is striving for could be found in the opposite dugout Wednesday night.
Playing in a Division 4 regional semifinal in Rudyard, the host Bulldogs have put together a run of three straight trips into the D4 quarterfinal round and back to back runs to the semifinals.
Rudyard now has a chance to add to it after Wednesday, with a 6-4 win over the Rams closing Harbor's season.
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Harbor fell behind in a 6-0 game before the sixth, when they played three runs and another in a comeback effort in the seventh.
For Harbor, Andru Vernale went 2 for 4 with a double, Nolan Kennedy doubled, Ryan Novak went 2 for 4, then Jackson Deegan and Ben McShannock each drove in a run.
McShannock took the pitching loss, while Caiden Phillips also pitched 1 2/3 innings and struck out two.
Harbor finished out an 11-20 season, while Rudyard advances to Harbor Springs to meet Norway in a Division 4 regional final at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, June 8. A D4 quarterfinal will also take place Saturday in Harbor Springs.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny,and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: East Jordan, Harbor Springs baseball fall, Petoskey game pushed back
