Post 171 beats Clare
Coach Brokoff and Coach Barnes just a few weeks ago were mired in a downward spiral and after their 10-1 start, were barely clinging to a winning record at 14-12. They are on the upswing again, this past week going 3 for 4 to improve their record to 25-16.
The Gladwin regime padded their record by toppling a young and inspiring Clare summer league team composed of mostly underclassman, taking a double header 8-4 and 12-4.
Cam Smith made sure to establish the pecking order in the opener for Post 171, making sure to keep his former teammates and classmates in their proper social slot. Smith a CHS graduate, toed the mound for Coach Brokoff to faceoff against his old teammates and hoisted the W in five innings of work, striking out 8 in the 8-4 victory.
The G-boys took the lead in the top of the first, when Trey Anderson started of the dance party with a slice up the 6-hole and boogied to first to put some money on the table. Then the big strapping James Bear decided to put his flex on and crashed the small ball into deep right field to give Anderson the wiggle room to churn up dust around the corner and flash home.
Pinconning’s Jordan Holbrook took a steamer into the meat-chops to earn a spot on base and eventually worked his way to the corner and he sprung home when Richie Mathis sent a rocket up the line. Holbrook’s run made it a 2-0 Gladwin game.
The Gladwin crew would flash a pair of runs on the board in the top of the 3rd when Billy Bittner unleashed his smooth lefty stroke to spring to first. Back to back doubles by Alec Gary and Shawn Larner made it a 4-0 game.
The Clare regime bounced back to take the edge of the loss in the bottom of the 6th and dumped 4 runs on the table. The Pioneer team held contain in the box, mean-mugged on the pitch count and Clickner, Swan, and Charlie Bugbee all took base-on-balls to load up the bases. With the bases bulging at the seems, Bates cranked a single to send Clickner rolling in. Most of the runs came as a result of the boys in Green simply staying put in the box and not taking wild sidewinders.
But their 4 run flurry wasn’t enough and the G-men held on for the 8-4 victory.
James Baer led the offensive for the G-men, smoking 3 hits for a pair of RBI’s and scoring a run. Billy Bittner also chipped in a pair of RBI’s.
Coach Barnes gave the hurling duties to Grant Johnston in the night cap and the Beaverton work horse didn’t disappoint, taking the win in 3 innings of play. Larner and C-Smooth provided the offensive mojo in the lopsided affair. The twin gingers snapped in 3 RBI’s a piece and flung in a pair of hits.
Later in the week, the Gladwin ballers rolled up north to take on the Lewiston Post, a team vastly improved since the beginning of the year. Gladwin lost the opener 8-4, but bounced back in the night cap off the strong arm of Aubrey Jehnsen who hurled 7 innings of strong baseball for the 6-0 victory.
Gladwin broke the rubber-match open in the top of the 3rd to make it a 4-0 game, scoring 3 runs by forcing the opposition to jam strikes through the zone. With Skerrat tossing junk-balls, nobody was biting and Janish and Bittner cranked a double and single to spark the basepaths.
Meridian’s Jonah Weisenberger hung up a pair of timely RBI’s to keep the G-boys rolling clean at opportune times. Jehnsen struck out six in the shut out game.
