Negaunee, MI – The Negaunee Miners Varsity Boys Baseball team pulled out a 4-3 win in extra innings against the Superior Central Cougars at home today on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9. Tyler Young and Travis Nelson brought you all the action from the UP Propane Broadcast Booth.
The Miners took on the Cougars at Irontown Field in Negaunee on what started out as a blustery Saturday morning in District Semifinal play.
The Cougars were at bat first, and Negaunee was able to pack up Superior Central in short order with the score tied up at 0-0. Superior Central wrapped up the bottom of the first pretty quickly, however, with a double play to seal the last two outs of the inning.
The second inning slipped by with no change to the scoreboard as the game continued as something of a pitcher’s duel. The top of the third saw a little more action. After a quick first two outs, Superior Central’s Zach Englund broke ground with the first score of the game to make it 1-0 over Negaunee.
A strikeout ended the top of the inning to give the Miners a chance to answer. The Miners were unable to make it home though, as the Cougars made quick work of closing out the bottom of the third.
The top of the fourth saw no change in the score as Negaunee closed out Superior Central’s at bat in 1-2-3 fashion.
Negaunee’s Logan Fish started out the bottom of the fourth by getting on base and eventually finding home on an Alex Munson single to tie up the score at 1-1 before entering the fifth.
Tanner Peterson really found his stride on the mound as he threw two strike-outs in a row for Negaunee at the top of the fifth. The third out followed quickly to stop the Cougars from retaking the lead. Try as they might, Negaunee was unable to take the lead themselves. The fifth wrapped up with no change to the score.
Superior Central’s Lucas Kanerva got on base, but Negaunee stopped the Cougars in their tracks before taking over the bat.
Logan Fish nabbed a double with two outs remaining in the bottom of the sixth. A Richardson hit took Fish all the way home and the Miners entered the seventh inning with the 2-1 lead.
Superior Central found themselves on base to keep a glimmer of hope alive at the top of the seventh. Parker Maki came in with the clutch hit to send his teammate home and tie up the game at 2-2. Negaunee was unable to answer and forced extra innings in what turned out to be a nail-biter of a semifinal.
Logan Fish, having a stellar game, came up with a couple of clutch plays at the top of the first extra inning. But the chess pieces were moving as Clay Smith made it to third base for Superior Central with two outs in the books. A Kyle Frusti base hit helped Smith find home and Superior Central secured the lead at 3-2.
The Miners’ Jason Waterman had an answer to the Cougars’ clutch score and found home to tie it up at 3-3 with two outs and a runner on base. Superior Central bottled it up though, and forced a ninth inning.
A tenth inning looked inevitable as the ninth threatened to slip by with no change to the score. Adam Ogea and the Miners had something to say about that, however, as Ogea made it home in the bottom of the second extra inning to solidify the 4-3 Miners victory.
The Negaunee Miners will take on the winner of the Houghton-Calumet game for the District Championship a few short hours after their Semifinal win. Tune in to Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9 for all the action!
Listen to a recording of the broadcast.
