Negaunee, MI – May 18, 2021 – The Negaunee Miners Baseball Team was defeated by the Calumet Copper Kings 10-6. Travis Nelson had the call on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1 and 99.9.
LISTEN TO THE FULL GAME HERE (124 min.)
1st Inning
Starting the game, the Copper Kings had no problem getting on base. Dryden Nelson got the first base hit for Calumet, and he was later batted in by Dean Luokus to give them the early lead. Although a few more copper kings were able to get some hits, they left runners stranded on the bases with only one run to show for it. Negaunee’s batters couldn’t get too much going. At one point, the Miners had two on base with one out. It looked like they could capitalize, but a double play ended the inning with the Copper Kings on top 1-0.
2nd Inning
It was another inning of Calumet consistently getting on base. A quick walk and a single allowed the Copper Kings to eventually get another run across the plate to grow their lead. They had runners on second and third with one out, but the Miners got two outs to stop Calumet from getting too far in front. On offense, Negaunee unleashed the flood gates this inning. A two-run home run for Brenten Belanger tied the game up, and Negaunee capitalized on their momentum. An RBI scored one more, and the Miners stole home twice to turn this game around and go up 5-2.
3rd Inning
Calumet was once again threatening to put more runs on the board. Like the previous inning, runners were at second and third base with only one out. However, Gerald Johnson made an incredible catch in the outfield for the second out, and threw out the runner going to third to retire the side. The Miners still had a solid advantage, but they couldn’t extend it in the bottom of the third. A three up and three down inning kept the score at 5-2 with Negaunee on top.
4th Inning
After starting off with a single, the Copper Kings hit two fly balls for two quick outs. Things were looking good defensively for Negaunee, but Calumet ended up getting one across with an RBI before a runner was tagged out in the same play. On the other end, the Miners weren’t able to find the same rhythm they had in the second. They had two men on base, but they never moved into scoring position. Negaunee was up 5-3.
5th Inning
It was looking like Negaunee’s defense would continue to stop Calumet. The Miners got the first two batters of the inning out, but then, the Copper Kings went on a tear. After a few base hits to get things going, Calumet got three runs across to retake the lead 6-5. Negaunee wasn’t able to counter on offense, as they were held scoreless for yet another inning.
6th Inning
Calumet came into the top of the sixth leading by one and hoping to get some breathing room, which they did. It was the best inning so far for the Copper Kings, as a few more RBI hits, including those from pitchers Tom Yoelker and Levi Kilpela, gave them a 10-5 advantage. Negaunee needed to rally in the bottom of the sixth, and they got some hits and draw some walks to keep their hopes alive. However, the Miners were only able to get one run across. Calumet’s eight unanswered runs late in the game was too big of a hole for the Miners to dig themselves out, as the Copper Kings got the 10-6 victory.
Final: 10-6
NEXT GAME: The Negaunee Miners will take on the Gladstone Braves on Wednesday afternoon at Irontown Field in Negaunee. Tune in for the Elder Agency Pregame Show with Travis Nelson at 3:45pm on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1 and 99.9.
