Sabers split with Portagers

Posted by Matt Wenzel, Manistee News Advocate

MANISTEE — Having already lined up in opposite dugouts this season, Tuesday’s doubleheader between West Michigan D teams Manistee Catholic Central and Onekama was a non-league series.

But, it played out much like the one that counted in the standings as the Portagers and Sabers split at Rietz Park. Onekama took the opener 5-3 in seven innings before MCC bounced back for an 8-3 win in the second game.

“We’re not happy with it,” said MCC coach Dave Ranville, “but if we were happy all the time, we probably wouldn’t be playing the game.”

The first game was tied at 1 through six before the Portagers exploded for four runs in the lone extra inning.

“I’m very happy with it,” said Onekama coach John Neph. “It was a real good outing for us.”

Cordell Williams got the rally started with a one-out double to left that kicked off four straight hits. Jon Eno followed with an RBI single and Joe Eno and Stephen Verrett hit back-to-back run-scoring doubles before the Portagers plated their final run on an error.

“I think Jon Eno’s single was a huge at-bat,” Neph said. “He took a really good pitch on two strikes and put it in play. … Really good at-bats in that inning and that’s what we had to have. I’m happy for the guys.”

MCC had just wrapped up at least a share of the league title with a split against Brethren on Monday, which Ranville said was probably a factor.

“After you get excited … it’s a natural downer to come back the next day after you’ve been so high the day before,” he said.

MCC snuck a couple runs across in their half of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Robert Sewell and a wild pitch, but they weren’t enough.

Verrett earned the win on the mound with a complete-game performance that included four strikeouts. Sewell was charged with the loss after throwing six innings in relief of Nathan Papes and striking out five.

Onekama’s Cordell Williams slides safely into third base in front of Manistee Catholic Centrals’ Nathan Papes during the seventh inning of the first game on Tuesday at Rietz Park. (Matt Wenzel/News Advocate)

MCC turned in a better offensive performance in the second game as it racked up nine hits against Onekama starter Nolan Miller, who went the distance while striking out four. The Sabers took a 4-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back.

Mason Clark led the charge with three hits and two RBIs, Sewell had a pair of singles and drove in two and Alex Bialik had two hits.

Williams and Joe Eno both had RBI singles for the Portagers.

“The second game got away from us,” Neph said. “There were some fielding mistakes, but we’re going to work on those. When we make those plays, we can play with other teams. That’s what we did in the first game and didn’t in the second.”

Bialik got the win after allowing one unearned run on one hit with six strikeouts over his four-inning start that was limited because he ran out of outs after picking up a complete-game win the night before.

“His arm was good, so it proves he’s been in shape,” Ranville said. “He was throwing strikes and we got through it.”

Clark tossed two innings of relief and gave up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts.

“Some of our pitchers we had to switch up because of a few sore arms, but fortunately we got through it,” Ranville said. “We look forward to a day or two off.”

Posted by Manistee News Advocate staff
   
  • Mitchel Clarke 8
  • Andrew Clarke 4
  • Joe Eno 25
  • Jon Eno 7
  • Dallas Hearit - 15
  • Josh Jacobs - 42
  • Daniel Kasper 3
  • Morgan Ledford -10
  • Curtis McKenney -12
  • Nolan Miller - 6
  • Nick Osborn - 43
  • Jarett Sovereign - 14
  • Noah Stebbin - 2
  • Stephen Verrett 5
  • Cordell Williams - 9
  • Jared Bair 41

www.onekama.k12.mi.us Serving Onekama School since 1997