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Marquette Redmen unable to support pitchers in baseball losses to Escanaba

Marquette’s Alec Beauchamp runs to first base in a high school baseball game against Escanaba on Wednesday at Haley Memorial Field in Marquette. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)

MARQUETTE — Blake Henriksen and Garrett Finkbeiner each had quality starts on the mound for the Marquette Senior High School baseball team at home against Escanaba on Wednesday.

But the Redmen bats didn’t awake from their slumber, combining for just two runs and seven hits over two games as the Redmen fell to Escanaba by identical scores of 3-1 in a doubleheader played under gloomy skies at Haley Memorial Field.

With Henriksen hurling more than 70 pitches while going into the sixth inning, the Escanaba bats came alive enough to pull out Game 1. The Eskymos took the lead in the second inning when Courage Krueger singled home C.J. Barron.

Barron also silenced the Redmen bats while on the mound, tossing 99 pitches in the complete-game victory. Barron recorded four strikeouts and four walks while allowing five hits.

Barron had little trouble shutting down the Redmen offense until the sixth, when singles by Holden Shaneberger and John Thomson put two men on, a Finkbeiner sacrifice bunt advanced them and Shaneberger came home on a wild pitch to tie the score 1-1.

But a half inning later, Krueger drove home Parker LaMarch with an RBI double and the Eskymos tacked on an insurance run for the final margin.

The Redmen left eight runners stranded in the opener.

“We’re having trouble lately, in the last four or five games, with runners in scoring position,” Marquette manager Todd Koski said. “We have to do a better job of moving the runner, especially with less than two outs and making things happen at the plate.”

In Game 2, the Redmen took the early lead, this time when Jakob Peterson scored on a wild pitch by Escanaba pitcher Craig Kamin.

The game remained 1-0 until the sixth. After Redmen pitcher Alec Gadzinski walked three consecutive batters, he was pulled in favor of Tyler Delmont. LaMarch drove in all three baserunners with a double to complete the sweep.

“We struggled that last inning,” Koski said. “It was a little dark, wet, just had a hard time finding the plate and finishing the game.

“We had one out to go and we couldn’t get it. Hats off to Escanaba. They played great and that’s what good programs do.”

Escanaba Manager Kirk Schwalbach said while he’s happy with his team’s performance, offense is still an issue.

“I’m not happy with the way we batted, but I’m happy with the way the kids battled,” Schwalbach said.

Schwalbach also praised LaMarch for coming through in the clutch, both offensively and on the mound.

“He (LaMarch) is a senior and he made the big play,” Schwalbach said. “He did a nice job pitching. I think he came in a little hyped up but he did slow down a little bit; the adrenaline was kicking in.”

The sixth-inning double was his only hit of the nightcap in four at-bats.

Other leaders for Escanaba during the twinbill included Krueger, 2 for 3 in Game 1 with a single and a double, and Justin Popelka, a 2-for-3 game in the nightcap with a single, double and a walk.

John Thomson was 2 for 3 for the Redmen in the opener, while Henriksen and Keenan Johnson had the only MSHS hits in Game 2.

For Escanaba, leaving Marquette with two wins is a huge confidence boost.

“We battled both games,” Schwalbach said. “They were great games and we’re really fortunate to come out on the winning end and we’re happy about that.”

Email Ryan Spitza at sports@miningjournal.net.

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