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Marquette Blues American Legion baseball team wins 7 of 8 over past 2 weeks

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Blues have had a near perfect past several weeks, winning seven of eight games with their only loss in the championship game of a tournament in Wisconsin.

Since June 12, the Blues have defeated the Ishpeming Blue Storm three times with one win apiece vs. the Menominee Redwave and Norway.

At the Waupan, Wis., Legion Tournament last weekend, Marquette defeated Rosendale-Brandon and Milwaukee Post 426 Pipemen 17-Under before falling to host Waupan.

Here is a roundup of the games:

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Blues 9, Blue Storm 4

On June 12 in Marquette, Ishpeming opened the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning, but Marquette scored the next nine runs, including four runs in the bottom of the first.

Logan Peterson went 2 for 4 for the Blues, scoring twice and stealing a base. Teammate Easton Miller tripled, had an RBI on a sacrifice fly and scored twice.

Marquette’s Braiden Noskey and Keith Juidici each had two RBIs, with Noskey having a hit and scoring a run and Juidici getting his RBIs despite just one official at-bat and no hits as he had a sacrifice fly and was hit by a pitch. Singles were registered by teammates Isaac Sarles, Nick Pantti and Dallas Cobe.

Logan Hurkmans went four innings for the Blue Storm and took the loss, allowing eight runs — but just three earned — on seven hits and a walk as he struck out three.

Sarles started for the Blues and was followed on the mound by Dakota Maki, Noskey and Brenton Belanger. They combined to allow four runs on five hits and seven walks as they fanned 10.

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Blues 15, Menominee 0

On June 14 at Menominee, Marquette had just 11 hits, but used five walks and four Redwave errors to end this game after four innings.

The big blow came in a nine-run first as Miller and AJ Martin doubled and Sarles and Noskey singled.

Noskey finished 3 of 4 with three RBIs, a run and two stolen bases. Peterson was 2 of 3 with three RBIs, three runs, a walk and stolen base.

Martin and Miller each went 2 of 4 with two RBIs as Martin scored twice and Miller had a run and steal.

Sarles, Juidici and Martin combined for a shutout on a one-hitter, a Menominee single in the first inning, as the Blues trio walked none and struck out six.

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Blues 6, Rosendale-Brandon 5

On Friday to open the Waupan tourney, Noskey laced an RBI single with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning to send the winning run home.

Noskey finished 2 of 5 with three RBIs, while Miller was 2 of 3 with a triple, an RBI and sacrifice fly.

Noskey knocked in a first-inning run with a groundout before R-B scored five times in the top of the fifth to temporarily take control. Justin Segermann knocked in two runs in the rally.

Marquette answered with four runs in the sixth to tie it 5-5, which included Miller’s sacrifice fly.

Sarles started and went 2 1/3 innings for the Blues, and was followed by Noskey, Martin, Peterson, Juidici and Belanger on the mound. They combined to give up five runs on nine hits and four walks as they K’d six.

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Blues 14, Post 426 Pipemen 4

On Saturday at the Waupan event, Marquette qualified for the tournament’s championship game with a dozen runs in the first four innings and ended the game after six innings.

Belanger started and went four innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits and no walks as he fanned two. Juidici went the final two innings, giving up an earned run on one hit and three walks as he struck out two.

Miller hit a solo homer while going 2 for 2 with an RBI, three runs scored, a walk as he was also hit by a pitch.

Noskey was 2 of 3 with a double, two RBIs, three runs, a walk and two stolen bases, while Gibson Jezewski was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, a run and steal.

Pantti was 2 of 3 with two runs and a walk, while Peterson was 1 of 2 with a double, three RBIs, a run, two walks, a sacrifice fly and three steals.

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Waupan 10, Blues 6

Later Saturday in the Waupan final, the host team came back with a five-run fifth to erase the Blues’ 6-5 lead and clinch the tourney championship.

Sarles started and went 4 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs — six earned — on four hits and three walks as he fanned three. Noskey went the final 1 2/3 innings, giving up an earned run on one hit and a walk as he K’d two.

Jezewski, Miller and Martin each went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Jezewski had a double and scored a run, while Miller scored twice. Noskey also had an RBI, scored a run and walked.

Evan Sauer started and went 3 1/3 innings for Waupan, giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits, four walks and two strikeouts. Teammate Hunter Kamp went 3 for 3 with two RBIs.

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Blues 15, Norway 5

On Monday in Marquette, the Blues quickly rebounded with runs in every at-bat as the game was called after five innings.

Peterson led the Blues’ 12-hit attack with a 3-for-3 day as he had two RBIs, four runs, a walk and two stolen bases.

Pantti was 2 of 3 with a double, three RBIs, a run and was hit by a pitch, while Miller was 2 of 2 with two RBIs, a run, walk, steal and hit-by-pitch. Noskey was 2 of 3 with two RBIs, three runs, a walk and two steals.

Maki pitched all five innings, giving up five unearned runs on three hits and two walks as he struck out four.

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Blues 11-9, Blue Storm 1-5

In a Wednesday doubleheader at Marquette, the Blues won the opener in four innings by scoring in every at-bat as Noskey went 3 for 3 with an RBI, two runs and a stolen base.

Peterson was 1 for 2 with a double, RBI, two runs, a walk and steal, while Jezewski was 1 for 2 with two RBIs, a run, walk and steal.

Martin, Pantti and Jake Toyras all had singles with Toyras getting an RBI and scoring twice.

Sarles, who started, and Belanger each pitched two innings as they combined to give up an unearned run, six hits and two walks as they struck out five.

Bryce Markham started and went three innings for Ishpeming, allowing 10 runs — eight earned — on nine hits and three walks as he struck out three. Reliever Ben Nelson went two-thirds of an inning with an earned run allowed though no hits as he walked one and fanned one.

Hurkmans, Markham, Sam Dryer, Isak Ruspakka and Zach Beckman were among the Blue Storm players with a single.

In the nightcap, Juidici led Marquette’s offense from the No. 9 spot in the order, going 3 for 3 with a homer, four RBIs, two runs and a stolen base.

The Blues built a 3-0 lead after one inning, then fended off Ishpeming rallies in the fourth, fifth and sixth by answering with their own run-scoring innings in the bottom of the fourth and fifth.

Noskey, who started, Pantti, Jezewski and Peterson pitched for Marquette, combining to allow five runs — but just one earned — on three hits and seven walks as they K’d six.

Ben Nelson started and went three innings for Ishpeming, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk as he chalked up one K. Ruspakka went the final two innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on two hits and three walks as he fanned four.

AJ Bottari led Blue Storm hitters by going 2 for 3 with an RBI. Beckman also had a hit and run scored.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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