This group sponsored its inaugural U.P. High School Baseball All-Star Game last Monday at Marion Park in Norway.

Twenty-nine recently graduated seniors were listed on the rosters, along with nine coaches from all over the U.P. whose coaches are members of the CWBCA.

The Mining Journal area contingent included players from three schools, according to the group’s Facebook page — Carsen Belanger, Ian Engstrom and Jack Siik of Negaunee; Ethan Pavey and Matthew Rahilly of Newberry; and Cooper Curtis and Masin Tryan of Manistique.

Other players came from host Norway, Kingsford, Ironwood, Jeffers, North Central, Bark River-Harris, Menominee, Gladstone, Rudyard, Brimley and Pickford.

The 14 players on Team Michigan included two from Journal-area teams — Ian Engstrom of Negaunee and Ethan Pavey of Newberry. (Photo courtesy Facebook page for the Cold Weather Baseball Coaches Alliance)

The coaches included Dan Hardenbrook of Newberry along with coaches from some of the aforementioned schools.

“This was awesome,” Team Michigan head coach, Norway head coach and game organizer Tony Adams said in an online report. “This is what it was all about, getting all these kids in different uniforms together on a field celebrating baseball in the Upper Peninsula.

“That’s what the whole point of this was an couldn’t be happier.”

With this game in the books, Adams says planning for next year has already started.

“It’s going to continue,” he said. “It’ll be in Escanaba next year and we’re going to continue to try and grow it.”

Negaunee’s Aiden Steele gathers himself while preparing to face the next batter in the second inning in an MHSAA Division 3 district tournament baseball game played against Calumet at the Irontown Field in Negaunee on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

Adams’ Team Michigan group, which included Engstrom and Pavey, squared off against Team Superior, whose head coach was Scott Hanson of Escanaba and included the other five area players.

Michigan came away with the narrowest of victories, 7-6, with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Thanks to their standout performances, Kingsford’s Andres Finley of Team Michigan and Rudyard’s Tanner Baker of Team Superior were named MVPs.

Finley went 2 for 3, both hits being doubles, as he collected an RBI and scored a run. Baker was also 2 for 3 with a home run and double, two RBIs and a run.

And Rahilly was another player going 2 for 3 as he had a double and two runs scored, while Belanger was 1 for 3 with an RBI, Siik scored a run and was hit by a pitch, and Curtis 1 for 2 with two RBIs.

For Team Michigan, Engstrom was 1 for 1 with a run scored and a stolen base.

A GameChanger synopsis of the action showed Superior opened a 5-0 lead in the middle of the fourth. Belanger hit an RBI single in the first, while a Curtis single in the second was part of a three-run rally then.

After Baker hit a solo homer to left in the top of the fourth, Team Michigan began its comeback.

Details weren’t available about Michigan’s four-run fifth that knotted the score 5-5, which might indicate that’s when most of Superior’s three errors took place.

But an RBI groundout put Michigan ahead for the first time in the bottom of the sixth before Baker hit an RBI double in the top of the seventh to retie it 6-6.

Then in the decisive home half of the seventh, Norway’s Cole Baij hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to score courtesy runner Aiden Sevon of Menominee.

Coaches employed their pitchers much like what is often seen in big-league all-star games — 14 pitchers each pitched one inning, with the exception of Curtis, who was on the mound when the game ended with two out in the seventh.

Rahilly opened on the hill for Team Superior, getting all three outs via strikeouts with no walks nor hits allowed.

Siik pitched the third for Superior, registering zeroes across the board, while Belanger was in for the fifth as he allowed four earned runs on five hits with two walks. Curtis went two-third of an inning, giving up an unearned run on a one hit and one walk.

Pavey was Team Michigan’s second pitcher as he allowed three earned runs on two hits and two walks as he struck out one.

Story contents based on an email received from Iron Mountain Daily News news editor Jim Anderson, along with information from the Facebook page of the Cold Weather Baseball Coaches Association. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.