NEGAUNEE — Marquette jumped all over Negaunee for a 9-1 victory in the opening Oldtimers softball game of the summer season at LaCombe Field in Negaunee on Wednesday afternoon.

Playing on a beautiful, sunny day, Marquette evened its all-time series 28-28 with their rivals up the hill. The series began in 1998 for these former softball and baseball players who must now be age 62 to play in these games.

Jay Wilder not only pitched, but batted his way into capturing the unofficial game MVP award made by the announcer’s booth.

The visitors’ top four batters in their lineup dominated, combining to go 9 for 15 with six runs scored and seven knocked in.

Marquette jumped out right away when Steve Holman singled home Wilder for a 1-0 lead, then added three more in the third when Don “Crazy” O’Neill doubled and scored on a Wilder single. Holman and Jay Kilmer followed with RBI singles of their own.

Negaunee scratched out its only run in the fifth when Mike Rivord blasted an inside-the-park homer that rolled to the center field fence, making it 4-1 at the time.

But the Red-clad Marquetters put it out of reach in the top of the seventh, aided by three Negaunee errors. Bruce Woods singled home a run, while Wilder added a two-run double and Bob “Rabbit” Rabitaille a single also worth two RBIs that rounded out the scoring.

Wilder and Negaunee’s Dan Niemi each went the distance on the pitching rubber, Wilder allowing one run on three hits with just one walk and nine strikeouts. Niemi gave up nine runs, but only four of them earned, on 12 hits and five walks as he fanned three.

O’Neill finished 3 of 4 with a double and two runs, while Wilder was 2 of 4 with a double, three runs and three RBIs. Rabitaille went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, while Holman was 2 of 3 with a run and two RBIs.

Rivord’s inside-the-parker was Negaunee’s hitting highlight.

Story contents based on email received from former Negaunee Oldtimers manager and player Roland “Foo” Koski. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.