WHITESTOWN, Ind. — The dream is over for the Negaunee Little League All-Star baseball team at the Major Division Great Lakes Regional being held in this Indiana city.

But it was quite a run for the western Marquette County group of 11- and 12-year-old boys, who had won their first nine tournament games before running into fellow state championship teams from much larger cities, some with past experience at this level.

“The level of pitching was really noticeable,” Negaunee manager Joe Dost said when asked what the biggest difference at the regional was compared to district and state tourneys.

“Just to be able to compete at this level was something special for these boys, seeing all the big crowds and all the TV (cameras).

Negaunee’s Jonny Juntti catches a pitch during a Little League baseball Great Lakes Regional game against Ohio played in Whitestown, Indiana, on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Little League Baseball and Softball)

“They really showed a lot of improvement over the past few days.”

But in this battle of state champions, the Ohio representative from West Side Little League of Hamilton posted an 8-0 shutout on Sunday afternoon, then the Kentucky team of Eastern Little League of Lexington won 6-1 on Monday afternoon.

Those two teams, along with the Illinois representative Clarendon LL of Clarendon Hills, are still alive for the Great Lakes Regional championship, with that title team advancing to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, starting in about a week.

Here is a rundown on Negaunee’s two games:

Ohio 8, Negaunee 0

On Sunday, five Negaunee pitchers couldn’t hold Hamilton West Side at bay.

Nathan Harvala, the pitching hero in the Michigan state tournament with two complete-game wins, went the first three innings and allowed six runs — all earned — on eight hits as he walked four and struck out three.

He was followed by Gavin Hermes, Thomas Dix, Kalen Johnson and Evan Cardinal, each getting between one and three outs. That quartet combined to allow two runs on two hits and three walks while fanning three.

Ohio starter Jordan Malloy went the distance, giving up five singles and a walk as he K’d 10.

Cardinal, Harvala, Dix, Bazil Hill and Maddox Halamka each had a single for Negaunee, while Preston Baker paced Ohio with three hits and two RBIs.

The Hamilton team scored three runs in the third, sandwiched around single-run innings in the first, second and fourth. The winners also plated two final runs in the sixth.

“It was combination of our team having to settle its nerves at the start, and this Ohio team was really a good program,” Dost said. “They’ve made 22 regional appearances over the years.”

Kentucky 6, Negaunee 1

On Monday, Harvala gave the Upper Peninsula representatives a shot in the arm with his solo home run with one out in the bottom of the first inning.

But Negaunee managed just three more hits while committing three errors in the field.

“We didn’t play as cleanly on defense as we needed to and gave up too many walks,” Dost said about the 11 bases on balls issued.

Dix started on the mound for Negaunee and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing five runs — but just two earned — on three hits and five walks as he struck out two.

Cardinal followed with 1 2/3 innings, allowing an earned run on two hits and three walks as he fanned three, while Johnson also put in 1 2/3 innings, giving up no runs on a hit and three walks as he K’d three.

Cardinal, Johnson and Dix had hits later on after Harvala’s blast.

Kentucky scored twice in the top of the first before Harvala’s homer pulled the Yoopers within 2-1. But Lexington Eastern added a run in the second and two more in the third for a 5-1 lead, then got its final run in the fifth.

Kentucky starter Sawyer Mizell went two innings, allowing a run on three hits and a walk as he struck out two, while Levi Forester went the final four innings, giving up just one hit and a walk as he K’d four.

Henry Kretz was Lexington’s top batter with two hits.

Story contents based on a phone call with Negaunee manager Joe Dost. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.