Friday’s baseball district final between Clarkston and Auburn Hills Avondale was all about momentum. The Yellow Jackets had plenty coming off an 8-7 win over Waterford Mott in the semifinals, where sophomore Steve Bohne hit a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh to win. The Wolves made their way into the finals much easier, with a three-inning 19-0 route of Pontiac Central.
The Yellow Jackets (20-11) were able to carry the energy into the first inning nearly an hour after an elating victory, knocking Clarkston (15-18) starter Josh Hall for nine runs in the first inning. The Wolves pecked away at the lead with a run in the second and two in the third, but exploded for seven runs on seven hits in the fourth inning to tie the game at 10 runs apiece.
After late rallies by both teams, the Wolves came just one run shy of pushing the game to extra innings, 18-17.
‘The momentum just carried right over in that first inning where we scored nine runs,? Avondale coach Tom Kurczewski said.
‘It’s not surprising, but at the same time the way the game turned out, (it) was a rollercoaster.?
For the Yellow Jackets, their first year playing in division I proved to be fruitful as they claimed their first district championship since 2002. Avondale returns to Clarkston this weekend to play in the regional playoffs.
‘Coming into this year I thought we had a pretty good squad, but we got off to a poor start in OAA III,? Kurczewski said.
‘Once we fell out (of contention) we played up and down all year. I kept telling the guys they had a second chance in districts.?
Seven errors in the first inning broke the Wolves? backs, Clarkston coach Phil Price said.
‘It was some timely hitting and some poor defense in the field for them and for us. We can’t afford to do that. You can’t afford to give a team four, five, six or 10 outs an inning. We gave them 10 outs in that first inning. You can’t do that,? he said.
‘I was proud of the kids, they fought back and battled. They dug themselves a pretty big hole and they came back. This was one of our better-hitting games.?
Josh Lawrence came in and steadied Clarkston’s ship in the second inning, allowing two runs over the next four innings to keep the Wolves in a position to rally.
‘He did an extremely good job. He pitched three innings on Tuesday, so I felt he gave us a great opportunity to get back in the game,? Price said.
‘He came in and shut the door on them and really gave us a chance to get back in the game. He pitched really well.?
With a seven run fourth inning, the Wolves essentially made the game a new, three-inning affair, Kurczewski said.
Leading 11-10 in the sixth inning, the Yellow Jackets managed to crack Lawrence after Ryan Ahern led off the inning with a double. Nick Shamoun came to the mound and found trouble immediately. He walked Donovan Rigel on four pitches and Bohne’s successful bunt loaded the bases. Shamoun then walked Caleb Tift to score a run. Bo Thomas? RBI double to right field scored Rigel and Bohne for a 14-10 Avondale advantage.
Alexander Carter relieved Shamoun with no Yellow Jackets out and Avondale scored four more runs before the inning was over.
‘When you give up nine runs in the first inning, that’s tough to battle back from,? Price said.
‘Eventually we chipped away and had a big inning of our own and that put us right back in the game. (But) then we opened the door for them.?
In the home half of the sixth, Richie Woods led off with a double and Joey Preston scored him on a single in the next at bat. Brandon Harris reached base on a Yellow Jackets? error and Eric Ogg loaded the bases. Steve Harvey’s bloop single to right field scored Harris? pinch-runner Cody Noel. Kurczewski brought in Bohne to pitch and he struck out Hall and Taylor for the first two outs of the inning.
Shamoun was walked with the bases loaded to make the game 18-13.
After Joel Lange’s infield RBI single, Woods had a two-RBI single of his own to close the gap to two runs, 18-16. Joey Preston scored Lange with an RBI single before Noel lined out to Austin Hill at second base to end the rally.
Hall came back from playing right field to the mound in the seventh inning and Avondale couldn’t get anything started.
Ogg flied out in an attempt to start another Clarkston rally in the seventh inning. Harvey gave them signs of life with an infield single, but Hall flew out and Taylor grounded out to first base to end the game.
Kurczewski felt the Yellow Jackets visit to Clarkston in a late-season 10-1 loss allowed them to get a bead on Hall, the Wolves starting pitcher who had 11 strikeouts in that game.
‘We knew what he was all about. Guys were ready right at the beginning of the (first) inning. (Clarkston) made some errors in the inning, but we hit pretty well,? Kurczewski said.