The catch by Magglio Ordonez to end the Tigers? game last night wasn’t the only memorable flyout to right field yesterday.
About four hours earlier, Lake Orion’s Matt Truscott made a similar catch, one that ensured the Dragons a place this weekend at Bailey Park in Battle Creek, as part of the final four festivities for high school baseball in the state of Michigan.
The Dragons advanced by topping West Bloomfield 3-2 at Madison Heights Bishop Foley, getting clutch hits from the bottom of their lineup to score all three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and erase a 2-0 deficit.
The two-out rally against West Bloomfield junior ace Drew Pyles began with a Mike Musary double and Ross Tonyan getting hit by a pitch.
After the pair advanced to second and third on a botched pickoff attempt, Brandon Riggsbee hit a single up the middle to score two runs. Riggsbee advanced all the way to third on an error by Lakers? centerfielder Eugene Vinogradov.
Two pitches later, Jake Gaudard smacked a double that scored Riggsbee and gave the Dragons all they would need to get to Battle Creek.
‘I just told them that those might be the two biggest at bats in the history of our program,? Coach Andy Schramek said.
Riggsbee’s at bat was particularly big, as he fouled off a half-dozen pitches in a row, with two strikes, before putting the ball in play.
‘He threw a couple of outside pitches and I fouled them off,? Riggsbee said. ‘I knew that if I got one inside and just put one up the middle, we’d get some runs.?
For Gaudard, who was solid behind the plate all season as the team’s catcher, getting the winning hit was a great feeling.
‘He didn’t have the start to the season that he wanted to at the plate and we took a couple of at bats away from him during the season,? Schramek said.
But, as the seniors have all playoffs long, Gaudard stepped up at just the right time.
‘I couldn’t leave my team hanging out there with a guy at third and two outs,? he said.
Pyles had thrown just 35 pitches through four innings, facing the minimum number of batters before Musary’s hit.
Josh Deeg started the game for the Dragons and was relieved by Jon Ruggeri, who pitched the final 2 and 2/3 innings without allowing a hit.
The big defensive play came with one out in the top-half of the fifth inning, with one out and the bases loaded.
Ruggeri snared a chopper back to the mound with his bare hand and started a home to first double play to get out of the jam.
‘I don’t know why,? Ruggeri said of his decision to grab the ball with his throwing hand. ‘I just made the play. I didn’t really pay attention.?
‘We had a situation where we could have broken the game wide open,? West Bloomfield Coach Pat Watson said. ‘But Ruggeri made a great play. He barehanded the ball, threw home and the catcher made a great throw to first.?
The Dragons will take on Brighton at Bailey Park’s Morrison Field at 3 p.m. on Friday. Farmington and Grandville will meet in the other semifinal.
Game notes
*This was Lake Orion’s fourth time in the state quarterfinals, but first victory in Schramek’s tenure. Though the coach said the idea of ‘pressure? on the team might have been a little exaggerated.
‘In 2000 and 2002, these kids were in elementary school, and then last year we had a lot of young kids,? he said.
Still, the players knew what was at stake.
‘I couldn’t describe a better feeling than this,? Tonyan said. ‘This is the game that no one could get by and we finally got by it. It takes a little bit of the pressure off. We can just go out and have fun.?
‘They jumped out 2-0 and we started thinking we haven’t had the luck in the quarterfinals,? Riggsbee said. ‘We just kept battling and thinking ‘hey, we’re going to turn this curse around.??
‘We all knew that we were going to get there sometime,? Gaudard added.
*The win was the Dragons? third consecutive come-from-behind effort, and the offense has responded well all season long when faced with a deficit ? including their largest of the postseason on Tuesday.
‘We just focus on getting them little by little, getting some singles and coming back bit by bit,? Riggsbee said.
*Connor Mielock started in centerfield for the Dragons, just a few days after it appeared his season might be over because of an injured wrist.
Schramek didn’t rule out the possibility of Mielock even pitching a few innings in the semis or finals.
‘We’re going to wait and see,? he said. ‘The doctor said it’s up to him? and me.?
‘He’s got a really hard slider. That might be a little too much.?
*Many members of the coaching community were happy to see Schramek finally break the quarterfinal ‘hex,? including Watson, who gave the Dragon coach a big hug after the game.
‘My hat’s off to those guys,? Watson said. ‘Andy’s a great guy and I hope they do well. If we weren’t going to win it, I wanted to see them.?
*West Bloomfield finished at 24-15, with three of their losses coming to Lake Orion, though Tuesday’s game was much closer than the previous two.
*In spite of his success at the helm in the past nine seasons, Schramek said the moment of advancing to the semis was all about his players.
‘This is not about any other teams, this is not about me,? he said. ‘It’s about this group of kids and their effort. I’m really proud of the effort they’ve put forth all season long.?
But the coach promised that his team wasn’t finished yet.
‘We’re happy to go, but this isn’t a field trip,? Schramek said. ‘We’re trying to bring back a trophy for our community and our team and our school. This is what they’ve played for their whole lives. This is their goal, not to get to Battle Creek but to do something when we got there.?
*The Dragons improved to 3-0 with their new blonde look.
‘Some of them took it a little too far,? Schramek said of the hair. ‘They’ve got some stripes and numbers carved into them, but they’re a team.?
When asked when he would join in on the fun, Schramek said, ‘I’m not going to dye my goatee blonde.?
*Look for more updates on the team right here at www.lakeorionreview.com, including a look at the other three teams in the final four tomorrow.