Hurons top Hillman in baseball pre-district
It?s on to the district semifinals for the Huron baseball team after a 5-0 win over Hillman Tuesday in Onaway. The Hurons took advantage of some sloppy play by Hillman, combining it with timely hitting and a solid performance by Cody Wenzel on the mound to chalk up the win. Wenzel stymied the Tigers all game long mixing a variety of fastballs with a deceptive curve to limit the Tigers to just one hit. He struck out five and didn?t walk a batter as his defense played solid behind him as well.
WITH A GAME under their belt in tournament play, coach Howard Madsen says his team has an advantage coming into Saturday?s 10 a.m. game with Onaway. ?The other teams are at a disadvantage because they haven?t played a game,? he said. Madsen said the key to winning was the Hurons? quick start. ?It?s very important to score first like we did today,? he said. The Hurons got three in the second inning to give Wenzel a lead to work with. Rogers City couldn?t take advantage of two Hillman dropped pop ups in the first inning, but came back strong in the second.
IN THE FIFTH, Rogers City added two more to give a cushion heading into the last two innings. With Wenzel on second with two out, Chris Rhode bounced a hit under the glove of the Hillman shortstop to score Wenzel. Rhode got a big lead and stole second base to get into scoring position. He went into second base standing up. Senior catcher Ben Basel stepped up and ripped a double into right field to score Rhode with the fifth run. Wenzel set down the side in the sixth and seventh to seal the game.
ROGERS CITY, which split a doubleheader with Onaway last month, has a chance to get a measure of revenge against the Cardinals. The winner of the Onaway vs. Rogers City game will play the winner of the noon game between Atlanta and Posen. The championship game is set for 2 p.m. The winner of the district tournament will advance to the regional tournament at Pellston June 11.