Manistee Saints win National Amateur Baseball Federation regional championship and advance to NABF World Series

By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com

MANISTEE — Flirting with danger, defending National Amateur Baseball Federation regional champion Manistee Saints emerged from the losing group to sweep a pair of games, 7-3 and 11-1, from the Flint Legends in the title round on Saturday. afternoon on Kliber Field in Rietz. To park.

The Saints had put themselves in the position of needing to win two games on Saturday to secure the title when they rallied from a 6-0 deficit to tie the game, 7-7 to lose it in the end, 11-9 against the Legends in Game 3 on Friday.

“We knew we were going to have a long day,” Saints player/coach Roddy MacNeil said. “We had a double dive, so the fact that we were able to do it and win both…I think going out that way was a great way to wrap up the season.

“There was a resilience. They (the Legends) were not going to be easy in this second game. It was a one-run game until the fourth inning, when once again one of our guys got a big hit with two timely outs.

“Alex (Schmitt, of Traverse City) did a great job of keeping them (the Legends hitters) off balance and got a lot of weak outs. After that three-run home run, he threw a zero up there. It was kind of a back breaker.

Manistee jumped over the Legends for a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a two-out, two-run single by Dominic Palamara (Traverse City).

But, the Legends halved the Saints’ lead with what turned out to be their only run of the game in the bottom half, and that’s where it was until the start of the fourth.

An early walk to Tommy Reid (East Jordan) was followed by a single from Sam Schmitt (Traverse City), before Danny Passinault (Traverse City) fired a three-point shot to the short porch into right field to send the Saints to a 5-1 lead.

They would never look back, finishing the game with six points in the fifth and Schmitt shut down the Legends in the bottom half to end it on the mercy rule.

“Obviously we expected to do it and we wanted to repeat (as regional champions),” MacNeil said.

“Every pre-season when you look at the goals and what you’re trying to do, that’s the one we were looking for.

“Even though we have young guys, they were able to gel and were able to find it, and we were able to put this one together.”

Photo courtesy of LSJ photographer Greg Gielczyk

Schmitt, who improved to 3-1 this season, threw an excellent two hits with two strikeouts and walked just one. He was also the winner of Thursday’s opener, a 1-0 shutout against the Midland Tribe when he recorded 11 strikeouts.

The pitcher/outfielder also contributed six hits during the three-day tournament and totaled 12 bases on six walks, earning him the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.

Manistee finished the game shortened with eight hits, with Passinault leading the scoring with three and four RBIs, as well as a run scored. Palamara had three RBIs and Jake Finkbeiner (Saline) two.

Kyle Gorski (Rapid City), a veteran right-hander, pitched 4 2/3 shutout innings in Game 1 before injuring his shoulder and having to come out after giving up just two hits, striking out a pair and having walked one.

MacNeil turned to third baseman Tommy Reid (Traverse City), and he finished the game, allowing six hits while striking out five to increase the victory in relief.

Alex Strickland (Traverse City) hit his team-leading seventh home run with a solo shot in the sixth, and Sam Schmitt finished the game 3 for 5 while Finkbeiner went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and scored twice himself. Passinault drove in two runs and scored two while going 2 for 4 and Lucas Richardson (Manistee) also drove in a run.

“We had a lot of guys who saw the ball well today,” added MacNeil. “Obviously they wanted to set the tone, and they wanted to jump on it early, and they did.

“Our guys had a good execution, so we’ve got a guy like Alex Schmitt ready for Game 2. Even, you know, Tommy Reid and Dylan Bates (who pitched a Game 2 inning), who are normally guys from position for us, stepped up and ate a few innings.

“In a tournament like this, guys like that can really help you in a pinch, and we find we have guys who can really produce that way too.”

The Saints, who improved to 25-12 this season, are scheduled to play their first NABF Major Division World Series game in pool Thursday against regional champion Brooklyn, NY at 11 a.m. at Nichols Field in Battle Creek. .