Schoolcraft Little League wins district title

The 9-10-11 baseball District 15 Championship was held July 21 at Schoolcraft’s Swan Park. The top two teams, Schoolcraft Eagles and the Dowagiac Chiefs, met in their final game. The Eagles were up to bat first and left a runner stranded on first when Dowagiac got the 3rd out. The Chiefs’ first 2 batters had hits and were on base when the 3rd batter got hit by a pitch, giving Dowagiac bases loaded with no outs. The Eagles were able to get the next 3 batters out, holding Dowagiac scoreless.

Callon Knee drove in the first run for the Eagles with a line drive right up the middle with 2 outs, bringing in TJ Glasheen. But then a deep fly ball was caught, stranding 2 Eagles on the bases. In the bottom of the third inning, the Eagles’ pitcher shut down the Chiefs: 3 up. 3 down.

The Eagles found some gaps in the Chiefs infield and were able to stretch their lead to 4-0 in the top of the 4th inning. With good hitting and base running, the Chiefs kept putting the ball in play. The Eagles had some errors which helped the Chiefs close the gap. Dowagiac drove in 3 runs, making the score 4-3 in the top of the 5th inning. 

The Eagles were able to add a run to the score but left 3 stranded on the bases. Chiefs tried in the bottom of the 5th to overtake the lead, but weren’t able to add any runs. In the top of the 6th, The Eagles added 1 run, making the score 6-3. In the bottom of the 6th, the Chiefs were able to put a couple runners on base, but the Eagles defense came up strong to win the District 15 Championship.

The team then headed to Grosse Pointe to compete in the state championship where they were eventually eliminated. Fourteen championship district teams met in Grosse Pointe. Schoolcraft hoped to defeat 3 teams in pool play and advance to bracket play. Each team was guaranteed to play 3 games. The Eagles took on Richmond in their first game. Richmond was just too strong for the Eagles and gave them their first loss, 11-0. Schoolcraft then faced Tecumseh and again fell short, losing 7-1. In their last game, Schoolcraft faced Chelsea, who handed the Eagles their 3rd and final loss with a score of 10-5.

The Eagles roster included Barrett Hall, Callon Knee, Chance Burton, Grayson Moore, Keeland Culver, Levi Clum, Liam Wilson, Marshall Yunker, Ryland DeVisser, TJ Glasheen, Ty Ferency and Wesley Bogard. The team was Coached by Scott Bogard, Chad Yunker and Nate DeVisser.