The Goodrich baseball team’s dream season ended just short of their ultimate objective.
Three errors cost the Martians in their Division III state semifinal game against second-ranked Morley Stanwood June 13 at Bailey Park in Battle Creek. Although they had their chances in the latter part of the game, Goodrich fell to Morley Stanwood 4-3, ending the Martians? season.
Goodrich finished with the most wins in school history, earning a final record of 35-6.
Morley Stanwood advanced to the championship game June 14 at Bailey Park, where they lost to Blissfield 3-1.
The Martians were without senior pitcher Michael McCormick, who did not start because of a sore back that he pitched with during the Martians? quarterfinal win against Vassar, according to Coach Bob Foreback.
However, senior Kori Garman was equal to the task for Goodrich, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out four. Jeremy Kellogg picked up the win for the Mohawks.
‘There really wasn’t any one thing that cost us the game,? Foreback said. ‘We had six mistakes, and they had only one. We had two baserunning errors, three errors and two bunts that weren’t executed.?
The Martians took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jason Grimes hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Kirk Elsworth, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning.
Morley Stanwood rallied in the bottom of the third. After a one-out single by Kellogg, Brent Beemer reached on an error. Brenton Gold then hit a three-run homer to put Stanwood up 3-1.
In the fourth inning, the Martians committed back-to-back errors with two outs. Nate Wernette singled and scored when the next two hitters reached base on infield grounders, putting Morley Stanwood up 4-1.
The Martians rallied for two runs in the top of the fifth, scoring on two hits, a walk and a hit batter. Max Bell’s two-run double scored Grimes and Garman. However, Bell ran too far past third on a two-out single by Brent Koss, and was tagged out trying to get back to third, ending the Goodrich threat.
Goodrich would have opportunities in each of the next two innings to try and tie the game. In the sixth, two Goodrich runners reached base on an error and hit by pitch. Ryan Hopp then relieved Kellogg for Morley Stanwood, and he retired the next three Goodrich batters on back-to-back fielder’s choices and a flyout to end the inning.
Goodrich made one last gasp with two out in the seventh. Bell hit a double with two out, but Koss flew out to left to end the game.
After the game, Foreback reminded the team of what they had accomplished.
‘I told them to be proud of themselves,? he said. ‘They had the most wins in Goodrich history. I think the difficult thing for the kids was we believed we could go further. It just wasn’t our year.?
The Martians are losing a significant part of their team to graduation. In addition to McCormick (headed for the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship), a first team all-state member, and Garman, a second team all-state member, five other players ? Aaron Cheney, Jason Grimes, Matt Hatchew, Brent Koss, and Luke Seymour ? are graduating.
Foreback hopes the lessons the younger players learned from the departing seniors will benefit the Martians next season. ‘We’ll be going back to teaching fundamentals,? he said.