South Rallies To Win Legion All-Star Game The American Legion Baseball season came to an end in the Upper Peninsula on Wednesday as the Mid Peninsula League held its annual All-Star game at Haley Field in Marquette. The North team was made up of 12 boys from the Marquette Blues, Marquette Reds, Negaunee, and Ishpeming. The South team was made up of kids from Gladstone, Iron Mountain, Kingsford, and Channing. The South played with only nine boys when the Channing kids did not show up for the game. The North had a 5-1 lead in the seventh inning, but the South rallied to score eight runs in the final three innings for a 9-6 win. Gladstone Indians' Matt Weyers pitched two scoreless innings to earn the save and had an RBI single. Teammate Cody Darling had a hit, scored a run, and turned a double play. Iron Mountain Golds' Kevin Kowalkowski and Negaunee Diamonds' Dusty Goupille were chosen as the MVP's.

Gladstone Eliminated At League Tournament                 Gladstone's Paul Tomaszewski (10) tries to get a tag on a steal by Channing's Kenny Pekarek Saturday. Cody Darling watches. (Rand Hruska photo) CHANNING----The Gladstone Indians dropped their first game of the Mid Peninsula League Tournament on Saturday, losing to last-place Channing, 5-3. The top-seeded Indians had defeated the Railroaders all four times during the regular season. Channing ended up losing to Kingsford, 3-0, in the southern division title game. Marquette beat Ishpeming, 7-1, in the northern division title game. Ishpeming had upset Negaunee, 6-4, earlier in the day. The Mid Pen League Title Game was held on Sunday in Channing, with Marquette topping Kingsford, 8-2. Gladstone's record is now 24-19. American Legion Statement On Paperwork LANSING---This statement was E-Mailed by the Michigan American Legion on Friday regarding the paperwork issues that has led to Escanaba, Gladstone, Menominee, Iron Mountain, and 15 downstate teams being denied post-season play this summer: The American Legion, Department of Michigan stands by the decision to adhere to the June 27th document submission deadline and will not allow 19 teams to enter the 2011 American Legion State Baseball Tournament. We recognize that the coaches' decision to submit paperwork past the deadline will affect many young boys in the state. The American Legion Baseball program was not created, "just to teach baseball". During the planning stages of this year's program, great care was used to ensure every person who registered a team was provided with notification of the deadlines and the baseball program rules. The American Legion Department of Michigan Baseball program needs all of the paperwork items filed on time to cover liability issues that may arise. Teams that have been conducting practices prior to submission of a complete roster and the parent consent forms place the American Legion Department of Michigan at legal jeopardy. EJECTED BY PAPERWORK                     Escanaba Cubs' Jared Dagenais (left) and Gladstone Indians' Cody Darling (right) will both miss out on a chance to play for U.P. and state championships this summer. The American Legion has kicked both teams out of post-season play. The two boys are pictured here during Wednesday's Escanaba vs Gladstone game at Al Ness Field. (Lisa Dagenais photos). LANSING---The Michigan Department of the American Legion has declared four Upper Peninsula teams ineligible for the U.P. Zone Tournament, and for the state tournament in Hudson, because they didn't get their paperwork to Lansing before the June 26 deadline. The Escanaba Cubs, Gladstone Indians, Iron Mountain Golds, and Menominee Red Wave were all informed on Wednesday that their appeals of a previous ruling were denied. The teams filled out their on-line forms, but did not get the signed hard copies of the kids' ages and other information to Lansing before the deadline. Escanaba Manager Tom Ohman was not shy to give his opinion. "I'm thoroughly disgusted," the longtime manager said. "They switched to the computer system two years ago, supposedly to make it easier. Back when we did everything by paper, you'd turn everything in, and you'd get a letter back in the mail stating that you missed something. And they'd give you ten days to correct it.  "Why wasn't there anything here? On the computer, they could have sent a message saying 'you've got one day to fix it'." Ohman, who has coached for 29 years, was just getting started. He pointed out that 19 teams across Michigan are being kicked out of zone and state tournaments because of paperwork problems. "I don't know what the State of Michigan thinks it's doing," Ohman said. "We don't have enough teams as it is. You look at Wisconsin and Minnesota and they have over 300-some teams. We have 55 in Michigan, and 19 are gone now. And now the U.P. tournament will have seven teams, so that's watered-down." Ohman continued to vent, after his team gave up four runs in the seventh inning to lose to Gladstone, 6-3. And he laid the blame for the situation at the feet of American Legion Baseball Chairman Don Hudon of Menominee. "I've got 30 years of dealing with that man, and I can't believe what he has done," Ohman said. "He doesn't like the U.P. tournament, and he is finding ways to hurt it. He won't tell the truth about it, but I'm sure he's got a big part in this."  "It's sad," Ohman continued. "I thought that this game was supposed to be about the kids. And now, we've got a little bit of paperwork, and the adults are stepping in and taking it away from the kids." Ohman ended his rant with a question: "if you have 55 teams, and 19 of them don't complete the system the way they want, don't you think that maybe there's something wrong with their system?" Gladstone Manager Dennis Darling was a bit more diplomatic than Ohman was, but he was equally upset about the decision. "It is extremely heartbreaking," Darling said. "My heart just kind of sank to my gut when I saw their letter. It's one of those things where I think the kids should have the opportunity to play in the Zone Tournament. When that was taken away, it's left me kind of PO'd, and sad at the same time. It's not right to hurt the kids like that." Darling's son, Cody, is a 19-year-old who now has his final season shortened. He was devastated by Wednesday's news. "I can't even explain it," Cody said. "It makes me furious. I don't know what went wrong. I know we should have had it (paperwork) in a long time ago." Escanaba 18-year-old Ian Serrer was also devastated by the news. "It hasn't even sunk in yet," Serrer said. "It really hurts." Ohman says he will try to organize a tournament at Al Ness Field with the four teams who were booted from the Zone Tournament, on the days when the Zone's are being held. We will post the information on this tournament when it is set up on this web page.

DOWN TO THE WIRE AGAIN                       Escanaba's Ian DeMarse tries to get back to first base, but is tagged out by Gladstone first baseman Adam Hongisto Wednesday. (Lisa Dagenais photo) ESCANABA---The Gladstone Indians scored four runs in the fifth inning to rally past the Escanaba Cubs, 6-3, Wednesday night at Al Ness Field. The Indians took advantage of three walks and two throwing errors, and Cody Darling's bloop double just out of the reach of Cub center fielder Austin Young provided the final margin. "It's fitting, I don't know what else to say," Escanaba Manager Tom Ohman said. "It's been a very difficult season. I still say that this team is a lot better than the way that they've been playing, but we get a couple of mental breakdowns and don't make the play." The game happened just hours after both the Cubs and Indians learned that they had been kicked out of both the Zone and State Tournaments because required paperwork was not turned in by a June 27 deadline. (read separate story below about that issue) For most of the game, it was a typcial Esky-Gladstone battle, and this one was highlighted by good pitching. Escanaba's Trent Schwalbach and Gladstone's Cody Darling both had control of their pitches, and runs were tough to come by all night long. Gladstone took a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Matt Weyers got a one-out single. Colin O'Neal's bunt attempt was not a good one, but he reached first anyway when Schwalbach's throw got away. Then Darling put down a perfect bunt up the first base line to load the bases. "It was rolling on the chalk the whole time," he laughed. <<The ball is rolling on Darling's bunt. Paul Tomaszewski singled home the first run, and a sacrafice fly by Jared Stenson made it a 2-0 Indians lead. Escanaba got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Matt Jensen singled and Alex DeHaan doubled. Jensen scored on a sacrafice fly to make it 2-1. But in the fifth inning, they did. This game was played under modified rules, which had a ten-man batting order rather than nine, and there were more liberal re-entry rules. Well, Escanaba's #10 hitter was Bailey Lamb, who was 0-for-15 this year as a Cub. Lamb got his first Cubs hit in style Wednesday, launching a long home run over the 340 sign in center field to tie the game at 2-2. "I took the pitch before and it was right down the middle, and I looked over at Coach (Jon) Bintner and he just shook his head," Lamb said. "I knew I had to do something to make up for that, so the next pitch, he (Darling) threw it right down the middle, I put my head down, and just hit it as hard as I could." "We're gonna write to the State of Michigan and see if we can have a #10 hitter from now on," Ohman said. "He dropped the head on it. It was a great hit for Bailey." Then, as he rounded third base on his first-ever Cubs base hit, and first-ever home run, Lamb had something to say to Bintner. "I just 'sorry'," Lamb said. "And he didn't know why I was saying that. I was just saying 'sorry' for taking that pitch before."  The next man up, Young, ripped a line drive home run to left field. All of a sudden, it was a 3-2 Cubs lead, with two bombs. "I didn't know if Austin's had enough heighth to get over the fence,  because it was just a laser," Ohman said. "It was a nice hit." "Two pitches right down the middle," Cody Darling said. "Oops! My curveball wasn't working as well as I wanted it to today, so I think I threw it maybe six or seven times, and none for a strike, either." So, Darling was lifted for Blake Ballard, and the 16-year-old pitcher responded, striking out the next two men he faced, and pitching a scoreless sixth inning. Matt Jensen scores an Esky run as Indian catcher Cody Frazer waits for a throw. >>> Then came the top of the seventh, as Schwalbach looked for the final three outs to end the ballgame. The seventh started with Ballard walking on a 3-2 pitch. "I thought that Trent had him struck out on the curveball," Ohman said. "But it got called a ball, and that's the umpire, you can't blame him. It switched the momentum, but we made a lot of mistakes." Peyton Jurek followed with a bunt, and Schwalbach's throw was poor, putting two men on base. Cooper Young grounded out (after Cubs catcher Ian Serrer had tried to intentionally walk Young, but was overrruled by assistant coach Jon Bintner after the first two balls were thrown). Then, Adam Hongisto put down a squeeze bunt to score the tying run, and on the play, Schwalbach's throw to the plate got away again, allowing Jurek to also score. Schwalbach then walked Weyers and O'Neal to re-load the bases. Darling made him pay with a blooper just out of Young's reach in center. <<<Escanaba's Alex DeHaan takes a big swing Wednesday. Two runs scored on gthat play, and the Indians had taken a 6-3 lead. Young came on to pitch and got the final two outs for the Cubs to stop the bleeding. In the bottom of the seventh, Ballard got the first two batters, but then he hit both Young and David Falish with pitches. With the tying run at the plate, Ballard got Justyn Doucette to fly out to end it. "That's the way it's been all year," Ohman said. "We just can't get that big, two-out, clutch hit." (You can hear radio replays of Lamb's and Young's home runs, and the play in the seventh inning that won it for Gladstone, by clicking the 'GLADSTONE 6, ESCANABA 3' button on the left side of this page)                   Gladstone's Cody Frazer dives into first base but is called out by umpire Nick Nolde. Below: the Indians huddle up between innings during Wednesday night's game at Al Ness Field. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Indians Win Make-Up Game In Iron Mtn.  Peyton Jurek had two hits Tuesday night as the Indians beat Iron Mountain, 7-5, at Ranger Field. Face Esky Wednesday IRON MOUNTAIN---The game wasn't on the schedule 24 hours before it began, but the Gladstone Indians and Iron Mountain Golds made up an earlier rainout Tuesday night at Ranger Field. Matt Weyers pitched a complete game three-hitter as the Indians topped the Iron Mountain Golds, 7-5, to sew up the Mid Pen League's South Division championship. A second game between the two teams that was rained out back on May 14 will not be played. Peyton Jurek and Paul Tomaszewski each had two base hits to lead the Indians to the win. The Indians also stole eight bases, and took advantage of four Iron Mountain errors. Weyers improved to 7-6 on the mound this season. He walked six batters and struck out three in seven innings of work. Adam Gerhard took the loss for Iron Mountain. Gladstone (23-18) travels to Escanaba Wednesday night to face the Cubs. Game time is 8:00.

2011 Gladstone Indians Schedule

Date	Result	Opponent	Record
April 25 April 30 April 30 May 4 May 14 May 14 May 15 May 15 May 17 May 20 May 20 May 21 May 21 May 22 May 22 May 31 May 31 June 2 June 4 June 4 June 5 June 5 June 6 June 9 June 10 June 11 June 11 June 12 June 12 June 15 June 15 June 18 June 18 June 19 June 24 June 24 June 25 June 25 June 28 June 29 July 8 July 9 July 9 July 12 July 13 July 16	L, 3-10 W, 15-4 W, 9-4 W, 18-3 Postponed Postponed W, 9-2 L, 1-12 L, 7-8 W, 12-1 W, 9-3 W, 12-1 W, 7-5 W, 19-7 W, 6-3 L, 9-11 L, 0-5 W, 8-1 W, 12-1 W, 18-2 W, 4-3 W, 4-3 Postponed W, 19-1 L, 1-5 L, 4-5 L, 0-10 L, 2-3 W, 9-8 L, 9-10 L, 2-3 W, 4-1 W, 7-6 L, 1-7 L, 3-8 W, 9-1 L, 1-12 L, 3-6 W, 17-9 W, 13-3 L, 1-4 L, 3-11 L, 9-12 W, 7-5 W, 6-3 L, 3-5	ESCANABA HIGH at Kingsford at Kingsford at Marquette High School at Iron Mountain at Iron Mountain SAULT CANADA SAULT CANADA at Menominee MARQUETE HIGH MARQUETTE HIGH at Hancock at Hancock at Channing at Channing at Escanaba High at Escanaba High MARQUETTE BLUES MARQUETTE REDS MARQUETTE REDS KINGSFORD KINGSFORD at Marquette Blues at Ishpeming at DePere, Wis. at Oconto Falls, Wis. at Oconto Falls, Wis. IRON MOUNTAIN IRON MOUNTAIN at Negaunee at Negaunee CHANNING CHANNING MENOMINEE DE PERE (Tourney) EASTERN U.P. (Tourny) KIMBERLY (Tourney) KINGSFORD (Tourney) ESCANABA ISHPEMING Wausau (@Kimberly) Hortonville (@Kimberly) Neenah (@Kimberly) at Iron Mountain at Escanaba Cubs at Channing (Tourney)	0-1 1-1 2-1 3-1 Rain Rain 4-1 4-2 4-3 5-3 6-3 7-3 8-3 9-3 10-3 10-4 10-5 11-5 12-5 13-5 14-5 15-5 Rain 16-5 16-6 16-7 16-8 16-9 17-9 17-10 17-11 18-11 19-11 19-12 19-13 20-13 20-14 20-15 21-15 22-15 22-16 22-17 22-18 23-18 24-18 24-19