Shopper_6_20_24_

42 Thursday, June 20, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

Lakeview High senior catcher Zach Kucharczyk (pictured), along with his
twin brother Jake, were among the Spartan leaders this season. Both will be
playing at Kellogg CC starting this fall. (Shopper News photo by Will Kowalski)

WILL KOWALSKI
Sports Editor/Asst. Editor

The prep baseball teams from Gull
Lake, Lakeview and Harper Creek
high schools were the last local
squads standing during this spring’s
Michigan High School Athletic
Association postseason tournament.

• In MHSAA Division 2, coach
  Reggie Walters’ unranked Gull Lake
  contingent won district and regional
  tourney titles and then prevailed in
  the quarterfinal round before being
  eliminated 5-2 last Friday (June 14)
  by No. 15-ranked Spring Lake in
  the state semifinal round in a game
  played at Drayton McLane Stadium
  at Michigan State University.


• Also in Division 2, coach Jason
  Miller’s No. 11-ranked Harper Creek

Blue Devils, Spartans, Beavers complete prep baseball campaigns

First-year Harper Creek head coach

Jason Miller and Beavers infielder

Braxton Liss (24) survey a possible

scoring situation while at third base

this past season. (Shopper News photo by

Will Kowalski)

team won a district crown and was

then eliminated in the regional semi-

final round 5-2 by Ionia in a contest

played June 5 at Coldwater High.

• And, in Division 1, coach
  Kyle Kracht’s unranked Lakeview
  Spartans won a district champion-
  ship, but were then eliminated in the
  regional semifinal round on June 6
  in Grand Ledge by No. 18-ranked
  Okemos by a score of 9-6.
  In a moment, more information
  about GL’s, HC’s and LHS’s post-
  season tournament runs will appear.
  But first, here’s a rundown of last
  Saturday’s (June 15) state title game
  scores at MSU:


• Division 1: No. 3-ranked
  Northville (31-7) 2, No. 1-ranked

See BASEBALL on 43

Electrical • Heating • Cooling

466 Main St. Battle Creek, MI • 963-7910

http://www.simselectricinc.com • [email protected]

Call Sims Electric Knoll’s... We Have The Solution!

We Install GENERATORS

ELECTRIC

MEMO

Did you lose power?

Are you tired of losing power?

Are you tired of losing all your food when you lose power?

Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (43-

2) 1.

• Division 2: No. 1-ranked Flint
  Powers Catholic (34-6) 4, No.
  4-ranked Trenton (30-11-1) 3, 8
  innings.


• Division 3: No. 8-ranked
  Watervliet (31-7) 9, No. 15-ranked
  Jackson Lumen Christi (30-11) 1.


• Division 4: No. 1-ranked Beal
  City (32-7) 10, No. 10-ranked
  Norway (28-4-1) 0, 5 innings.
  GULL LAKE
  The Blue Devils of the SMAC
  league finished the campaign with
  an overall record of 26-12.
  In a district tourney hosted by
  Otsego, Gull Lake first won a play-
  in game 10-5 over Pennfield on May

24. Then, the Blue Devils downed
    Parchment 11-3 on June 1 in the
    district semifinals before ousting
    Otsego 8-2 on June 3 in the title tilt.
    In regional semifinals on June 5
    at Otsego, GL prevailed 5-4 over
    Edwardsburg.
    Then, on June 8 at Kalamazoo
    College, the Blue Devils first beat
    Ionia 9-6 in the regional final, and
    then blanked Grand Rapids Christian
    8-0 in the quarterfinals.
    And then as noted above, GL lost
    5-2 to Spring Lake on June 14 in the
    state semifinals at MSU.
    Note: GL head coach Reggie
    Walters is the brother of GL boys’
    golf coach TR Walters, with TR
    Walters recently leading the Blue
    Devils to a third-place state tourney
    finish in D-2.
    HARPER CREEK
    Staying in Division 2, the Beavers
    of the Interstate Eight Conference
    and this spring’s All-City champion
    finished 2024 with a record of 26-6-


25. 
    

    In a district tourney hosted by
    Jackson Northwest, HC first won a
    play-in game 8-0 over Marshall on
    May 28.
    Then, on June 1 at JNW, the
    Beavers first downed Coldwater
    18-7 in the district semifinals before
    turning back host Jackson Northwest
    7-5 in 10 innings.
    And following in the regional
    semifinals at Coldwater on June 5,
    Harper Creek was eliminated by
    Ionia 5-2.

    
    

In the setback to Ionia, senior

pitcher Tyler Wolfersberger went the

distance on the mound, working six

innings and allowing five runs (all

earned) on seven hits with one walk

and seven strikeouts.

Harper Creek scored its two runs

in the fourth inning; Ionia scored its

five runs in the third inning.

Offensively for HC vs. Ionia,

Wolfersberger (a Kellogg

Community College signee) went

2-for-3 with two RBI. Also, third

baseman Maddox McCarty went

2-for-4; first baseman Blake Wagner

had a single, a run scored and

CALL

269-965-3955

to place your

Battle Creek Shopper

News ad today!