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HARTLAND — When Hartland sophomore Dylan Crowe tells the story years from now, perhaps the key detail will be embellished a bit.
Maybe his walk-off RBI in a 4-3 victory over fourth-ranked Novi will morph from a bases-loaded walk into a line shot up the gap.
Given his trajectory within the Hartland baseball program, Crowe will probably win plenty of games the rest of his career with highlight-reel plays instead of in the anticlimactic manner Wednesday’s game ended.
The 18th-ranked Eagles had already drawn two walks in the inning, one of them intentional, so it was no time for someone to play hero. Crowe patiently took four straight pitches, flipped his bat and shouted toward the Eagles’ dugout before trotting down to first base, forcing home Roman Forcia with the winning run.
Crowe was mobbed by his teammates like he’d just hit a double to the fence.
“(A hit) is really what I wanted, but I’ll take the walk,” Crowe said. “Nice dub out there. The boys competed. I’ve just got to take what he’s giving me, stay calm up there and do a job.”
Hartland’s coaches expect Crowe to be composed in tense situations. His ability to remain calm in the heat of the moment is one of the qualities that earned him a spot on the varsity as a freshman last season.
RELATED:Brighton, Hartland on collision course for first place in KLAA West girls soccer
He was a regular in the lineup, appearing in 28 of 35 games and hitting .278. He struck out only seven times in 82 plate appearances, a rate of 8.5% of the time. As a team, the Eagles struck out in 18% of their plate appearances.
“He really has a veteran demeanor out here,” Hartland coach Brad Guenther said. “Even last year as a freshman, we kind of knew he belonged right away with how he carried himself. He stepped up even this year on some leadership pieces. He’s been a great talent, a great kid, super nonchalant and composed all the time. He’s played in a lot of meaningful baseball games in his life.”
Having a year on varsity under his belt has allowed Crowe to play more relaxed.
“It’s a boost of confidence this year,” he said. “I’m just playing with a lot more freedom out there, just having fun, ready to win. As a freshman on varsity, it’s tough, because there’s some expectations.”
It was a game Hartland seemed unlikely to win, because Novi’s starting pitcher was senior Uli Fernsler. Fernsler is a Texas Christian University commit who pitched a complete game victory in the state Division 1 championship game as a sophomore.
With some pro scouts taking notes behind the backstop, Fernsler struck out eight of the 14 batters he faced and allowed only one hit in 4⅓ innings. He was removed from the game after getting the first out in the fifth inning, having thrown 63 pitches.
It was the break the Eagles needed. They promptly put up three runs in the inning to take a 3-2 lead.
“It’s nice playing him early where he’s probably on a little pitch restriction, just like a lot of our guys,” Guenther said.
“He’s a good pitcher, so getting him out of the game was nice,” Crowe said. “It’s tough, but you’ve just got to act like he’s another pitcher and stay calm up there.”
Hartland starter Michael Zielinski allowed one hit and two runs in four innings, coming out of the game after throwing 66 pitches. Reliever Michael Bernardi cruised through the fifth and sixth innings before Novi tied the game on a single by Alex Wilson with two out in the top of the seventh.
The Eagles won it in the bottom of the seventh on a lead-off single by Forcia, a walk by Zielinski, an intentional walk to Brayden Crowe following a wild pitch that moved runners to second and third, and Dylan Crowe’s walk.
Brighton 4, Plymouth 1
Brighton’s Andrew Everson pitched a one-hitter and struck out 13 batters. At the plate, he was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Alex Larson was 3-for-4 for the Bulldogs (6-1).
Howell 5, Canton 2
Howell’s Nick Hoorn struck out nine batters and allowed two runs on five hits in a complete-game performance. Josh Soneral drove in two runs for the Highlanders.
Howell scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the second game 3-3. The game was called by darkness after seven full innings.
Contact Bill Khan at [email protected]. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Hartland rallies to beat Novi after Uli Fernsler exits baseball game
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Maybe his walk-off RBI in a 4-3 victory over fourth-ranked Novi will morph from a bases-loaded walk into a line shot up the gap.
Given his trajectory within the Hartland baseball program, Crowe will probably win plenty of games the rest of his career with highlight-reel plays instead of in the anticlimactic manner Wednesday’s game ended.
The 18th-ranked Eagles had already drawn two walks in the inning, one of them intentional, so it was no time for someone to play hero. Crowe patiently took four straight pitches, flipped his bat and shouted toward the Eagles’ dugout before trotting down to first base, forcing home Roman Forcia with the winning run.
Crowe was mobbed by his teammates like he’d just hit a double to the fence.
“(A hit) is really what I wanted, but I’ll take the walk,” Crowe said. “Nice dub out there. The boys competed. I’ve just got to take what he’s giving me, stay calm up there and do a job.”
Hartland’s coaches expect Crowe to be composed in tense situations. His ability to remain calm in the heat of the moment is one of the qualities that earned him a spot on the varsity as a freshman last season.
RELATED:Brighton, Hartland on collision course for first place in KLAA West girls soccer
He was a regular in the lineup, appearing in 28 of 35 games and hitting .278. He struck out only seven times in 82 plate appearances, a rate of 8.5% of the time. As a team, the Eagles struck out in 18% of their plate appearances.
“He really has a veteran demeanor out here,” Hartland coach Brad Guenther said. “Even last year as a freshman, we kind of knew he belonged right away with how he carried himself. He stepped up even this year on some leadership pieces. He’s been a great talent, a great kid, super nonchalant and composed all the time. He’s played in a lot of meaningful baseball games in his life.”
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Having a year on varsity under his belt has allowed Crowe to play more relaxed.
“It’s a boost of confidence this year,” he said. “I’m just playing with a lot more freedom out there, just having fun, ready to win. As a freshman on varsity, it’s tough, because there’s some expectations.”
It was a game Hartland seemed unlikely to win, because Novi’s starting pitcher was senior Uli Fernsler. Fernsler is a Texas Christian University commit who pitched a complete game victory in the state Division 1 championship game as a sophomore.
With some pro scouts taking notes behind the backstop, Fernsler struck out eight of the 14 batters he faced and allowed only one hit in 4⅓ innings. He was removed from the game after getting the first out in the fifth inning, having thrown 63 pitches.
It was the break the Eagles needed. They promptly put up three runs in the inning to take a 3-2 lead.
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“It’s nice playing him early where he’s probably on a little pitch restriction, just like a lot of our guys,” Guenther said.
“He’s a good pitcher, so getting him out of the game was nice,” Crowe said. “It’s tough, but you’ve just got to act like he’s another pitcher and stay calm up there.”
Hartland starter Michael Zielinski allowed one hit and two runs in four innings, coming out of the game after throwing 66 pitches. Reliever Michael Bernardi cruised through the fifth and sixth innings before Novi tied the game on a single by Alex Wilson with two out in the top of the seventh.
The Eagles won it in the bottom of the seventh on a lead-off single by Forcia, a walk by Zielinski, an intentional walk to Brayden Crowe following a wild pitch that moved runners to second and third, and Dylan Crowe’s walk.
Brighton 4, Plymouth 1
Brighton’s Andrew Everson pitched a one-hitter and struck out 13 batters. At the plate, he was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Alex Larson was 3-for-4 for the Bulldogs (6-1).
Howell 5, Canton 2
Howell’s Nick Hoorn struck out nine batters and allowed two runs on five hits in a complete-game performance. Josh Soneral drove in two runs for the Highlanders.
Howell scored twice in the top of the seventh to tie the second game 3-3. The game was called by darkness after seven full innings.
Contact Bill Khan at [email protected]. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Hartland rallies to beat Novi after Uli Fernsler exits baseball game
Continue reading...
