Beach Bums outlast Otters
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 1) — The Traverse City Beach Bums are going to have a hard time walking off to August.
Aaron Garza tagged up and scampered home on a 12-inning fly ball from Jeff Brown as the Bums turned the calendar by claiming their fifth walk-off victory of July, 4-3 over the Evansville Otters at Wuerfel Park.
Traverse City improved its record to 27-37, while the visiting Otters fell to 24-40.
West turns to Rintala
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 2) — On a sweltering day in which temperatures rose into the 90s, cooler heads (and a cold-weather sport) prevailed at Traverse City West when Jeremy Rintala was introduced as the school's new varsity hockey coach.
Rintala, an assistant at TC Central the past two seasons, takes over for Anthony Palumbo, who left to become general manager/head coach of the Traverse City North Stars Junior A team.
"Hard work is my No. 1 focus," Rintala said. "That way, no matter what your skill level, you have a chance to win any game.
"Anthony has done a great job of developing the program, and I'd like to be a perennial (state) contender."
Titans athletic director Patti Tibaldi said Rintala was one of "two wonderful candidates," but Rintala's philosophy eventually won out.
"I think what impressed me about Jeremy is he is focused on relationships, and that's the most important thing in coaching," Tibaldi said.
Evansville snaps slide vs. Bums
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 2) — The Evansville Otters snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Traverse City Beach Bums at Wuerfel Park.
The win also allowed Evansville (25-40) to salvage a victory in the three-game series.
Evansville spoiled the Bums' debut of Tom Thornton. Steve Young and Garza were the only TC players with more than one hit.
Beach Bums break out vs. Miners
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 3) — In one game the Traverse City Beach Bums erased the memories of a three-game series sweep at the hands of the Southern Illinois Miners.
Traverse City scored one more run that it did in all three games combined last week in a 7-3 triumph at Wuerfel Park.
In his Bums' debut, Jeremy Dow won in relief of first-time starter Bryan Rembisz
Area water skiers earn state titles
PAW PAW (Aug. 3) — Four northwest Michigan water skiers won state championships and are among those who qualified for regional competition in Kansas.
Traverse City's Bart Collins was the Mens 3 Division overall champion with 1962 points. He placed first in tricks, first in jumps and fourth in slalom.
Traverse City's Keadon Hornyak (Boys 3 Division, 1.00 at 1425) and Matt Bourdo (Mens 2 Division, 2.50 at 1200) were individual event champions.
Cadillac's Katelyn Reed was the Girls 3 Division slalom champ (2.50 at 1425).
Also placing were Traverse City's Mike Helke, who tied for ninth in slalom (3.00 at 2300) in Mens 4 Division, and Glen Arbor's Logan Haughn, who was second overall and in slalom in the Collegiate Division.
The top 10 percent of finishers qualified for the regionals.
Bums top Miners again, 7-5
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 4) — What a difference a week makes.
The Traverse City Beach Bums were once within one broken-bat single of becoming perfect-game victims of Southern Illinois pitcher Nick Tisone.
In the game at Wuerfel Park, however, the Bums roughed up Tisone and pulled out a 7-5 victory over the Miners with a two-run eighth inning.
Aaron Garza, the only batter to reach base against Tisone the first time around, had two RBI doubles for Traverse City (29-38).
Ryan Gehring (5-7) allowed two earned runs in eight innings for the win, while Tyler Meigs pitched the ninth to earn his fourth save.
Brit With Grit
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 5) — The Latin expression 'carpe diem' means 'seize the day.'
Joe Greener wants to take it a step further and drink in an entire year.
The Traverse City North Stars' 6-foot-1, 215-pound power forward enters his final year of junior hockey with some unfinished business on his mind — business that kept him from returning to his native England to play professionally.
"I wanted to come back to Traverse City to win something, to claim a national championship, ideally," said Greener, a product of Surrey, about 35 minutes southeast of London. "Last year was not as good as we had hoped it would be in terms of the won-lost record, so I felt like I really wanted to be here when it did come around."
While home in the United Kingdom this summer Greener had an opportunity to play in the British National League for 2007-08, but said he feels a definite attachment to northern Michigan.
"I've made so many friends over here, so many good people," Greener said. "And my housing parents, Scott and Denise Loveland, have been so good to me. Plus, I worked so hard to get my visa, and it had another year on it, so it all made sense to come back."
Bullpen strong, but Bums still fall, 9-4
TRAVERE CITY (Aug. 6) — The Traverse City Beach Bums fell to the Southern Illinois Miners 9-4 at Wuerfel Park in the finale of a six-game homestand which saw Traverse City finish 4-2.
Southern Illinois opened a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and took advantage of five unearned runs to capture the win.
The Miners plated five runs in the third to open a 9-1 lead, but the TC bullpen did not allow a run to cross the rest of the night.
Jeff Williams worked 2.1 innings, Matt Dillard made his debut and pitched two scoreless frames, while Brett Bostelman also went two innings without a run.
Zack Kalter became just the second Bums player this year to record four hits and Aaron Garza extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
North Stars tap into local talent
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 6) — Northern Michigan's team will have a decidedly regional flavor to open the 2007-08 season, as seven Traverse City-area players made the Traverse City North Stars' roster to conclude the team's training camp this weekend at Centre ICE arena.
Forwards Sean Burke, Todd Knaus, Eric McLintock, Eric O'Hearn and Marc and Garrett Thompson — along with goalie Dallas Kniss — each played their way into a TC sweater, and were introduced to the public at a free cookout at Centre ICE.
"I was surprised at exactly how hard the process of picking the team was," said first-year Stars head coach/GM Anthony Palumbo. "There were so many good players at the camp, it just made it exceedingly difficult to pick 25 of them. I thought all 40 kids in the Blue and White game went after it hard and did an excellent job of representing the North Stars."
In addition to the seven local players, nine of the 10 skaters eligible to return this year — Matt Hughes, Sabastion Kimmel, Joe Greener, Nate Urbaniak, Ben Plocar, Zach Hitch, Chris Heineman, Harrison Niemann, and Jameson Raymond — also made the cut.
Gridders get going
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 7) — The first day of football practice is many things to many teams.
For some, it's the chance for a new beginning.
That was certainly true at Traverse City Central, which is coming off a winless season and has a new coach this fall in Tom Passinault.
"It feels good," TC Central senior quarterback Jacob Schaub said. "I look at is as a new start. I can't wait for the first game."
For others, the first day of football practice is a time to atone for the way last season ended.
Even though Traverse City St. Francis reached the third round of the playoffs, the Gladiators felt they fell a little short. That's what happens when a team is coming off a state title in 2005.
"We don't have anybody that was happy with that," St. Francis senior quarterback Spencer Ambrosius said. "When you go 10-2 and consider it average, that's how you know you're program is at the right spot."
TC takes a twinbill
CRESTWOOD, Ill. (Aug. 8) — Tom Thornton and Tyler Meigs combined on a five-hit shutout as the Traverse City Beach Bums blanked the Windy City ThunderBolts 2-0 in the first game of a Frontier League doubleheader.
The Beach Bums (32-39) completed a sweep with a 5-1 victory in the second game of the twinbill, which was necessitated by a rain out the previous evening. Both games were only seven innings in length.
Thornton, a 6-foot-6 left-hander, notched his first victory since being signed by the Bums on July 26. In six innings, he allowed four hits and no walks while striking out three.
Meigs came on and worked a scoreless seventh to earn his fifth save.
Traverse City scored single runs in the fourth inning (on Aaron Garza's sacrifice fly) and the sixth (on Brad Vericker's third home run).
Vericker and Curtis Ledbetter each had two hits. Garza's 12-game hitting streak came to an end.
Cedar native to sing at Comerica Park
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 8) — Katy Rankin underwent heart surgery for the first time when she was only three days old.
The last of her four surgeries came when she was five.
Eighteen years later, the former Glen Lake High School student will step to the microphone near home plate at Comerica Park and sing a heartfelt rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" prior to the Detroit Tigers-Tampa Bay Devils Rays baseball game.
The performance was arranged through Rankin's connection with Mott Children's Hospital, which is sponsoring a benefit at the ballpark.
"I'm thrilled," said the 23-year-old Rankin, a Cedar native and 2006 University of Michigan graduate. "I'm really excited, especially for Mott. To get up there as a healthy young woman and have an opportunity to sing for the Tigers and for Mott will be special for me."
Townsend will be staying with TC West
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 10) — For Casey Townsend, it was all about staying with his friends and having fun his senior year.
After leading Traverse City West to a Division 1 state championship last fall, Michigan's Mr. Soccer looked into attending the IMG Soccer Academy in Florida, where he could train with other elite players and finish his classroom studies at one of two feeder high schools.
But in the end, Townsend elected to return to West for his senior year.
"It (senior season) will be a new challenge," Townsend said.
West coach Jason Carmien thought he might lose the University of Maryland-bound Townsend after last season. From a development standpoint, Carmien thought the Parade All-American might be better served by playing with other elite players.
Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski thought otherwise.
"He (Cirovski) basically said, 'Look, he needs to stay in Traverse, play high school soccer, develop some leadership qualities he might not have now, concentrate on his (school work) and graduate,' " Carmien said.
Holmes delivers for Bums
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 10) — Justin Holmes came through just in time at Wuerfel Park.
His two-out triple in the bottom of the eighth inning scored Sam Orr and gave the streaking Traverse City Beach Bums a 4-3 victory over the Kalamazoo Kings.
Orr started the rally in the eighth with a one-out triple for Traverse City (33-40). After reliever Dan Caldwell came on to retire Aaron Garza on a pop up, Holmes drilled a triple down the right field line.
Tyler Meigs struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his sixth save and give the Bums an 8-3 record over the last 11.
Traverse City led 2-0 after Aaron Garza's fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field. The Bums added a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Matt Rademacher.
Kalamazoo (38-32) scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and eighth innings.
Traverse City had 11 hits in the game led by three from Holmes and Orr and two from Garza. Nick Pepper (2-0) picked up the win.
Kopka-Ross skates to a silver medal
OXFORD, Ohio (Aug. 11) — Pine Kopka-Ross of Suttons Bay placed second at the National Collegiate Figure Skating Championships.
A junior at the University of Michigan, Kopka-Ross competed in the junior men's free skate. Kopka-Ross is a past member of the Twin Bays Figure Skating Club in Traverse City and is currently a member of the Detroit Skate Club.
Kopka-Ross was a student at Suttons Bay and graduated from Traverse City Central in 2005.
Kings crown the Beach Bums, 5-2
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 11) — Joe Ramos delivered a two-run double in a five-run third inning to lead the Kalamazoo Kings to a 5-2 baseball victory over the Traverse City Beach Bums at Wuerfel Park.
Ramos had three hits in the game. The Kalamazoo third baseman also committed two errors.
Kings designated hitter Josh Carter added three hits and an RBI.
Starting pitcher Phil Tognetti (2-3) suffered the loss for the Beach Bums. He allowed seven hits and five runs in three innings.
Jeff Williams, Matt Dillard and Brett Bostelman each pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
Forced to Decide
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 12) — The truth: Prep sports seasons in the state of Michigan are changing.
Volleyball has moved to the fall and is replaced in the winter by girls basketball. Boys tennis and girls golf are also now in the fall while their gender counterparts are in the spring.
The consequences: Some players are being forced to make decisions, including three of the top returning players from the Traverse City West girls golf team that placed fourth in the state this spring.
One has picked volleyball while the other two will try to play two sports in the fall while keeping golf as their primary.
"I think it's going to be real hard for the first year," West golf coach Cathy Coon said after losing sophomore Gaby Muller to volleyball and having to share senior Brooke Rodes with volleyball and senior Jordan Newhouse with swimming.
The choice was particularly tough for Muller, whose father Fred is a golf professional at Crystal Downs in Frankfort.
"It was really hard for me to chose because I really like both sports," Gaby Muller said. "Plus my dad is a golf pro.
"If only they could have waited one more year. This is the year I think both teams can do really well."
Kings pull out a 'wild' win vs. TC
KALAMAZOO (Aug. 13) — Tyler Meigs got out of one jam he didn't create, but couldn't get out of the other he did.
The Kalamazoo Kings scored a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge the Traverse City Beach Bums 3-2 in the final meeting between the teams.
Meigs, who got the final out of the eighth inning with a runner on third base, walked Jeff Young to open the ninth. Young took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jeff Grose and came in to score on another wild pitch by Meigs (1-2).
Traverse City (33-43) was limited to six hits by former Beach Bum Steve Shippey (4-5), who went the distance for the Kings (41-32).
Both of the Bums' runs came on solo home runs by Sam Orr in the fourth inning and Aaron Garza in the sixth. Orr was the only TC player with two hits.
Kalamazoo scored a run in the fourth inning on one of four wild pitches from TC starter Bryan Rembisz. The Kings plated a run in the sixth on a RBI fielder's choice by Keith Brachold.
Midnight volleyball practice catches on
KINGSLEY (Aug. 14) — It started unofficially with a 21-alarm salute.
Then as the clock hit midnight, it officially began with a 20-serve barrage.
Welcome to Midnight Madness, Kingsley volleyball style.
Made popular by NCAA basketball teams holding a practice as the clock hit midnight on the first day teams are allowed by rule, Kingsley tried it with a 12:00 a.m. practice.
"I thought it would be a good team building thing and something we could have fun doing," said Kingsley senior Jesse Emery, who first heard about it at a volleyball camp at Traverse City Christian led by legendary Marysville coach John Knuth. "It will be a crazy kick-off to a new year."
"I said it sounds like a real good idea to me," Kingsley coach Dave Hall said. "The coaching side of me says I can get two practices in on the first day."
With the volleyball season moving from the winter to the fall this year, the idea gained momentum.
Bums pound Freedom, 12-5
fLORENCE, Ky. (Aug. 15) — Every batter in the starting lineup had at least one hit as the Traverse City Beach Bums pounded the Florence Freedom 12-5 in the first game of a three-game road series.
Justin Holmes and Sam Orr led the 16-hit attack with three hits each and Curtis Ledbetter extended his hitting streak to 15 games for the Bums, who improved their Frontier League baseball record to 34-43.
Holmes and Orr both fell just a triple short of the cycle. Holmes batted in five runs, while Orr drove in three.
Traverse City slugged three home runs in the game, one apiece by Holmes (his fourth), Orr (sixth) and Aaron Garza (team-high seventh).
Freedom victorious in extra innings
FLORENCE, Ky. (Aug. 16) — Nate Yoho singled up the middle to bring home the winning run in the 10th inning to notch a 4-3 win for the Florence Freedom.
The Freedom evened the series after the Traverse City Beach Bums took the game, 12-5.
Greg Stone scored the winning run after getting on base on a fielder's choice. Ryan Basham walked and Beau Blacken was intentionally given a pass by Jeremy Dow to get to Yoho.
Jeff Brown hit a two-out home run in the top of the ninth inning to put the Beach Bums up 3-2, but Florence countered with a run of its own in the bottom of the frame on a Nick Salotti bloop single to force extra innings.
David Nathanson had a perfect game going through five innings before the Freedom broke through for a pair of hits in the sixth, scoring their first run on an Andrew Smith RBI single.
Aaron Garza hit his team-leading eighth home run in the first inning, a two-run shot to give TC a 2-0 lead.
TC set to host elite Midwest tourney
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 17) — There's a new twist to the 34th annual Cherry Pit rugby tournament.
The two-day event will include the Midwest All-Star Championship, which is expected to bring together select teams from seven regional rugby unions.
The Midwest championships had previously been held in Chicago.
Local officials are hoping the tournament will "shine a light" on rugby and on Traverse City's growing program.
"We feel this is a chance to showcase our sport and our non-profit organization to the community," said tournament director Mike Coco.
Trojans make a splash
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 18) — Michael Leigh and Dan Spencer came through in the clutch.
In one of the last matches of the day, the juniors beat Grandville's Luke Dennett and Adam Snoap 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to win No. 4 doubles, enabling the Trojans to tie Portage Central for the title in the season-opening seven-team Summer Splash tennis tournament at Central. Portage Central, which tied Okemos for the Division II state title in the spring, and Central finished with 19 points. Grandville was third with 16.
Central, which won three of the four doubles flights, picked up at least two points at every flight.
"I viewed this as a litmus test," Trojan coach Larry Nykerk said. "We know we're going to be a little stronger than last year. The question is — how much?"
Bums break through in 8th inning
FLORENCE, Ky. (Aug. 18) — The Traverse City Beach Bums broke open a 5-5 game with three runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat the Florence Freedom 8-6 in a game delayed over an hour by rain.
Brad Roblin had a two-run single to center and Steve Young followed with a RBI single to center in the decisive seventh inning.
The Bums scored their first five runs in the second through fourth innings.
Brett Bostelman (2-1), the fourth of six Bums pitchers, picked up the victory while Nick Pepper tossed two hitless innings for his fourth save of the season.
The Bums finished with 12 hits.
Titans runner Burns up course
GLEN LAKE (Aug. 19) — Traverse City West's Geoff Burns won the season-opening Glen Lake Invitational, a meet his father helped start 11 years ago.
Bryan Burns, now the superintendant at Manistee, started the Glen Lake cross country program and the annual invitational it hosts.
Geoff Burns ran a 10:57 on the hilly, two-mile course, edging out Suttons Bay's Ben Wynsma by nine seconds for the win in the 11-team event.
Traverse City West's Erik Wilson (11:35), Mitch Snider (11:40) and Dan Riggins (11:41) were seventh through ninth, respectively, and Glen Lake's John Lee (11:45) was 11th.
In the girls portion of the meet, Sparta's Katelyn Cnossen won in 13:41, just five seconds ahead of Lake Leelanau St. Mary's Breanna Korson.
TC Christian's Amanda Send was fourth (14:12) and Manton's Stephanie Ingraham was fifth (14:30).
Hispanic soccer league going strong
BOWERS HARBOR (Aug. 19) — "Tocala, tocala, tocala," yelled Hugo Reyes, as the soccer players moved the ball down the field.
"Pass it, pass it, pass it," his shout translates.
Reyes — who lives in Lake City during the summer to work on a Christmas tree farm and spends winters in Oaxaca, Mexico — sat among more than 50 people on the sidelines or in vans or pickup trucks watching the Summer Spanish League game between squads from Lake City and Suttons Bay. Tex-Mex music blasted from the speakers of a truck.
The league, which started in 2001, often draws 100 or more people, including players and spectators, to Bowers Harbor Park on summer Sundays.
"It's fun to watch. You've got food and everything. It's almost like a big party," said Edward Perez, 15.
Bums head home with 11-10 win
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (Aug. 20) — Aaron Garza slugged his 10th home run to establish a single-season franchise record and lead the Traverse City Beach Bums to an 11-10 Frontier League baseball victory over Chillicothe.
Brad Vericker went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI for the Bums (37-45), while Jeff Brown had a three-run double.
TC jumped out to a 7-0 lead but couldn't hold it. Chillicothe scored nine consecutive runs to go up 9-7 before the Bums rallied with two in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Matt Dillard (1-0) picked up the win. Tyler Meigs earned his eighth save.
The Bums head home to open a series against the Florence Freedom.
Sabres win season opener, 5-0
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 21) — Jason Send scored three goals to lead Traverse City Christian to a 5-0 season-opening soccer victory over the Traverse City Bulldogs home school team.
The Sabres also received goals from Scottie Raetz and Sam Meachum.
Josh Rudolph and Brian Benson split goaltending duties for Christian.
Bums win streak hits three
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 21) — The Traverse City Beach Bums returned home from their longest road trip of the season and defeated the Florence Freedom 3-2 in Frontier League action at Wuerfel Park.
The Bums, who split eight games away from Traverse City on a journey that began Aug. 11, were victorious behind the pitching of David Nathanson and Tyler Meigs and the hitting of Brad Vericker, Aaron Garza and Brad Roblin.
Traverse City (38-45) improved to 20-17 since the All-Star break.
Titans start title defense
FLINT (Aug. 22) — Traverse City West started the defense of its Division 1 state title with a 5-2 win over Flint Powers, as 2006 Mr. Soccer Casey Townsend scored a hat trick.
Townsend didn't take long to get into the scoring column, finding the net five minutes into the game off an assist from Matt Rivard.
Goals by Brady Fagen, Townsend and Jon Gourlay put the Titans comfortably in the lead at halftime, and Townsend added another in the second half to complete the hat trick.
Curt Olson, Gourlay and Fagen picked up assists and Ben Wittbrodt made six saves in net for the Titans (1-0).
Christian battles to a draw vs. Rams
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 23) — Trailing 2-0 at halftime, Traverse City Christian rallied to salvage a tie against Harbor Springs in a non-conference soccer game.
Jason Send had both goals for TC Christian (1-0-1).
Sean McCarthy and Cody Wray tallied for the Rams.
Tough opener at Thirlby
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 23) — Josh Sellers thinks he has a good football team.
He'll know more tonight, though.
St. Francis hosts Suttons Bay in an intriguing season-opening game at Thirlby Field.
The Gladiators and Norsemen — two of the winningest programs in the north — are coming off league and district championship seasons.
"It should be a great atmosphere, a playoff-like atmosphere for a first game," Suttons Bay coach Joe Trudeau said.
Greiners combine for 3 goals in win
ELK RAPIDS (Aug. 24) — Sophomore John Greiner scored two goals off headers on corner kicks to spark Elk Rapids to a 6-2 soccer win over Suttons Bay.
Garrett Gribi also netted two goals for the Elks (1-1). Mike Greiner and Ian Sliger added solo goals.
Theo Stasch had three assists and Jaron Jandoc one for the Elks. Andy Caperton was in goal.
Blaine Fritz and Shane MacDonald tallied for the Norsemen. MacDonald and Cody Shumway picked up assists.
Lightning Strike
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 24) — So much for all the talk about what Suttons Bay lost to graduation.
The Norsemen still have plenty of quality football players on their roster. Traverse City St. Francis can attest to that.
Suttons Bay racked up 471 yards of offense — not including two long touchdown runs that were nullified by penalties — and cruised to a 38-20 victory over the host Gladiators in the season opener at Thirlby Field.
"You don't run for 400 yards unless you can block up front," said St. Francis head coach Josh Sellers. "And that was supposed to be their weakness."
Those numbers are even more impressive considering Suttons Bay came into the game with only two experienced offensive linemen.
Rams claim triangular meet
HARBOR SPRINGS (Aug. 25) — Harbor Springs won six of eight flights to win a triangular.
The Rams finished with 14 points, Elk Rapids 9 and Boyne City 1.
Flight winners for the Rams included Chad Cottrill at No. 3 singles, Kyle Anderson at No. 4 singles, Sam Davis and Jake Schiefer at No. 1 doubles, Sky Offenhauser and Phil Allore at No. 2 doubles, Dell Doerhof and Ric Allen at No. 3 doubles and Matt Matteson and Joey Anthony at No. 4 doubles.
Elk Rapids' Aaron Mayes and Max Bauer won the first two singles flights.
Elk Rapids throttles Ironmen
MANCELONA (Aug. 25) — Elk Rapids played error free football. Mancelona did not.
The Elks powered their way to a 21-8 lead early in the second half and then parlayed two turnovers into two fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to an impressive 34-14 season-opening triumph in a battle of 2006 playoff football teams here.
"I take my hat off to Elk Rapids," Mancelona head coach Dan Derrer said. "They played a good game. They didn't make the big mistakes like we did."
Mancelona had difficulty mounting a sustained drive. The running game wasn't effective against the swarming Elks defensive front seven and that made it hard for Ironman quarterback Greg Blanco to go to the air. When Blanco did try to pass, he was either sacked or hurried.
Central wins its own Invitational
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 26) — The hosts had the most when the six-team season-opening Traverse City Central Invitational concluded.
TC Central topped Leland 25-12, 25-12 in the final of the tournament.
"It was a good start to the season," Central coach Tim Homa said.
The Trojans opened pool play by beating Elk Rapids (25-10, 25-10), Glen Lake (25-12, 25-11) and Leland (25-8, 25-9) before losing to TC Christian (25-20, 13-25, 17-16) in the first meeting between the two schools. Central closed out pool play with a 25-6, 25-12 triumph over TC St. Francis before then beating the Glads 19-25, 25-9, 15-12 in the semifinals.
Split decision for TC West, Central
TRAVERSE CITY (Aug. 26) — There was no clear-cut winner in the Traverse City Invitational.
In fact, there was no winner at all after all four soccer teams — defending state champion TC West, TC Central, Clarkston and Rochester — came away with one win and one loss.
"Both Traverse City teams won the first game and lost the second," TC Central coach Rob Boynton joked. "Maybe it took the downstate teams a game to get their legs under them. And maybe the teams from up here were done and ready for their own beds after the first game."
Bauer outduels Casoli, 6-1
ROCKFORD, Ill. (Aug. 27) — Tony Casoli pitched well.
Garrett Bauer pitched better.
Bauer allowed just one run in his seven innings of work as Rockford spoiled Casoli's return with a 6-1 Frontier League win over the Traverse City Beach Bums.
Casoli, who was activated after missing almost a month with an injury, matched Bauer by pitching shutout ball until the sixth when Jason James belted a three-run homer over the outstretched glove of Zach Kalter to give the Riverhawks a 3-0 lead. It was his sixth home run of the season and it chased Casoli (3-7) from the mound.
The three runs were all Bauer (6-5) would need although Rockford added three insurance runs in the seventh, two coming on a Joe Anthonsen double. The third run scored on a wild pitch.
Traverse City got on the board in the eighth on pinch-hitter Sam Orr's RBI double.
The loss ended a four-game win streak for the Beach Bums, who finished a successful 5-1 homestand with a 7-2 win over Chillicothe.
Norse capture title
PELLSTON (Aug. 27) — Suttons Bay defeated Charlevoix 25-18, 27-25 to win the Pellston Volleyball Invitational.
The Norse beat Kingsley 21-25, 25-16, 15-13 in the quarterfinals and Boyne City 27-25, 17-25, 15-7 in the semifinals.
In pool play, Suttons Bay beat Atlanta 25-11, 25-9 and Central Lake 25-17, 25-14 and split with Charlevoix 20-25, 25-15 and Harbor Light 25-14, 24-25.
Doubles power Central to tourney title
SAGINAW (Aug. 28) — Traverse City Central won all four doubles flights to capture the Saginaw Heritage Invitational.
The Trojans finished with 21 points, edging Grand Blanc by two points for the top spot. Heritage was third with five points with Mount Pleasant fourth with three.
Winning all three matches in straight sets were Jack Milliken/Ben Watts at No. 1, Harry Malone/Riley Chadwell at No. 2, Glover Kosch/Hunter Bergsma at No. 3, Michael Leigh/Dan Spencer at No. 4.
Doug Burke won No. 2 singles, also with three straight-set victories.
Winning two matches for the Trojans were Fisher Sutherland at No. 1 singles, Spencer Powell at No. 3 and Ethan Weckstein at No. 4.
Vericker sparks Bums to win
LOVES PARK, Ill. (Aug. 28) — Led by the slugging of Traverse City Beach Bums first baseman Brad Vericker, who nearly became the first player in team history to hit for the cycle, the Bums pounded the Rockford Riverhawks 11-5 in their final road game of the season.
Traverse City (43-47) racked up 17 hits and made sure the game's outcome was never in doubt by scoring two runs in the first inning, six more in the third and one in the fourth to take a 9-0 lead.
Vericker led the way by going 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs. He only needed a single in the ninth to complete the cycle, but decided not to stop at first base after ripping a pitch to the wall.
Vericker's solo homer in the fourth inning was his fifth of the year.
Forest Area edges McBain NMC, 1-0
FIFE LAKE (Aug. 29) — Nate Snyder scored in overtime on a pass from Brandon Rogers as Forest Area edged McBain Northern Michigan Christian 1-0 in Northern Michigan Soccer League action.
Winning goalie Max Galea turned away 10 shots for the Warriors (3-2, 2-1 league).
TC West takes first at Invite
ALPENA (Aug. 29) — Led by an 82 from Jordan Newhouse and an 83 from Brooke Rodes, TC West won the Alpena Invitational.
The Titans finished with a 361, nine shots better than runner-up TC Central. Alpena was a distant third with a 433.
Leighanna Whiting added a 94 and Korinne Diss a 102 for the Titans.
Natalie Matuszak led TC Central with an 86.
Benzie wins league debut
BENZONIA (Aug. 30) — It's good to be in a conference.
Benzie Central celebrated its Northwest Conference soccer opener with a 2-1 victory over Glen Lake.
"It was pretty exciting for the boys," Huskies coach Don Cunningham said. "It makes the level of competition higher."
Andrew Addis and Evan Urchick scored goals and Colin Towersey and Noah Hahn had assists in the victory for undefeated Benzie (4-0).
Glen Lake goalie Ryan Black was busy all game long as the Huskies outshot the Lakers 22-9. Black made 20 saves.
Print this story
E-mail this story
