Four Kalamazoo-area baseball teams will play for regional championships on Saturday.
Mattawan, Gull Lake, Three Rivers and Decatur each earned victories this week, securing spots in their respective regional finals over the weekend.
Find out more about each team’s victories below.
Mattawan 3, Lowell 0
Mattawan leaned on its standout pitching staff and used a three-run third inning to take down Lowell, 3-1, and secure a Division 1 regional semifinal victory on Wednesday.
The Wildcats advance to a regional championship game against Hudsonville on Saturday at 12 p.m. from Cornerstone University.
Read more about Mattawan’s victory here.
Fast start propels Gull Lake back to regional final
Gull Lake wasted little time setting the tone on Thursday.
The Blue Devils scored five runs in the first inning and kept their foot on the gas en route to a 10-2 regional semifinal victory over Hopkins.
Gull Lake (31-6) advances to a Division 2 regional final against Three Rivers on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. from Stevensville Lakeshore.
Max Markham blasted a two-run double deep into right centerfield to put Gull Lake on the board, while Colin Fayle added his own run-scoring double and Parker Woodrow collected an RBI single in the five-run first.
Zac Pfennig and Luke Anderson each delivered RBI base knocks in the third to extend the Blue Devils’ lead, while John Lucki provided the exclamation point with a two-run bomb to left field in the seventh.
That allowed CJ Bennecke plenty of room to operate on the mound, finishing with seven strikeouts to three walks and allowing six hits and two runs (one earned) over six innings.
Kyle Rocco pitched the seventh inning to close the door for Gull Lake.
Anderson, Lucki and Markham combined for six hits, five runs scored and five RBI top the Blue Devils’ batting order.
Three Rivers 2, Niles 1
Mason Awe’s double lifts Three Rivers to regional final
Aidan Williams turned in a complete game gem and Mason Awe delivered the game-winning knock with a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth inning to send Three Rivers to a thrilling 2-1 regional semifinal victory over Niles on Wednesday.
The Wildcats (24-14) advance to a Division 2 regional final against Gull Lake on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. from Stevensville Lakeshore.
Three Rivers jumped out to an early lead on a dropped third strike from Niles, allowing Gabe Young to reach base safely and Jace Gray to score from third.
The Wildcats would hold that lead up until the sixth inning, when Niles tied the game on Dane Asmus’ RBI double to center.
Three Rivers didn’t flinch, though, as Awe delivered the game-winning hit in the home half of the sixth.
Williams finished with six strikeouts to just one walk, allowing seven hits and one run across seven innings. He needed just 92 total pitches to earn the complete game win.
Awe finished with a pair of hits to lead the Wildcats.
Top-ranked Kalamazoo Christian stunned by Bridgman
In a neck-and-neck battle, sometimes baseball comes down to one swing.
That was the story for Kalamazoo Christian, as Bridgman delivered the game-winning two-run double in the sixth inning to knock off the top-ranked Comets, 4-2, in Thursday’s Division 3 regional semifinal.
K-Christian (30-7) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Mario Moralez’s RBI groundout, and tied the game at 2-all in the fifth on Kaeden Rarick’s RBI double.
Bridgman’s Wade Haskins sent Bridgman to victory, though, with his double in the sixth.
Decatur jumps out to early lead, advances to regional final
Decatur scored seven runs in the first three innings and used a trio of pitchers to roll past Byron Center Zion Christian for a 10-2 regional semifinal victory on Thursday.
The Raiders (23-7) advance to a Division 4 regional final on Saturday at 10 a.m. against St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran from Spring Arbor University.
Brayden Avery put Decatur in front with a two-run single in the first inning, as the senior would add another thanks to his sac fly RBI in the second for a 4-0 lead.
Cameron Cropsey chipped in with an RBI single in the third to make it 5-0, while his brother, Cayden, added his own RBI base knock later on for a 7-0 advantage.
That allowed Terry Rose, Rowan Bradford and RJ Grubbs to deal on the mound, combining for four strikeouts to two walks, allowing five hits and two runs over seven innings.
Grubbs earned the victory with a three-inning outing in relief.
OTHER SCORES
Olivet 6, Centreville 2
St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran 4, White Pigeon 3
DIVISION 1
Regional/Quarterfinals at Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids)
REGIONAL FINALS (JUNE 7)
Bay City Western (32-6) vs. Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (21-7), 10 a.m.
Mattawan (20-6-3) vs. Hudsonville (27-5), 12 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS (JUNE 7)
Regional final winners, 2 p.m.
*Winner advances to a Division 1 state semifinal on June 13 at MSU’s McClain Stadium at 11:30 a.m.
DIVISION 2
Regional/Quarterfinals at Stevensville Lakeshore
REGIONAL FINALS (JUNE 7)
Forest Hills Eastern (28-1) vs. Hudsonville Unity Christian (20-13), 10 a.m.
Three Rivers (11-10) vs. Gull Lake (31-6), 12:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS (JUNE 7)
Regional final winners, 3 p.m.
*Winner advances to a Division 2 state semifinal on June 12 at MSU’s McClain Stadium at 5 p.m.
DIVISION 4
Regional/Quarterfinals at Spring Arbor University
REGIONAL FINALS (JUNE 7)
Decatur (22-7) vs. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran (21-12), 10 a.m.
Petersburg Summerfield (18-10) vs. Vermontville Maple Valley (11-14-3), 12:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS (JUNE 7)
Regional final winners, 3 p.m.
*Winner advances to a Division 4 state semifinal on June 13 at MSU’s McClain Stadium at 5 p.m.