Baseball: Chemics top big comeback by sweeping Dow

by Brent Koaches

Midland High took both games of a doubleheader against rival Dow High Monday night, winning game one 9-8 in a thrilling come-from-behind victory before taking the nightcap 7-1.

Just four days after they fell behind 7-0 in the first inning against Bay City Western, Dow found themselves on the other side of the fence. Helped by a five-run second inning, the Chargers got out to an early 8-0 lead against Chemics’ starting pitcher Andy Angus.

Meanwhile, Sean Hartman looked good early on the mound for the Chargers as it seemed as though Dow would run away with the game.

But Midland coach Eric Albright pulled Angus in favor of Brian Kaufman, who would shut down the Chargers the rest of the way and give the Chemics an opportunity to get back into the game.

“Kaufman gave us exactly what we needed,” Albright said. “We fed off of his energy and just chipped away at them. He gave us a chance to come back.”

That comeback started in the third when Casey Corbat’s two-run double capped off a three-run inning for the Chemics. Midland would score runs in three of the final five innings as Albright tossed out the game plan and just focused on scoring.

“Strategy gets thrown out the window when you’re down 8-0,” he said.

That would set up a dramatic bottom of the seventh in which Dow led 8-5 with three outs to go. With Dow reliever Michael Allen now in the game, Thomas Ahearn hit a one-out single to start the rally. Eric Dawson followed with an RBI double and scored on a single by A.J. deOliveira to make it 8-7. Jeff Schaffert then singled in deOliveira to tie the game. At that point, Dow coach Kip Harris turned to reliever Tim McDonald, who promptly surrendered a game-winning single to Josh Hahn as the Chemics completed their comeback.

Offensively for the Chemics, Ahearn, Dawson, deOliveira, and Hahn each had two hits. Andrew Seer and Brett Lechner led the way for the Chargers with two hits and two RBIs apiece, while McDonald added a pair of hits and drove in one.

Kaufman picked up the win for the Chemics, allowing only two hits in 4 2/3 innings of work while Allen took the loss for the Chargers.

Things kept going well for the Chemics in game two as Blake Benner helped his own cause on the mound with an RBI double to give Midland the early lead. After the Chargers tied the game at one with an RBI single from McDonald, the Chemics would rattle off six unanswered runs to seal the victory.

Benner picked up the win for the Chemics, tossing six innings and allowing just three hits and one earned run. Reed Swift took the loss for the Chargers, working 2 1/3 innings and surrendering five runs on seven hits.

Following the game, Harris said he was disappointed with the evening’s outcome, particularly in game one when he felt the Chargers gave the game away.

“After going up 8-0, we played like we were on cruise control and just let them chip away at our lead,” he said. “Consistency has been our Achilles’ heel this season.”

Harris says his team will need to avoid similar let downs if the Chargers are to have any chance in district play.

“We have to show up to play from the first inning to the seventh,” he said. “We can’t just shut it down like we did against Midland.”

The Chargers (16-14) will be in action again Wednesday when they host Traverse City Central at 3:30 p.m, while the Chemics (24-5) will travel to Saginaw Thursday to play Saginaw Nouvel.