Veteran Niles coach Mike Vota believes there might have been a bit of divine intervention in his team’s 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Edwardsburg in the Division 2 district baseball championship game Saturday.

The Vikings (20-15) trailed the Eddies (22-12) four times, including 6-3 after four innings, at Rotary Park in Dowagiac before pulling out the victory with a three-run seventh inning.

“It has been a work in progress all year with juniors and sophomores,” Vota said. “We’re building and we played a really tough schedule trying to prepare for these moments and this type of atmosphere.

“Then obviously with the passing of Mr. (Muhammad) Ali, it was something that kind of hit my mind this morning. I was thinking about how much he had to do with this. With him giving us the baseball field and the support. These kids all went through Champs Field. They went through the high school field he helped build. I think he may had had a little part in it today.”

The defending champions looked to be in good position to win back-to-back district titles, but the Eddies were running short on pitching and those who did take the hill for Edwardsburg were having trouble throwing strikes, especially early in the count.

The game-winning rally started with four straight balls and a walk to Niles’ Austin Curran.

Edwardsburg coach A.J. Gaideski pulled Hunter Bedell, the second of four Eddies to take the mound, in favor of Chase Tarwacki, who hit Cody Glick with his second pitch.

Four pitches later, Drew Huffman drew a walk and the bases were loaded for the Vikings with no outs.

Tarwacki then hit Jacob Hamm with a pitch to drive in Curran and cut the lead to 8-7 with still no outs.

Gaideski went to the mound again and brought in Mason Mitchell to try and hold the lead for the Eddies.

Mitchell got Jake Lalone to pop up in foul territory for the first out, but Dawson Clemens ripped the next pitch into center field to score both courtesy runner Dustin Anders and Huffman with the tying and winning runs, respectively.

Clemens said after the game that, while he was in the on-deck circle, he was thinking about how his teammates had done a good job of getting on base.

“They did everything they needed to do and I just needed to do my job,” Clemens said. “I just needed to put the ball in play and I knew my teammates would get to the plate at all costs. I knew it was in the outfield and I went to first. I was ready for a victory dance.”

The Eddies led 2-0, 3-2, 6-3 and 8-4, but could not hold on to the lead.

“The kids hung tough and played well,” Gaideski said. “You can’t walk people at the end of the game. Niles did a great job of winning it.

“We just didn’t have guys throwing strikes. If we threw strikes right off the bat I think we would have been in good shape. But when you walk people, hit people, you can’t do that in that situation.”

The Vikings finished with nine hits, including two each by Jakob Huffman and Curran. Keegan Neumann, Curran and Clemens all drove in two runs, while Hamm drove in three runs.

Hamm also picked up the relief of Jakob Huffman. The two combined on a five-hitter with six strikeouts.

Damion Pompey was 3-for-4 with three RBIs for the Eddies in the championship game. Mitchell had a two-run home run for Edwardsburg.

Zach Priebe was the starter and worked the first five innings. Bedell worked an inning before giving way to Tarwacki and Mitchell in the seventh. Mitchell picked up the loss.

Niles reached the championship game with a 7-0 win over Paw Paw.

Neumann was 2-for-4 for the Vikings, who got doubles from Bryce Lake and Glick, as well as a two-run home run from Curran.

Drew Huffman went the distance to pick up the victory for the Vikings. He tossed a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and one walk.

The Eddies defeated Dowagiac 8-2 in a game that was scoreless through the first six innings.

Zach Plummer was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs against the Chieftains. Mitchell also drove in two runs. Joe Hess and Brendon Handy both doubled.

Joe Raab went the distance, allowing five hits with 15 strikeouts and one walk.

Brenden Dudley was 2-for-3 for Dowagiac, which also got a double from Austin Jones.

Dudley also took the loss as he worked into the seventh inning. Nick Foote and Mack Charles also pitched in the seventh for the Chieftains.

The Vikings will face Coldwater in the first regional semifinal in Stevensville at Lakeshore High School at 10 a.m. Saturday.  South Haven will face the winner of the Sturgis district.

 

DIVISION 2 DISTRICT BASEBALL

At Dowagiac

First game

Edwardsburg                       000     001     7 – 8 7 1

Dowagiac                               000     000     2 – 2 5 0

Joe Raab (W); Brenden Dudley (L), Nick Foot (7), Mack Charles (7).

2B: Joe Hess (E), Brendon Handy (E), Austin Jones (D).

Varsity record: Dowagiac 14-21-1.

 

Second game

Paw Paw        000     000     0 – 0 2 2

Niles                000     205     x – 7 8 0

Drew Huffman (W); Jeffrey Burch (L), Austin Callahan (6).

3B: Bryce Lake (N), Cody Glick (N).

HR: Austin Curran (N).

Varsity record: Paw Paw 11-19-2.

 

Championship game

Edwardsburg                       021     302     0 – 8 5 2

Niles                                        021     012     3 – 9 9 5

Jakob Huffman, Jacob Hamm (W, 4); Zach Priebe, Hunter Bedell, (6), Chase Tarwacki (L, 7), Mason Mitchell (7).

3B: Joe Hess (E).

HR: Mitchell (E).

Varsity records: Edwardsburg 22-12, Niles 20-15.