Two rocket shots got Standish-Sterling back in the game.
But the Panthers decided to drastically shift gears to win it.
After back-to-back doubles triggered a season-saving, seventh-inning rally, Standish-Sterling’s Kasen Wendel caught the defense off-guard with a squeeze bunt that brought home the go-ahead run in a dramatic 5-4 victory over Gladstone in the Division 3 baseball state quarterfinal.
“He got the squeeze sign coming out of the on-deck circle,” Standish coach Ryan Raymond said. “He told me ‘If you didn’t call it, Coach, I was going to call it.’ It was nice to see him confident up there and getting the job done.”
After downing No. 9-ranked Charlevoix 10-6 to win the regional championship earlier in the day, the Panthers punched their ticket back to the final four with the win over No. 13 Gladstone. After going without a semifinal trip since 1976, Standish-Sterling is now heading there for the second year in a row.
The Panthers (29-14) take on No. 16 Bridgman at 5 p.m. Thursday at Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium.
Standish-Sterling built a 2-1 lead in the quarterfinal only to see Gladstone erupt for a three-run sixth, sending the Panthers down to their final three outs. But they made them count.
“I was getting the same vibes I always get from them,” Raymond said. “These kids are just baseball players, that’s the best compliment I can give them. They just play baseball. They didn’t get down, they just kept playing.”
Preston Kann rapped a leadoff single in the seventh and Cooper Prout reached on an error on a hard-hit ball. Ty Yorton and Carson Koin followed with one-out, RBI doubles that brought the Panthers back to even at 4-4.
One pitch later, they were back on top. Wendel dropped a perfect squeeze bunt, sending Yorton home with the go-ahead run.
Kann took the mound for the high-intensity seventh inning and the freshman simply sent Gladstone down in order to preserve the victory and set off yet another SSC postseason celebration. Kann and Prout each delivered two hits in the win while Sam Briggs crunched a home run.
Standish starter Cody Bartlett fired five strong innings, striking out five and allowing one run.
The Panthers jumped on Charlevoix for four first-inning runs and added three more in the fourth to take charge of the regional final. Brayden Schabel had three hits and joined Carson Koin with three RBIs. Prout and Yorton each tagged two hits and Briggs drove in two runs.
Prout went the distance, striking out three while walking none for the win.
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