Baseball: Dow takes runner-up in Snowflake Invitational

The Midland Dow varsity baseball team took advantage of a complete game by Sean Hartman to beat Powers Catholic 3-2 in the opening round of the Snowflake Invitational Saturday at Tom Roberts Field, before falling to Saginaw Heritage 5-2 in the championship.

“Sean Hartman threw great in game one,” said Dow coach Kip Harris. “He got into a few tough spots but managed to pitch his way out of them with strikeouts and ground balls.”

Hartman (2-0) went the distance in the opener without allowing an earned run. He allowed six hits, but struck out five for the win.

Offensively, the Chargers didn’t do a lot. But they did just enough.

After falling behind early, Torri Nelson hit a two-run single in the fourth to give Dow a 2-1 lead, and an inning later Michael Allen knocked in what would prove to be the game winner.

“Our defense was solid and made a key play on a bunt in the seventh to secure the win,” Harris said.

That key play occurred when Powers were threatening with two men on and a runner in scoring position. They tried to bunt their man over to third, but Andrew Seer and Nate Richard denied them in the attempt as Dow held on.

Dow faced Heritage in the championship after the Hawks beat Notre Dame prep to advance.

The early thriller seemed to have taken it out of the Chargers as they appeared lethargic in second game.

Nelson (0-2) took the mound in the second game and went four innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits while walking five.

Offensively, Seer went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Chargers, and Michael Allen went 2-for-3. But it was not enough.

“In game two we were flat,” Harris said. “We walked nine Heritage batters and made four errors in the field. We didn’t come to the park to win two games.”

The Snowflake Invitational comes on the heels of a double header against Saginaw High Thursday. Both of the varsity squad’s games ended after the mercy rule was taken into effect giving Dow a 15-0 win in the opener before taking the nightcap 16-6.

John Knapp (1-0) and Adam Mantle (1-0) picked up wins for the Chargers. They were led offensively by Zack Stidham who had five RBIs on the night and Michael Allen who finished with four.

The junior varsity Chargers were also in action Thursday, and combined to outscore the Trojans 50-0 to sweep the double header.

Jordan Herman pitched two innings and struck six to win the opener. In the nightcap Logan Praay went one inning and struck out two, while John Bergtold picked up the win going two innings, striking out six.

Praay led Dow offensively in the opener going 3-for-3 with five RBIs. In the second game Cory Brzak went 3-for-3 with five RBIs, while Herman finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs.

The junior varsity’s record improves to 4-2 overall, while varsity stands at 5-2-1. Both teams return to action Monday when they host the Knights of Flint Southwestern. Game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.