MOUNT PLEASANT — Maybe Bay City Western shouldn’t have thrown that baseball away.
When an errant Traverse City Central warm-up throw ended up in the outfield where BCW players were also warming up, a Western player grabbed the ball and threw it over the fence.
Five innings, later Central’s Will Neveau deposited a live ball over that same fence for a home run to give the Trojans a one-run lead, and Traverse City Central won its first regional baseball game in program history Wednesday, rallying to upset the No. 5-ranked team in Division 1.
“They were ranked fifth in the state and everybody thought they were going to win,” Neveau said. “We were the underdogs.”
Central 13th-year head coach Pat McDonald said Cold Weather Bats, a podcast dedicated to college and high school baseball in the Midwest, predicted Western to win the Division 1 state title.
Bay City led 3-0 after three innings.
“We just started hitting the ball,” Neveau said. “Carson (Spica) led us off with a hit by pitch and then we kept going. It’s pretty big.”
Neveau singled in Spica in the fourth, then Neveau and Jack Dewey pulled off a double steal, with Dewey swiping home to pull within 3-2. Lucas Dorman singled in Neveau for a 3-3 tie.
Bay City added a run in the fifth to go back up a run before Neveau crushed a changeup to right field for a 5-4 lead.
The Trojans added three more in sixth, with Brady Ripmaster singling in Wyatt Olmstead, Spica singling in Kade Treadway and Gabe Link scoring on a Dewey sacrifice fly to left.
Neveau and Dorman each produced two hits, with Spica, Grant Sivier, Ripmaster and Jaxon NesSmith, who led off the sixth with a pinch-hit single.
“Lucas Dorman behind the dish was spot on,” McDonald said. “Nothing got by him.”
Sivier tossed five innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs and three walks while striking out six. He threw 98 pitches, meaning he’ll be ineligible to pitch in Saturday’s regional championship game against No. 8-ranked Mattawan at 10 a.m. at Cornerstone University.
Dewey came on for the final two frames, not allowing a hit and fanning two. He faced the heart of Western’s order in the seventh, escaping with a hit batsmen to lead off the seventh as the only damage before retiring the next three in order.
“It was a pretty big win for us,” McDonald said. “And convincing.”
REGIONALS
Manistee 2
Harrison 1
Hoyt Edmondson threw a gem to lead Manistee into the regional championship game, beating Harrison in a tight 2-1 Division 3 game.
Manistee: Hoyt Edmondson (WP) 7 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K; Jacob Bielski 2-3, RBI, SB; Landin Sowa 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB; Hudson Cole 1-3; Josh Weiss 1-3; Calvin Edmondson 1-1, R, BB; Mile Joseph R, HBP.
UP NEXT: The Mariners (16-17) take on Hancock in D3 regionals Saturday at 10 a.m. in Gladstone.
Escanaba 10
Petoskey 0
Petoskey: Dylan Aukeman 2-2; Zach Wodek 1-2, BB; Tyler Pool 1-3.
UP NEXT: PHS ends the season 24-9.
Hillman 6
Harbor Light 5
Harbor Light: Will Paulus 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K; Lynus Cadarette 2-3, 2B, RBI; Johnny Urman 1-4, R; Paulus 1-3, 2 RBI, R, BB; Daniel Urman 1-4, 2 R; Caleb Chamberlin 1-3; Landon Jakeway R.
UP NEXT: The Swordsmen finish the season 24-9.
Mio 8
Gaylord St. Mary 7
Gaylord St. Mary: Charlie Cameron 3-4, RBI, R; Joe Jacobson 1-3, 2 RBI, SB; Eli Switalski 1-3, HBP, R; Logan Greenier 1-4, 2B, RBI, R; Jackson Vernier BB, R.
UP NEXT: The Snowbirds finish the season 25-6.
Deadline for prep submissions is 10:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday. Email resports@record-eagle.com, fill out the online form at record-eagle.com/prepscores or call 231-933-1410. Please give scores, record, next opponent, stats with names spelled when leaving a message.