Brownstown tops Mulberry Grove at Ramsey Tournament

RAMSEY – Brownstown senior Brady McDowell capped off an eventful game with a two-run homer that gave the Bombers their final margin of 7-2 against Mulberry Grove at the Ramsey Tournament on Tuesday.

McDowell earlier in the game had a plume of dust float into his eyes and was later accused of intentionally throwing dirt toward a Mulberry Grove player.

"There was some intensity there, and the guy got his cleat stuck in Brady's arm sleeve," said Brownstown coach Ken Milano. "He says as he was trying to get up, the dirt just flew.

"Those guys are friends. They made up afterwards."

Mulberry Grove coach Cody Hawkins said that he played very aggressively in his day, but now that he is coaching, he was glad to see the umpire say something after the incident.

"He threw some dirt a couple times, and the umpire finally said something to him, which was good," Hawkins said. "We can't be having that stuff, and I say that even though I've done that.

"It was just competitiveness. Brady has a great head, and he knows what he needs to do."

Prior to McDowell's home run, the Bombers (2-0) had scored twice on one wild pitch.

When Shane Sefton came to the plate, the ball landed away from the catcher, and an alert Jacob Behrends, a sophomore, rushed in from third base.

"We had some walks in there to get some guys on," Milano said. "Then, Brady hit the home run, and I guess you call that a rally.

"We aren't going to hit a lot of home runs, so if we are going to win games, we have to run the bases," he said. "I tell them, 'Make them make the play.' Behrends did that and we scored. It was a good play on his part."

Milano said he expects his team to continue running the bases well all season and called the win a "character" victory.

One player who especially showed character was starter Eric Gurtner.

The sophomore appeared to be tiring in the middle innings of the game, but he gave his coach confidence that he could finish.

"In the middle of the game, he looked tired," Milano said. "I pulled him to the side and asked him, 'Is this your game?' He told me, 'Yes, absolutely.'

"So I said, 'Go prove it to me.'"

Gurtner did just that, surrendering just two hits and two walks in the final two innings of the game, which was called after five innings because it had lasted the limit of one hour, 45 minutes.

In the inning before Brownstown's rally, the Aces had scored after Kyle Bloemker doubled and was brought home on James Willis' sacrifice fly.

The mental lapses, however, cost Mulberry Grove (0-2) dearly.

"If you fall apart, you don't throw your hat and glove down, or put your head down," Hawkins said. "You have to look around and see where the next play is at."

The Aces got strong pitching from two freshmen – starter Derek Childress and reliever Alex Goodin.

Box
BHS     1-2-0-4-0—7-6-2
MGHS 0-1-1-0-0—2-5-5
WP: Gurtner
LP: Childress