Forest Hills Eastern, GR Christian Set Up all-Grand Rapids-area D2 Final
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
June 16, 2022
EAST LANSING – As much as he tried to keep it out of his mind, it became nearly impossible for Ada Forest Hills Eastern senior pitcher Jacob Pallo to do so late in his team’s Division 2 Semifinal against Goodrich.
Pallo was four outs away from a no-hitter Thursday, but then a bloop single with two outs in the sixth ended that hope of him making history.
“A little bit,” Pallo said when asked if he had to compose himself after the no-hitter was broken up. “But I just tried to keep it out of my mind as much as I could.”
Pallo might not have done something historic, but he did something extraordinary for his team and set up another historic opportunity. His 6 2/3 shutout innings helped lead No. 1 Forest Hills Eastern to a 6-0 win over No. 4 Goodrich and its first trip to an MHSAA Finals championship game.
It was the type of game where scoring first seemed more important than usual, given Pallo (9-0, 0.95 ERA, 79 K, 12 BB going into the game) was going up against Goodrich ace Noah Keller (12-0, 141 K, 14 BB), who had given up just one earned run all year.
But the Hawks (38-4) put pressure on Goodrich’s defense with its bunt game and got some timely hits to give Pallo a lead.
“Keller is a helluva pitcher, and we just had to figure out how to manufacture stuff,” Forest Hills Eastern coach Ian Hearn said. “He’s a winner. We had a couple of situations where we thought the bunt could work, and we moved some runners over. Of course, after you move runners over, you still have to get a key hit. We were able to get a couple of those.”
Forest Hills Eastern struck first on an RBI single by senior Brian Messing, who hit a grounder just past a drawn-in infield to score pinch-runner Walter Brockie from third base and make it 1-0.
Following a leadoff single by senior Leo Hearn, Brockie had ended up reaching third base after a successful sacrifice bunt by junior Mac DenBraber. Brockie rounded second base and beat the throw to third as the Goodrich third baseman was racing back to the bag after trying to field the bunt.
Forest Hills Eastern took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by senior Evan Parks, who brought home senior Caleb Kuiper after he reached second on two Goodrich errors. The Hawks then plated another run in the fourth inning on a two-out single by senior Collin Fridsma, who scored to make it 3-0.
After Liford broke up Pallo’s no-hit bid in the sixth, Keller singled to put runners on first and second for the Martians. But Pallo got out of the jam with a strikeout to preserve a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Forest Hills Eastern added three insurance runs. Following a leadoff double by Messing and a sacrifice bunt, freshman Brendan Thompson singled home Messing to make it 4-0 Hawks. A bunt single by Fridsma advanced Thompson to third, and Forest Hills Eastern then went up 5-0 on a successful squeeze bunt by Kuiper. Parks then followed it up with an RBI single to give Forest Hills Eastern a 6-0 lead.
Pallo finished with nine strikeouts and three walks in improving to 10-0 on the year.
Keller allowed five earned runs and struck out nine for Goodrich (37-3), which committed three errors.
“It’s hard to win a game when you don’t score any runs,” Goodrich head coach Bob Foreback said. “Their kid threw a good game. We had hard-hit shots early in the game right at guys, and that made the difference. Whoever had the lead early on was probably going to win this game.”
Grand Rapids Christian 9, Grosse Ile 1
Hot bats carried Grand Rapids Christian to East Lansing and the Division 2 Semifinals, so it was fitting they carried the Eagles again once there.
Entering the contest with 49 runs over five previous tournament games, Grand Rapids Christian added nine more on 17 hits.
Junior Ty Uchman went 3-for-4 with three RBI, junior Kyle Remington had three hits and senior Nathan Hedlund added two hits and two RBI to lead Grand Rapids Christian (27-8).
“We’ve been on a hot streak lately,” Uchman said. “There’s energy and when we have that, we can do a lot of good things. That’s really helped us.”
Grand Rapids Christian broke through in the top of the third inning, scoring a pair of runs to grab a 2-0 lead. Remington led off the inning with a double, and then went to third when sophomore Jackson Isaacs reached second on a throwing error. Remington then scored on an RBI single to center by Uchman, and Isaacs scored on a fielder’s choice groundout from Hedlund.
Grosse Ile broke through in the fourth inning, cutting its deficit to 2-1 on an RBI single to center by senior William Lowery, who plated junior Cannon Kawadri after Kawadri hit a one-out double to the gap in left-center.
But the Eagles essentially put the game away with a big rally in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs on nine hits. The first came on an RBI triple over the centerfielder’s head by junior Josh Winkle, and then sophomore Cannon Paul scored Winkle with an RBI single to make it 4-1 Grand Rapids Christian.
Senior Alec Koval and Uchman followed with two-run doubles, and Hedlund hit an RBI single, to make it 9-1 Eagles.
“I think we were having good at-bats, and then we all of a sudden started to find some holes and got a little momentum going throughout that inning,” Grand Rapids Christian coach Brent Gates said. “It was nice getting those runs later in the game, for sure.”
The offense was more than enough support for Remington, who allowed five hits, struck out nine and didn’t walk a batter in a complete-game win.
Kawadri and senior Tyler Garza each had two hits for Grosse Ile, which finished 23-7.
PHOTOS (Top) Ada Forest Hills Eastern players celebrate during Thursday’s Division 2 Semifinal win over Goodrich. (Middle) Grand Rapids Christian’s Christian Burgess connects on a bunt. (Click for more from Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Off to Superb Start, Three Rivers Eager to Build on Program-Best Run
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
April 14, 2026
THREE RIVERS – The Three Rivers varsity baseball team reached historic heights last spring with an experienced group of seniors and talented underclassmen in Scott Muffley's return to the third-base coaching box.
Three Rivers caught fire during the 2025 postseason and finished 25-15 overall, winning Division 2 District and Regional championships before falling 10-0 in its Division 2 Quarterfinal to eventual champion Ada Forest Hills Eastern. The Regional title was the program's first.
Muffley, a Three Rivers alumnus and long-time marketing teacher at the high school, begins his second season of this second tenure after previously guiding the Wildcats to a District title in 2010. He later enjoyed a successful stint as Schoolcraft's head baseball coach before resigning to follow the careers of his daughter Josie in Division I softball at Florida State and son Jordyn in minor league baseball.
Even though he graduated eight seniors, Muffley returns six starters, including senior starting first and third baseman Mason Awe.
"We got really hot towards the end of last season. We played our hearts out with great team baseball,” Awe said. “When everyone started listening to Coach Muffley near the end of the year, that's when we began hitting and playing very well. Our pitching and hitting are really strong again.”
Hitting, speed on the basepaths and defense will be Three Rivers' biggest team strengths. Awe was selected second-team all-state as a junior after batting .462 with 12 extra-base hits, 23 RBI, 26 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.
He had multiple college baseball scholarship offers but instead will attend Kalamazoo College and play football, hoping to compete for the starting quarterback job this fall.
Other key returnees for the Wildcats this season include junior pitcher and utility player Aiden Williams, junior catcher Tate Rohrer, senior centerfielder Brady Penny, senior pitcher and third baseman Gabriel Young, junior shortstop and pitcher Drake Dibble and senior outfielder Carson Bowley.
"Mason is going to be my utility guy. He can play anywhere in the infield and has a strong stick in our lineup," Muffley said.
"Tate will have to be a strong horse for us again behind the plate," Muffley added.
Dibble, a three-sport athlete, will be counted on heavily to make a lot of plays at shortstop.
"We had great team players last year. Our goal is to win more hardware and win our (group’s) first conference title. That hasn't been done in a very long time,” Dibble said. “The biggest thing is we just have to play for one another."
Sophomores Rylan Corte and Tyson Rohrer are making a big impact. Corte is a middle infielder, while Tyson Rohrer is a left-handed pitcher and roams the outfield.
"Rylan has a phenomenal glove and is very smooth," said Muffley, who added that Corte and Dibble already have executed a half-dozen double plays.
Williams returns as Three Rivers' ace on the pitcher's mound, where he compiled a 6-2 record with a 1.69 ERA as a sophomore with 49 strikeouts over 49 2/3 innings pitched.
Corte, Dibble, Tyson Rohrer, Penny, Cole Dunmier, Nowak and Young will shoulder a few innings on the mound as well.
"It was tough as a pitcher my sophomore year in a conference as strong as ours, but I got solid experience. I took this year off from football and put 30 pounds on, and I have increased my fastball by six miles per hour," said Williams, who has verbally committed to play at Glen Oaks Community College in two years. His future plans are to study education and become a coach.
"Team chemistry is definitely a key. We had a lot of tough losses early last season, and once we came together as a team we all had one goal, to keep winning."
Despite graduating a significant class a year ago, Three Rivers hasn't missed a beat this spring getting off to an 8-0-1 start. That strong beginning includes league sweeps of Otsego and Sturgis.
The Wildcats are 4-0 in the Wolverine Conference entering today’s home doubleheader against Plainwell. They are shooting for the school's first league title since 1974.
When Muffley got an opportunity to return to the program before last season, he jumped at it.
"I had the itching to get back into coaching, When (athletic director) Matt Stofer asked me to come back, it was just perfect timing,” Muffley said. “I saw the group of individuals we had coming up. I knew there was a lot of talent there. The only thing we had to do was get them to buy into a system, and it took time.
“Things went very well for us last season once we did that. It involves not only the ability to play the game, but mental toughness, self-visualization, goal setting, positive and negative self-talk, being a good teammate and the ability to be coachable.
"What we have are a lot of good quality players who are interchangeable with plenty of arms, especially our younger kids. We just have to put everything together. Baseball is a mental game, 70 percent failure and 30 percent success. It's a learning process that many of these kids don't see until the next level. We're teaching that aspect to them now."
Penny, a four-year varsity player, serves as Three Rivers' leadoff hitter followed by Williams in the No. 2 slot, Young or Tyson Rohrer hitting third and Awe as the clean-up hitter.
Dibble, Tate Rohrer, Corte, Ethan Moreland and junior Alex Nowak also have provided plenty of punch at the plate during the early portion of the schedule. Three Rivers' goal at the plate is to hit .330. The Wildcats batted .326 a year ago, and that was a big reason for much of their success. They were a base-hitting team with just six home runs in 2025.
"Our achievements last season were big and helped put Three Rivers baseball on the map. I think we have a good squad. We want to win another District, Regional and keep working from there," said Penny, who anchors the Wildcats' starting outfield.
"Brady has blazing speed; the kid makes some unbelievable catches out there and tracks things down well. At the plate he can lay down a bunt and beat plays out," Muffley said.
When not pitching, Tyson Rohrer will play first, left field or right field. Bowley, junior Ethan Moreland and junior Lincoln Burkey also will log time in the Wildcats' outfield.
"My role as a senior is to keep everyone humble and to play for one another and be a real team, build chemistry and teach the younger guys to listen. If you can do all those things, you will succeed," Bowley said.
Sophomore JT Wilds, a pitcher and infielder, will split time between the junior varsity and varsity squads throughout the season, along with Cooper Goff (c, of).
Muffley's coaching staff consists of Derek Adams – one of Muffley's former players – along with Steve Dibble, Jerry Burgess and Chris Kearney.
"Our coaching staff is phenomenal. We all share the same philosophy and have the same level of passion for the game,” Muffley said. “They have all been a Godsend. We all get along and believe in playing the game the right way."
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Three Rivers’ Aiden Williams delivers a pitch to the plate last season during a tournament game. (Middle) Brady Penny throws the ball back into the infield after making a catch in center field. (Photos courtesy of the Three Rivers athletic department.)