EAST LANSING –  The Hartland baseball had been accustomed to playing in close games throughout the MHSAA Tournament.

So when Saturday’s Division 1 Final against Macomb Dakota went to extra innings, the Eagles weren’t fazed by the moment. 

Hartland pulled out a dramatic 5-3 victory in nine innings in a game that lasted nearly three hours.

The Eagles clinched their first Final since 2015 by scoring two runs in the top of the ninth.

Hartland won four straight games by one run during this playoff run and also won by two runs in the Semifinal against Grosse Pointe South. 

“The close games definitely helped us with our mindset,” said junior Logan Randall, who pitched the final four innings and allowed only one earned run and two hits.

“Whenever times came tough during this game, we all knew what to do because we’ve been used to it. It’s happened five games in a row. We adapted and knew that anything could happen. Every playoff game had been back and forth, and we knew we could come out on top if we gave it our all.”

Hartland coach Brad Guenther said his team wasn’t always good at eking out the tight ones during the season.  

“I’m super proud of them, but it’s something that wasn't our strength through the middle of the year,” he said. “We lost a lot of close games with a lot of new guys playing, but being in tough spots where we had to get out of jams kind of put us on this run and catapulted us.

“We gave up eight runs in seven games, and there were a lot of jams that they were in so we had to be good in those moments. We failed a lot in those moments too, but we were able to respond and execute when we needed to.”

Hartland (28-15-1) trailed 2-0 after the first inning, but rallied to tie it in the third. 

In the top of the ninth, senior Michael Zielinksi laced a single to right field that was misplayed and allowed the go-ahead run to score. 

“I was just trying to do my job,” Zielinksi said. “I was expecting to go up there and lay a bunt down, but he let me swing away and I was seeing the ball well all day. I got the barrel to it and hit it to right field, and the guy made a little mistake and we capitalized on it.”

Senior Roman Forcia followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Eagles a two-run lead.

“We knew they were a good team, and we knew they were going to come out strong and they did,” Zielinski said. “We had faith in each other, and everyone in that dugout knew we were going to find a way and we did.”

Both teams had opportunities to score in the sixth inning, but the score remained tied after both teams came up empty. 

Hartland took a brief lead in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Randall, but the Cougars responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from Jadon Ford to even it at 3-3.

“It’s pretty surreal right now,” Guenther said. “A lot of guys in our dugout were probably the only ones who really thought we had a chance to make a run and we could win these games like this. We were not the favorites along the way, but coming together and doing something special like that – these guys will never forget that.”

Top-ranked Dakota (36-7-1), which was searching for its first Finals championship, was plagued by missed opportunities and four errors.

“Both teams kept fighting, and both teams played hard,” Cougars coach Angelo Plouffe said. “They got a few more hits and we made a few more mistakes than they did, and it's the name of the game right there.

“I think they deserved it. They did it when they needed to and we didn’t, but I’m very proud of my guys and all my seniors because they got us here.” 

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Hartland’s Michael Zielinski, sliding, is called safe at home during his team’s ninth-inning rally Saturday. (Middle) Eagles players celebrate after Max Rector (2) scores.