Paying Tribute with Diamond Donation
May 14, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Rochester Adams and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood baseball players and coaches both had loved ones on their minds when they took the field at Comerica Park earlier this month.
And they paid tribute to those loved ones over their hearts and across the backs of their jerseys.
Together, the teams raised more than $3,500 for the Coaches vs. Cancer research initiative.
Instead of its usual brown and yellow, Adams wore jerseys of light blue with a green ribbon as the middle “A” in its name across the front in honor of those suffering with lymphoma, including 2011 graduate and former standout Matt Williams.
Cranbrook-Kingswood wore dark blue jerseys with a pink ribbon as the “A” in Cranbrook and with lime green writing on the back as the Cranes remembered longtime coach Jack Sanders, who died in 2012 after also battling lymphoma.
Sanders’ was among names adorning the backs of jerseys, along with other cancer victims the players and coaches knew.
Adams won the May 1 game, 18-3. Click to read more from the Oakland Press’ Keith Dunlap, who leading up to the game detailed both Williams’ fight and Sanders’ longtime contributions.
Net finder
Lake Fenton’s Jordan Newman will finish her high school soccer career later this spring as the top goal-scorer in MHSAA girls soccer history.
The Blue Devils’ senior forward broke the career record on April 28, scoring her 169th goal against Perry to pass the mark set by Newaygo’s Jaleen Dingledine from 2004-07. Newman also is a four-year varsity player.
Click to read more on her record run from the Flint Journal's Eric Woodyard.
5 K, 1 IP
The MHSAA doesn't keep a record for most strikeouts in an inning. But if it did, there’s a great chance Brighton’s Garrett Russell would top the list.
Against Ann Arbor Pioneer on April 5, Russell struck out five batters in an inning.
Yes, five.
Here’s how:
Russell struck out the first two batters of the inning swinging, leaving one out to get. He then struck out that third batter as well, but that batter reached first base because the third strike turned into a wild pitch.
The fourth batter of the inning was the only one to not strike out – he walked, putting runners on first and second base with two outs. Those runners advanced to second and third base, respectively, on a wild pitch thrown to the fifth batter of the inning.
That fifth batter then struck out swinging (which made it four strikeouts in the inning), but that third strike turned into a passed ball – and that batter ended up on first base, loading them for the sixth hitter of the inning.
But Russell found enough for one more K, striking out that sixth hitter swinging on a 2-2 pitch.
His line for the inning: 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 bases on balls, 5 strikeouts.
Brighton went on to sweep the doubleheader 12-4 and 11-1.
Family ties
Basketball clearly runs in a pair of families who have come through Corunna High School.
This winter, brothers M.J. and Mikhail Myles both scored their 1,000th career points – M.J., a senior, on Jan. 3 and Mikhail, a junior, in the team’s District Semifinal on March 5.
On Feb. 18, senior Payton Birchmeier became the fifth player in girls program history to score her 1,000th point – despite scoring only four points as a freshman before suffering a season-ending knee injury in her first high school game. She became the first Corunna girl to score 1,000 since her sister Megan finished accomplishing the feat in 2010.
Payton Birchmeier went on to play her final three seasons also on varsity, and M.J. Myles also was a four-year varsity player. Mykhail Myles has played three on varsity with next season still to play. The Myles' stepsister Klarissa Bell this winter finished an outstanding career at Michigan State University and won the Miss Basketball Award as a senior at East Lansing High School in 2010, and stepbrother Devlin Bell also was a Trojans standout.
PHOTOS: (Top) Rochester Adams players congratulate each other during their May 1 game at Comerica Park. (Middle) The Adams' first baseman and a Cranbrook-Kingswood base runner await the next pitch. (Photos courtesy of Rochester Adams baseball.)
Small Ball Drives St. Patrick, Plymouth Christian Capitalizes on Big Rally
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
June 13, 2025
EAST LANSING – It may be an old-fashioned style of baseball, but Portland St. Patrick isn't complaining.
While many teams may prefer to slug it out en route to a Finals championship, the Shamrocks are literally content to taking it a step at a time. Case in point was Friday's 7-0 win over Norway in a Division 4 Semifinal at Michigan State's McLane Stadium.
St. Patrick bunted seven times, with at least six contributing to runs as the No. 1-ranked Shamrocks danced into Saturday's 5 p.m. championship.
It's not always the case, but moving runners along – any way possible – is part of the team's strategy, sophomore shortstop Jerryd Scheurer said.
"For us it's like hitting a home run. It's part of what we do every day," said Scheurer, who scored three runs. "Our dugout loves it. The team gets hyped up when we do it."
Combine an outstanding three-hit shutout from junior pitcher Brady Leonard, five Norway errors and just enough clutch hits to complement the small-ball approach, and St. Patrick will play in its first final since 2017's 6-2 win over Hudson. It will be the Shamrocks' fifth trip overall to the championship game.
St. Patrick improved its record to 33-1. The team's only loss was 10-5 to Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, which halted a 26-game winning streak in the second to last regular-season game. That loss was avenged by the Shamrocks 5-4 in 12 innings in the Regional Final.
St. Patrick coach Bryan Scheurer said the team isn't necessarily wedded to the idea of a bunt-at-will approach, but they'll pick spots and utilize the weapon as best as possible.
"It's about the situation being part of what we do," he said. "When we get people on, we want to move them along. It's something the players buy into. Maybe it's not glorious, but they not only accept it, they embrace it."
The strategy was never more evident than during a three-run third inning that snapped a scoreless tie. The Shamrocks sent eight batters to the plate, managed only a double and a single – neither of which drove in a run – and still managed to score the three runs.
The rest was left up to Leonard, who surrendered only three singles, two to Owen Baij. Norway (28-5-1) managed to get only two runners on base in the same inning once. Leonard said there was no secret to what was working for him.
"Everything," he said. "I try to trust my stuff and know it'll get us here. I thought I pitched well."
Norway coach Troy Adams said the loss represents a key teaching moment.
"I didn't do a good job of preparing them for a brand of baseball you don't normally see, and that's on me," Adams said. "They get baserunners on and put you in a bind. We've got to get better at certain things we don't do. But hats off to St. Patrick. It took the No. 1 team in the state to eliminate us again."
Norway lost in last year's Final to back-to-back champ Beal City 10-0.
Plymouth Christian Academy 9, Petersburg-Summerfield 1
Plymouth Christian (29-7) bunched six hits with three errors, a sacrifice fly, two wild pitches and a walk to score seven runs in the third inning. The outburst turned a 2-0 lead into a 9-0 margin.
Luke Janigian threw a two-hitter for the win while also contributing an RBI in that third inning. Josh Yeager and Carter Dattilio also drove in runs with singles. Janigian struck out nine and walked two.
The win furthered an outstanding tournament showing by Plymouth Christian's pitching staff, which has allowed only five runs over six games with three shutouts.
"We didn't know much about them, but Coach said just get ahead early and command your pitches," Janigian said. "A shout out to the boys in playing behind me. When you throw strikes, good things happen."
Plymouth Christian coach Eero Perkola said the team relies on a substantial level of experience.
"Our 1 and 2 (starters) throw strikes, and we also have a couple crafty lefties in the bullpen," he said. "They trust the defense wholeheartedly. They just let the defense work, and especially in Division 4, that's nice."
Petersburg-Summerfield coach Reid Olmstead said five errors are far too many to make against good teams.
"We've been playing fundamental baseball; we just didn't do it today," he said. "Maybe it was nerves. Or sometimes when you make one or two errors, it snowballs. That was definitely the case today. You have to play clean baseball in big games."
PHOTOS (Top) Portland St. Patrick's Tyler Thelen rounds third base during his team's Semifinal win over Norway. (Middle) Plymouth Christian Academy's Luke Janigian throws a pitch during his team's victory.