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Having A Blast

Dragons’ Key Hits Propel Them Past Barker For C2 Crown

Maple Grove’s Dalton DuBois is mobbed at home plate after his solo home run in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s Section VI Class C2 championship game at Diethrick Park. The Red Dragons defeated Barker to set up Saturday’s crossover game against Allegany-Limestone. P-J photo by Cody Crandall

In a tightly contested playoff game, more times than not, it comes down to which team can collect the key hits at opportune times.

The third-seeded Maple Grove Red Dragons did just that Wednesday night against No. 1 Barker at Diethrick Park.

Because of those several clutch knocks and another stellar pitching pitching performance from sophomore Easton Tanner, the Red Dragons can now call themselves Section VI Class C2 champions.

Senior Trevor Micek laced a bases-clearing three-run double to left field to break open a scoreless game in the top of the third; senior Dalton DuBois launched a solo home run to left in the top of the sixth; and Tanner threw 6.2 innings, struck out 11 and only surrendered six hits to help lead Maple Grove to a 4-2 victory.

The win vaults the Red Dragons into Saturday’s overall Class C title game back at Diethrick Park against Allegany-Limestone, which downed Silver Creek, 7-1, on Wednesday in the C1 title matchup.

Dalton DuBois can’t hide his elation as he rounds third base after his sixth-inning homer against Barker at Diethrick Park on Wednesday night. P-J photo by Cody Crandall

“This group has been an absolute pleasure to coach,” first-year Maple Grove head coach Ryan Lucas said after the game. “Words can’t say enough (about) what these guys bring to the table. On and off the field, they’re a real close bunch and they pick each other up. … You can’t teach chemistry.”

It was tough sledding for the Red Dragons for the first several innings against Barker starter Eddie Wasnock, who entered action with a 4-2 record and a sparkling 1.65 ERA.

But Maple Grove found a way to break through in the top of the third.

John Hairston began the rally by being hit by a pitch and that was followed by an infield single from Tyler McPherson. Lead-off hitter, senior Brandon Reagle, then walked, which set the stage for Micek, who delivered arguably the biggest hit of the game.

Then in the sixth, DuBois got a pitch from Wasnock he liked and certainly didn’t miss, sending it long over the left field wall to give the Red Dragons a 4-1 advantage.

“Those guys came up in a big way today,” Lucas said. “Trevor’s bases-loaded double, we needed that. This was another game where you’re going toe-to-toe with a team and then you break open with a big hit and it came from one of our captains. It starts at the top and it works its way down and then the guys feed off of that. Those guys are leaders. They make it happen. They continue to do it again and again. Dalton with the home run, they make things happen and they refuse to go down easy. It was another tightly contested match(up).”

Thanks to the fine work of Tanner on the mound, the offense from Micek and DuBois was all the Red Dragons would need to walk away victorious. DuBois relieved Tanner with runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and retired the only hitter he faced to seal the victory.

In the playoffs to this point, Maple Grove pitchers have shut out both Randolph and Portville and only given up two runs against an extremely talented Barker lineup.

“It’s been an absolute luxury,” Lucas said when asked about the fine work of his pitching staff. “These guys continue to just pound the zone and they’re just bulldogs on the mound. They refuse to give up or give in in any situation. And I tell you, a lot of their comfort on the mound comes from our defense. All season, the defense has been able to make the plays for them. … Easton’s a gamer. I’ve said this before. He wants to be in these kind of games. He’s just one of those guys where he thrives in the spotlight. When the big moment is there, he wants to be the guy with the ball and it showed again.”

For Barker, Ryan Voss came through with three hits, including two doubles. Cameron Fox, Kyle MacDonald and Devon Mangan also recorded hits for the Raiders, but Barker was just unable to string hits together when it mattered most.

“What (Maple Grove) did, was they put their this together at the right time,” Barker coach Rob Mucha said. “And then before you know it, they’re able to get those runs on a big hit. … We got our hits, we had more hits than they did, we forced them to make (a couple errors), but the problem was we didn’t put them all together at the right time. And that’s why we couldn’t score more runs than we did.”

The Red Dragons, on the other hand, can enjoy their latest win, for now, but know there is certainly more work to be done come Saturday.

“We constantly preach about turning the page, no matter what the situation,” Lucas said. “Tonight, the boys are going to enjoy this moment as much as they deserve it. It’s well-deserved. Tomorrow at practice,we turn the page. We learn from this. … It’s been an absolute pleasure coaching at Maple Grove. Having such strong support from staff and administration and the players and the parents has made this an excellent experience.”

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