In a tune-up game for district, Glen Lake defeated Traverse City Central on a bases loaded walk-off double from senior Tristin Boze with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win 3-2.
With the victory, Glen Lake coach Kris Herman captured his 500th win at the end of his 21st regular season.
“The way it ended is just baseball. It’s a game of failure and redemption, and I’ve seen a lot of no-hitters get spoiled, followed by a walk-off home run, things like that. It was just a storybook ending.”
Glen Lake was getting no hit for 6.2 innings, then Colton Newman drew a 2-out walk, followed by base hit from Max Galla to break up the no-hitter.
Then, Benji Allen walked and Boze hit at 1st pitch double to clear the bases and win 3-2. Glen Lake senior Isaac Hlavka picked up the win (7 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 9 K, 2 BB).
“A lot of people have sacrificed and contributed to all of this, but my wife and kids have had to pay for this the most. I’ve always made them feel like baseball is more important than they are, and I haven’t been the husband and father that I should’ve been. Becky has essentially raised the girls without me. It’s a high cost, and they’ll likely never know how much I appreciate what they’ve sacrificed and had to live with so that I can keep doing this. Without their acceptance and support, this ride would have ended before it ever really got started, and we’re not even having this conversation,” Herman said. “And then, of course, are the guys. My job is to teach the game, but I don’t throw, catch or hit. These aren’t my wins…they belong to all of the players we’ve had here over the last 20 years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of the success that we’ve had here, but in all sincerity, the relationships that I still have with all of the guys are the best part of it, and we got to share an incredible memory tonight”.
Glen Lake is now 25-6, and plays Saturday in the Frankfort District at noon against Lake Leelanau St. Mary. Herman had the chance to achieve on the road last week at Mesick but was rained out so coach could do it at home.
“Our assistant coaches over the years have been exceptional, especially Richard Rosendall, who has been best right-hand man you could ever want for over a decade. And I’m extremely grateful to the all of the parents. They consistently teach their kids how to handle success with humility, how to handle failure with class and have been nothing short of outstanding in supporting what we do, as have the administrators and maintenance staff at Glen Lake,” Herman said. “This whole thing is a wonderful moment for Glen Lake Baseball. I’m not going to deny that I’ve played a role in it, but this has been a collective effort of many people for over 20 years, starting with the sacrifices of my family. I’m just very grateful to everyone involved that I have gotten to be a part of it. I’ve been blessed to have a front row seat to some of the greatest memories of my life.”
The Lakers will be competing for its 13th straight district Saturday. Herman captured his 400th win in 2022.
BASEBALL SCOREBOARD:
Suttons Bay split with Buckley 6-5, 7-2 Tuesday in a pre-district game.
Shan O’Boyle earned the win 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 2-3, R, RBI, SB; Gavin Schichtel 2-3, 2 RBI; AJ Agosa 1-3, R, 2 RBI.
Lake Leelanau St. Mary defeated Bear Lake 8-2, 2-1, as junior Cody Couturier went six inning, allowing only 4 hits.
The Norse and Eagles met for the final regular season game last Wednesday as St. Mary won 4-0, 5-2.
Josh Bunek got the win in game on with 11 strikeouts while Couturier earned the win in game two with seven strikeouts.
*Softball scoreboard on page 9
