Michigan Town Ball

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Nick Hunt stole the headline back from Parada's announcement (he went 2 for 4 today) as the youngster put on a show in front of the home team crowd with his dazzling stuff.

Hunt with out a winning record in any season, is a former rookie of the year and has a 2 hit shutout on his resume, too.

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We are down to the final weekend of baseball. Here are the key points to notice:

1. The Traverse City Bears have locked up the Lower Peninsula as their strong corps of SP's pitched brilliantly, again, leading the way winning 2/3.

2. Adrian Bruhan of the Waveriders won the opening game of the Grand Haven series to keep his win streak active. His last loss was May 10.

3. After winning the opener of the series Iron River lost two in a row. They face Copper Harbor the final weekend with a 1.5 game lead. The Miners sweep and they are in. Maybe.

4. Paradise White Pines, tied atop the league with a 32-20 record with the Gulls, play the 17-34 Eclipse at home. The caveat being Nick Hunt is fresh off his no hitter and not a guy you want to face.

The graphic displays some of the individual honors that are up for grabs.

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Billy Moser launches his 5th homer of the year into the corn in left field. The Miners take the 1-0 lead.

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Another four bagger this time for the Gulls who picked up their first 2 hits of the game and cashed in, unlike the Miners who have been leaving ducks on the pond.

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Two games remaining on the schedule.

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Here are the key box scores for the Upper Peninsula.

Billy Moser hit for the cycle, and the Gulls take the L.

The White Pines took care of business and can clinch with a W on Sunday.

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The Gulls had a 5-0 lead, but it is getting dicey with the Miners playing with nothing to lose. Paradise has the late-night game.

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Iron River gets the W.

Justin Love with the Baltimore Special.

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Not once, but twice in the biggest game of the season.

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The Eclipse are not ready to go home, yet.

Rally in the 9th.

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Wheeler watches strike 3 on an 87 mph slider.

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It went down to the wire but a ground ball to the 2nd baseman gave the White Pines the win and the League championship.

Traverse City and Paradise are in the State Championship Game.

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The teams came out swinging, collectively scoring five runs in the first inning. Here is the box score of this thriller in Traverse City.

It got tense in the bottom of the 9th when Cairns fanned Schulz with two runners on and two outs only to see a passed ball miscue by the eventual hero of the game, Marc Polite. Cairns had to retire SS Jon Cordero to force extra innings.

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When you hit three home runs and total 13 hits it is not unreasonable to conclude you were going to win the game.

Not the case, as it was Marc Polite for the second day in a row wreaking havoc and doom on the Bears. Polite hit two dingers, two singles, and swiped two bases, earning him the POG award on the heels of his dramatic 11th inning 3-run home run the night before.

It was a day for the #2 position player as Ryan homered and stroked three singles for the Bears.

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Paradise SP Joe Jones was cruising along with a 1-0 lead until he wasn't. Shultz and Cordero went back to back with LF homers to take a lead that the Bears would not relinquish, despite a minor threat in the 9th.

CL Woodhams brought his 97 MPH fastball with him and retired three of four batters for the Traverse City win.

Kudos to Ruben Fletes, who gave it his all, throwing 113 pitches through seven innings while holding the White Pines bats to just two runs.

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It has been rumored all summer that the California native Mike Shuster will be relocating to Michigan sometime before the new year. Shuster was spotted in the crowd wearing a Saugatuk Joe baseball cap.

When asked about whether or not he was going to settle in Western Michigan in the Lower Peninsula, he laughed it off, " We are looking for employment and housing options next and hope to make a decision on whether or not to leave California.

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About to get underway in Paradise where the White Pines hold a 2-1 series edge over the Traverse City Bluebirds.

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Antonio Duarte is working on a 1 hit shutout for the White Pines. He also appears to be a bit fatigued. The Bears hit the ball hard in the 7th, but right at the Paradise fielders. We'll see how long they stay with Antonio.

In the 2nd inning the White Pines had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 0 outs but could not advance the runners. Might be a costly lost opportunity as Glenn Wootton settled down.

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Duarte did his job and has exited after 8 innings. Nick Cairns is coming on to try and earn the save and put Paradise in a commanding 3-1 series lead.

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Duarte and Cairns combined to toss a one-hitter as the White Pines are now within one game of their first Town Ball Championship. They can do it in front of the home crowd, too.