Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette L’Anse’s Reese Waara swings at a pitch during the first game of a doubleheader against Lake Linden-Hubbell Friday. The Purple Hornets won both games of the doubleheader, which were the first-ever games for the Lakes.

L’ANSE — Baseball history was made Friday afternoon as the Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes took to the diamond for school’s first ever high school baseball games. They faced the L’Anse Purple Hornets in a doubleheader. The Lakes lost 21-3 in the first game and 12-4 in the second.

Despite the scores, Lakes manager Andy Crouch was happy to see his baseball team taking shape.

“Obviously we have a lot to work on,” he said. “We have a lot of kids who haven’t played since little league, but it was good to see our kids out there playing the game of baseball for Lake Linden.”

Even more historic, said Crouch, was the fact that Friday’s game marked the first time his team had been on a real baseball field this spring.

“We’d been practicing in the gym and some outside on the school playground,” he said. “You have to start somewhere.”

In the opener, the Purple Hornets put five runs on the board in the top of the first as they went through the line-up once. The tallies came mostly due to walks, wild pitches and errors. Lakes starting hurler Carter Crouch hit three L’Anse batters and gave up three walks in the first frame.

He was replaced on the mound in the second by Cole Gregorie, who did not fare much better. He allowed 11 runs again on a combination of misplays, walks and errors.

Tanner Lane was on the mound for the Purple Hornets, earning the win.

“Tanner was great,” said L’Anse manager Chad Cichosz who is in his second year at the helm. “He threw strikes and that is what he is supposed to do.”

The Lakes got their first of three runs in the bottom of the second when second baseman Alex Mahrley got on base with a walk and advance on an error and was knocked in on a base hit by first baseman Caleb Klein.

They would get another run in the third and one in the fourth inning while the Purple Hornets would go on to record five more runs in the third. The first game was stopped after four innings due to the mercy rule. In the end, the Purple Hornets scored 21 runs on 7 hits and committed only two errors.

Good pitching continued for the home team in the second game as the Purple Hornets put Alec Rajala on the mound.

“This was Rajala’s second time on the mound this season since little league, and he pitched amazing,” said Cichosz.

However, the Lakes made great strides in the second game even taking a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning thanks to some heads-up base running by Crouch and a base hit by Gregorie.

The Purple Hornets came back to tie it in the bottom of the third at three due mainly to errors on the part of the Lakes.

The Lakes suffered through a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth as Rajala struck out two. When the Purple Hornets came to bat in their half, they turned up the heat. Catcher Reese Waara smacked a three-run double to the right center field fence to make the score 6-3. That was followed by singles by Terry Reid and a double by Rajala. When all was said and done, L’Anse made it a nine-run inning and went on to win 12-4.

“Overall I was pleased with my pitching,” said Cichosz. “To only having to throw three guys in two games is great. As well, Terry Reid and Alec Rajala really hit the ball well. At the same time we made too many errors in the field and some positional and situational mistakes. However, the season is young, and things will come together in time.”