Craig Heinonen Coldwell Banker pitcher Andrew Kinnunen throws against Northern Driveline during Copper Country Twilight Baseball League action Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, in Hancock, Mich. (Eddie O’Neill/The Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — Chase Kinnunen hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning to lift Craig Heinonen Coldwell Banker in a 4-3 win against Northern Driveline in Copper Country Twilight Baseball League action Thursday.

Northern Driveline (4-5) led 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth. The team took the lead as Evan Larson scored Rylan Anderson to break a 2-2 tie that lasted from the third inning.

Northern Driveline was three outs away from an extra-inning win.

But Coldwell Banker (5-6) wasn’t done yet.

With a runner on second to start the ninth, Northern Driveline starting pitcher Alex Nordstrom walked two to load the bases. Andrew Kinnunen stepped up and tied the game with a single up the middle. Cody Turner followed with a single to load the bases with one out. Chase Kinnunen’s base hit allowed Owen Kariniemi to score easy for the walk-off win.

“Chase came through big for us,” said Coldwell Banker’s player-manager Ross Kinnunen. “He not only had the game-winning hit, but he had a number of good put outs in left field tonight.”

“Andrew pitched great,” Ross Kinnunen said. “He threw strikes, and we did a good job of backing him up. As well he got the game-tying hit. What more could you ask for?”

While he would have rather been on the winning side of the score book, Larson applauded a well played game by both teams.

“It was a tough loss, but a fun game to play as it could have gone either way after we tied in the third,” he said. “I wish we could have given Alex (Nordstrom) better support at the plate as he pitched a great game, and we played solid defense.”

REL Inc.-Mohawk Technology beat Garnet Garage 10-5 in the other Twilight game Thursday night.

Up next

The Copper Country Twilight Baseball League has one more regular season gameday. Houghton Building Supply-Stanton plays REL, Inc.-Mohawk Technology 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11 at Driving Park.

Both teams will complete a rain-shortened game before playing Thursday’s regularly scheduled game. HBS-Stanton has a 9-3 lead after two innings.

Garnet Garage plays Northern Driveline at 6:30 p.m. the same day at Stanton. Both teams will complete a rain-shortened game in which they resume with a 3-3 tie.

Regular season standings are in the scoreboard section on page 6B.

ND 002 000 001 – 3

CB 101 000 002 – 4