Hancock's Brayden Larson swings big Thursday a game against Calumet at the Hancock Driving Park. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

HANCOCK — While the Calumet Copper Kings baseball team had put together many good innings over the past several games, it had yet to produce a win for them. On Thursday, they put together a much-needed complete game, plus an extra frame, and earned a win over the Hancock Bulldogs, 8-7. That was the second game. The Bulldogs (8-9) took the first game, 4-3.

“The win certainly is good for morale,” said Copper Kings coach David Yeo. “I am happy for the boys because they work hard.”

In the nightcap, the Copper Kings swung out to a 1-0 lead after one. A lead-off walk to Calumet’s Liam Pomroy allowed him to score two outs later on an error at second base by Hancock’s Vince Heinonen.

In similar fashion a walk to the Bulldogs Travis Pietila in the bottom of the second led to him scoring and tying the game at one apiece. Both squads scored in the third and it was now a 2-2 knot.

That is how it stood until the fifth. It was then that the Bulldogs bats got hot to the tune of two runs. Singles by Chase Keranen and Brayden Larson led to runs, and the Bulldogs were just three outs away from a doubleheader sweep.

However, the Copper Kings were still digging and struck gold with a five-run top of the sixth. It started with back-to-back singles by Charlie Halonen and Colton Stafford. Pomroy walked to load the bases and Tyler Halonen followed with a walk which brought in Stafford. Darin Berg then tied the game with an RBI single to center. A sacrifice fly by Lyle Lasanen put the Calumet boys in the lead again. A double by Trent Halonen added one more run, and the Copper Kings went up 7-4 on an error by Hancock’s third baseman Brayden Larson.

Now the Copper Kings were just three outs away from a win. However, the Bulldogs were not going down easy. With two men on and just one out, Ned Larson hit a deep double to left center and cleared the bases. Larson then advanced to third and eventually home on a passed ball to tie the game at seven.

In extra innings, the Copper Kings dug even deeper. A lead-off base hit by Charlie Halonen and walks to Pomroy and Tyler Halonen set the stage for Lasanen who came through with a hard hit ball to left field allowing the go-ahead run to score.

According to Yeo, pitcher Tyler Halonen had just 18 pitches left (pitch count) as he entered the bottom of the seventh. Much to his coach’s delight he didn’t use many of them as the Hancock batters went down in order, and the Copper Kings had their win.

“Game ball goes to Tyler. He pitched a complete-game win and got out of some tough situations,” stated his coach.

In the first game on Thursday, the drama on the diamond played out in seemingly opposite fashion. It was the Bulldogs who took an early 3-0 lead with Ned Larson on the mound. Calumet rallied with two in the third thanks to a triple by Charlie Halonen and a double by Pomroy.

The Copper Kings then tied it at three in the top of the sixth with Berg reaching on an error and eventually scoring on another error at short.

Hancock, however walked this one off. With one out, the Bulldogs Vince Heinonen walked and eventually made his way to third on a misplayed ball by Calumet’s left fielder John Golus. He came home a batter later on a fly ball error again to Golus, which ended the game.

Travis Pietila, coach of the Bulldogs, was obviously more pleased with the first game, but overall liked his team’s fighting spirit.

“We battled today. We went down multiple times and came back not once but twice,” he stated. “That was key.”

Up next

Both teams will take to the field Saturday in Houghton at the John Bostwick Memorial Tournament.