Designotype Printers pitcher Devin Lasanen delivers a pitch during the first inning of a Portage Lake Little League Majors semifinal game against Pepsi of Houghton Thursday at the South Range VFW Fields. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

SOUTH RANGE — With runs scored in nearly every inning, Pepsi of Houghton earned a trip to Saturday’s championship game in Portage Lake Little League Majors play Thursday evening at the South Range VFW Fields. They scored 11 runs of their own and then withstood a late pushback by Designotype Printers to earn the win, 11-6.

Pepsi coach Dan LaBeske could not be more excited for his team, especially for players who have worked hard all season to take big steps in key moments.

“The kids came a long way this year,” he said. “Some of the kids have come from right at the bottom, right to the top. Like our one pitcher we had tonight, Holden (Aho), he hasn’t played much. He was not hitting anything, doing anything. We had a good practice, and it kind of clicked for him, and he’s taken off from there. So, it’s been real. It’s been real fun watching him.”

Aho went 1-for-3 with a triple and walk at the plate, scoring one run. He came in to relieve Maxx LaBeske in the fourth inning and forced a pop out back to himself before picking up a pair of strikeouts. He then faced six more batters in the fifth, picking up one more strikeout.

The main difference in the game was the fact that Pepsi found ways to get runners home in the first, second, third, fifth and sixth innings, which increased the pressure on Designotype.

“They’ve been doing really good on their offense and defense,” said Dan LaBeske. “I’d say that they’ve really come together as a team this year. (I’m) pretty proud of them.”

Pepsi got things going right away in the top of the first inning. Fred Johnson led off with a single to center field. He stole second and then later stole third. Vaughn Crist drew a walk. Two batters later, Oliver Pennala singled to bring both runners home.

Designotype got one back right away. Tyler L’Esperance drew a lead off walk. He stole second and got to third on a defensive error. Then Garrett Wuornos hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home.

Looking to get that run back, Pepsi did just that in the second. Nolan LaTendresse drew a walk with one out. He stole second and later advanced to third on a passed ball. A sacrifice by Fred Johnson brought him home.

The game remained 3-1 in favor of Pepsi into the third, where they broke things open. Corbin Hupp led off with a single to center field. He stole second and scored on a passed ball. Oliver Pennala walked. Maxx LaBeske then singled on a ground ball to right field, putting runners on the corners. LaTendresse singled to short, which brought both runners home to make it 6-1.

Lane Johnson singled to left field. LaTendressee scored on a passed ball with Johnson at the plate. Crist then grounded out to end the inning, but Pepsi held a 7-1 lead at that point.

In the fifth, Pepsi struck again. Aho tripled to center field to lead off. LaTendresse drew a walk. Aho scored on a passed ball with Lane Johnson at the plate. Johnson then sacrificed to move LaTendresse to third. He scored on a passed ball with Fred Johnson at the plate.

With their backs against the proverbial wall, Designotype bore down. Devin Lasanen drew a lead-off walk. He stole second with Brant Koski at the plate. Koski then doubled to the center field fence, scoring Lasanen. Lander Pennala sacrificed to move Koski to third. Tyler L’Esperance then doubled to deep center field to bring Koski home.

Designotype wasn’t done. A passed ball moved L’Esperance to third. Wuornos walked. Tyler Pietila was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases. A passed ball scored L’Esperance, but when Wuornos ran home, he missed home plate and was tagged before he could get back to the plate, ending the inning with the score now 9-4 in favor of Pepsi.

With rain becoming a factor, Pepsi added two more runs in the sixth. Oliver Pennala walked. Maxx LaBeske singled to right field. Finley Mattson singled to second base, scoring Pennala. A double steal advanced both LaBeske and Mattson. Aho then walked, which loaded the bases. LaTendresse singled. Fred Johnson reached on a fielder’s choice, which also scored LaBeske.

In the bottom half of the inning, Jack Anderson led off with a walk to get a rally started for Designotype. Three batters later, a passed ball moved him to second. Koski then walked. Lander Pennala singled, which scored Anderson. L’Esperance then walked, which loaded the bases. A passed ball scored Koski to cut the lead down to five runs. However, Wuornos struck out to end the game.

Up next

Pepsi advanced to Saturday’s championship game, which will be at 2 p.m. at the South Range VFW Fields. They will face South Range VFW.

Pepsi of Houghton’s Holden Aho prepares to swing at a pitch during the first inning of a Portage Lake Little League Majors semifinal game against Designotype Printers Thursday at the South Range VFW Fields. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)