REL Inc./Mohawk Technology's Ned Larson (left) takes a lead off of first base while Garnet Garage's Coy Budweg (right) mans the bag during a game Thursday at the Paul Lehto Baseball Diamond in Wolverine. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

WOLVERINE — After a disappointing loss on Tuesday, Garnet Garage got their bats going early and often Thursday and earned a 10-6 over REL Inc./Mohawk Technology at the Paul Lehto Baseball Diamond in Wolverine.

“It was good to bounce back and earn the win,” noted Garnet Garage’s player-coach Kevin Bostwick. “We will need this momentum as we headed into playoffs.”

A walk to Kade Farrell to start the first had him scoring two batters later courtesy of Garnet Garage’s starting pitcher, Eli Heathman, who poked a single to right field.

The men in maroon added five more in the second inning – their biggest frame of the night. That rally stated with walks to Brandon Norkel and Carter Crouch off of REL’s starter Dean Jurmu. Another walk to Farrell loaded the bases and they were cleared by back-to-back errors on the REL infield and a misplayed ball in left field. Bostwick and Heathman were runs five and six for the game.

REL, however, was not going to be shut out. They posted a four-run second inning and moved the score to 6-4. Scoring that inning were Rory Anderson, Brandon Pietila, Ned Larson and Owen Kariniemi. Brandon Pietila was hit by a pitch, while the other three walked. Travis Pietila then cleared the bases with a hard hit double to deep left.

While Garnet Garage added one more in the third, REL posted two and moving them within one at 7-6. That is how the scored stayed until the sixth inning. It was then that Garnet Garage tallied three and kept REL off the scoreboard.

After Heathman was hit by a pitch, Mike Saari had a base hit to right and Gaborik Carlson brought them on an RBI double. Two batters later, Carlson scored on a Norkel base rap to center. At that point, it was 10-6.

Heathman closed out the game on the mound and earned a complete-game victory.

Up next

That was the final Twilight League regular-season game for Garnet Garage. With that the clinched the regular-season title with a 10-2 record. REL (2-9) will close out their season with a game again Northern Driveline on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Wolverine.