Jeffers pitcher Pierce Johnson throws from the mound as Hancock's Chase Keranan takes a lead off second during a game Saturday at the Bostwick Tournament in Houghton. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — After seemingly endless weeks in the gym, the area high school baseball community was finally able to get outside and play some hard ball Saturday for the third annual Bostwick Tournament. The three-game tournament at Houghton High School opened with the Jeffers Jets taking on the Houghton Gremlins. The Jets won that one, 2-0. In game two, the Hancock Bulldogs outscored the Calumet Copper Kings, 5-1. That set the stage for the Bulldogs and Jets to face off in the title game.

The Bulldogs pounced on the Jets with a nine-run first inning and never looked back. The game ended after five with the mercy rule in play due to a 12-1 Hancock lead.

The Bulldogs and the Jets make strange bed fellows this season as Hancock’s head coach Luke Paul and his assistant coach and dad, Nels, had been the coaching staff of the Jets’ baseball program for the past several years.

“They (Jets players) are giving me grief,” stated Nels Paul with a smile. “I have heard ‘traitor’ a couple of times today.”

“I think there might have been a slight advantage in our game today, because I know the tendencies and the habits of the Jets’ lineup,” Luke Paul said. “It was fun as I relayed all that I knew to our pitcher and catcher.”

To be honest, the Bulldogs didn’t need much help on the field, because they posted a nine-run first as the away team. They had six hits in the opening frame off of pitcher Pierce Johnson. This included a single and a triple for No. 2 hitter Todd Kilpela and a single and a double for cleanup-hitter Benny Keranen. Keranen was 3-for-3 at the plate. He added a triple in the third frame.

Pierce Johnson was the starter for the Jets, but he did not last long. After walking two and hitting a second batter by a pitch, he was replaced by Blake Heltunen who finished the game. The damage had already been done.

“Poor pitching and bad defense was not with us in our second game,” noted Jets coach Joe Romano. “We dug a hole and could not get out of it.”

Caleb Isaacson was the winning pitcher for the Bulldogs. He went all five innings and surrendered just four hits and one run. Along the way, he struck out nine and walked zero. He also helped his cause at the plate with three RBIs going 2-for-4 at the plate.

Todd Kilpela had a 2-for-2 day at the plate. The Bulldogs had a total of 10 hits in the game much to the pleasure of their coach.

“The bats were hot today,” said Luke Paul. “I really like it when we get hits with runners on base. That builds confidence and momentum for the next guy at the plate.”

The Jets avoided the shutout with a run in the fourth. That came about courtesy of Heltunen getting a base hit and coming home on a Johnson triple three batters later.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs added a run apiece in the second, third and fourth innings to make this one a 12-1 victory.

The Jets (8-3) first game against Houghton (6-9) was obviously the better of their two games on Saturday. Just ask their coach on the 2-0 shut out.

“We played very good baseball in the opener,” noted Romano.

This included keeping the Gremlins scoreless in six innings of ball. They did it with strong pitching and strong bats.

Johnson was the Jets starter and earned the win. He threw four scoreless innings giving up five walks and striking out five. He was followed by Kasen Helminen, who blanked the Gremlins for two innings while striking out three and walking five.

Jeffers got on the board in the second when Carson L’Esperance singled and eventually scored. He led the team with one RBI. Johnson and Chad Isaacson both had hits as well in this low-scoring affair.

Houghton’s Rylan Isaacson suffered the loss. He went all six innings, giving up two runs on just three hits. He struck out four and walked just one.

Hancock’s road to tournament victory included an opening 5-1 win over the Calumet Copper Kings (5-9).

While the Copper Kings scored first in the first, the Bulldogs took the lead in the second and didn’t look back. In that second, singles by Luciano Paoli and Connor Helminen led to a three run inning.

Keranan earned the victory from the mound. Over six innings, the right hander threw a two-hitter-giving up just on run. He struck out seven and walked three.

Calumet’s Joe Halonen suffered the loss as he gave up three runs on five hits over the course of four innings. He struck out four and walked one.

Leading the way for Bulldogs was Helminen with two RBIs. He was 2-for-4 on the afternoon. Keranen helped his own cause going 3-for-3 at the plate and leading the Bulldogs in hits.

Saturday’s wins for the Bulldogs moved them to 17-3 on the season, and marked their eighth win in a row.