By Greg Gielczyk
LocalSportsJournal.com

SCOTTVILLE — Ludington’s baseball team captured the ACE Hardware Baseball Tournament title on Saturday in walk-off fashion.

Thie Orioles made it four straight titles with a 3-2 decision over the Hart Pirates in a tournament in Scottville.

The Orioles defeated Mason County Central 11-1 in a game shortened to five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule. In that game, Ludington collected seven hits and played an error-free game.

Meanwhile, sophomore Aris Knoll took the hill and finished with a three-hit gem that featured four strikeouts and just one walk over five innings.

Game 2 turned into a pitcher’s duel, with Andre Walden of Ludington matching up against the Pirates’ Ty Schlukebir.

Walden went the distance and gave up two hits and two unearned runs. He did experience some control problems and walked six, but punched out five Pirates on strikes.

Schlukebir kept the Orioles handcuffed through the first five innings, using a bulldog pitching style. Ludington managed only four hits in the contest.

Gavin Henion led the offense for Ludington with two hits and an RBI. Walden had a single hit and an RBI. Ludington catcher Gage Jones had the other hit and scored a run.

The Pirates finally struck first with a run in the bottom of the sixth.

Carter Ramseyer found himself sitting on second when senior Mitchell Slade stepped to the plate and delivered a single that sent Ramseyer home for a 1-0 lead.

After the Orioles scored two runs in the bottom half of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead, the Pirates answered for a single run to knot things up again.

But the Pirates’ defense faltered at a key moment in the seventh. An errant throw allowed the winning run to cross the plate.

“This matchup in the tournament has proven to yield great baseball games in recent years and this was another example,” said Hart coach David Riley. “We certainly had hoped to find a way to get on the right side of the line score, but I am proud of the brand of baseball we played today.”

Hart soothed its wounds in the second game against Mason County Central, rolling to a 14-0 victory in game that was shortened because of the Pirates’ big lead that invoked the mercy rule.

The Pirates collected 10 hits in five innings, led by Clayton Riley, who was 3-for-3, and Blake Weirich who was 3-for-4 with two doubles. Aiden Coker also had a double.

Weirich picked up the win on the hill, giving up just three hits and striking out eight.

“Blake has been great all season,” Riley said. “His command has been really dialed in and he has kept walks to next to nothing in all his starts. We hope to hit the stretch run of the season now by keeping attitude, hustle and grit high. Putting all the little things together and adding them up to make the difference in close games.”

Ludington returns to action on Monday when the Orioles finish a suspended game with Orchard View in the West Michigan Conference Lakes Division at 4 p.m. The game will pick up in the fourth inning.

The Pirates (9-10) will host Hesperia in a West Michigan Conference Rivers Division doubleheader Tuesday.