The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Big Reds start 2-0 in Huron play
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 26, 2007
The Milan baseball team wasted no time last week showing that it deserves its early-season status as a potential Huron League champion — or that it can win against some of the area's best teams.
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The Big Reds stormed to an early 2-0 Huron League record with commanding double-digit wins over Riverview April 18 and Flat Rock at home Monday.
But arguably Milan's best performance came the previous Tuesday, when sophomore Aaron Straub came in as relief and earned the win in a 5-4 extra-inning victory over Southeastern Conference foe Dexter.
"Dexter's a good team," said Milan head coach Adam Gilles. "Our guys did a great job and got a good win."
Zach McGovern got the start and pitched six strong innings for the Big Reds, helping push visiting Milan into the eighth inning tied at four after an inning of work by Straub. Straub led off the top of the eighth with a single and was driven in by senior Cameron Hynds for what would prove to be the game-winning run after Straub pitched a scoreless bottom half.
The next day, Milan rolled 14-1 over the Riverview Pirates. Mike Latham picked up the win, but the story was the Milan offense as a solo blast by Hynds and a two-run shot by Ryan Bordine gave the Big Reds their first two home runs of the year. Denver Straub also added three RBIs on a pair of hits.
Despite the success, Milan continued to work on its hitting throughout the week after, Gilles said, having had too many strikeouts against Dexter.
"We had some problems," he said. "So we came back, got in the batting cage, made some changes to our swings and you could see the difference."
That was certainly the case in the 14-2 win over Flat Rock. Milan got started early, getting five runs in the first on RBI singles by Bordine and Denver Straub, a two-run double by Matt Suisse, and another RBI double by Lance Smith.
Milan added another in the second on a Hynds single, driving in McGovern, and pushed the lead to 9-0 when Suisse scored on an error, Jesse Karr came across on a McGovern ground-out, and a bloop single by Hynds drove in a third run in the bottom of the third.
The Big Reds would go on to activate the 10-run mercy rule with a five-run fourth. Jake Hall had driven in a run with a bases-loaded walk before McGovern drove the ball into the left-center gap for an inside-the-park grand slam and a 14-0 lead.
Hynds pitched all five innings, giving up only two fifth-inning runs, for the win.
The Saturday between the two Huron wins, Milan hosted the Avery Memorial Tournament and played three games, winning one, a 13-3 win over Ypsilanti-Lincoln. But the two losses came to Division 1 powers, one 11-6 to No. 4 Grandville and the other 7-0 to defending champion Grosse Pointe North.
Over the course of the three games, Milan got contributions from a number of players, including Suisse, who recorded six hits and five RBIs; Denver Straub, with four hits and four RBIs; and Hall, who earned a spot as the team's leadoff hitter with six hits and six RBIs.
"He's a good two-strike hitter, a guy who'll foul balls off ... we put him in and he hit really well for us," Gilles said. "Matt Suisse played three complete games, offensively and defensively, as good as any three any of our players had played this year. Some teams, after their 1-5 hitters, don't have a lot after that. We've got a lot of guys who are hitting the ball right now."
With the Lincoln and Flat Rock wins, Milan's overall record improved to 6-3.
Staff Writer Jerry Hinnen can be reached at 429-7380 or at jhinnen@heritage.com.
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