By SCOTT NOVAK
Dowagiac Daily News

STEVENSVILLE – The Dowagiac baseball season came to an end and so did the brief career of coach Bryan Henry Tuesday afternoon.

The Chieftains were eliminated from the Division 2 District Tournament Tuesday afternoon by host Lakeshore 4-2.

Henry announced late last month that he would not return as Dowagiac’s coach next season.

A three-run first inning was all the Lancers really needed against the Chieftains on Tuesday.

Adam Miller and Zane Metz both hit first inning home runs off of Dowagiac’s Zac Hyatt, who settled down and pitched well the rest of  the way.

However, the damage had been done, and the Chieftains were unable to hit the ball effectively with runners on base.

Dowagiac also struck out 13 times against Lakeshore’s Sam Fowler.

The Chieftains scored a run in the first and second innings as Jason Turner, who was 3-for-4 with a double, drove in both runs.

The Lancer’s final run came in the third inning.

Dowagiac had entered the districts on a five-game winning streak.

But Henry pointed out that you need to hit the ball in the postseason and his team didn’t.
“Hyatt pitched a great game and we made some solid defensive plays, but you can’t expect to beat a very solid team and a well-coached team with only four hits,” he said.

Henry also pointed out that Lakeshore made a few defensive plays on its infield early in the game which kept his team from scoring.

The loss ended the Chieftains’ season at 16-17.

Lakeshore will now take on Edwardsburg in the first semifinals on Saturday.

Niles and St. Joseph will meet in the second semifinal.

Dowagiac 110 000 0 – 2 4 0
Lakeshore 301 000 x – 4 6 1
Sam Fowler (W)
Zac Hyatt, Cody Cox (6) and Brett Scanlon
2B: Hasse (L)
HR: Adam Miller (L), Zane Metz (L)
Varsity record: Dowagiac 16-17