By Staff
MATTAWAN - The District 15 11-12 year-old championship game started off with a bang in the first inning Tuesday evening in Mattawan where the Niles FOP All-Stars took a 9-3 championship win.
Schoolcraft started off strong with three singles scoring one run, but Niles countered with a double by Nick Lucero and singles by Shawn Dudka and Rashad Harris to tie the game 1-1.
Schoolcraft went ahead in the second inning 2-1. In the third inning, Niles' offense came alive when Lucero hit a solo homerun and Niles scored four runs to take a 5-2 lead.
The All-Star team extended its lead in the fourth inning when, with based loaded, Josh Clark hit a line drive along the right field base line to clear the bases. Clark then added another run for a 9-2 Niles lead.
Schoolcraft added one more run in the fifth inning to end the game with a 9-3 Niles win.
Montrell Merritt was the starting pitcher for the FOP All-Stars and went the distance with five strike outs.
The Niles defense was tough shutting down Schoolcraft's offense and leaving baserunners stranded numerous times.
This is Niles FOP's third straight District 15 championship in the 11-12 year-old age bracket.
The FOP team heads to Wyoming this Friday to start state finals tournament play.
Donations and sponsors are being sought to help defray the costs of hotels and meals for the players.
Anyone interested in making a donation can contact Lori Zimmerman (team mom) at 574-876-1091.
A community send off is being planned with a police/fire escort for Friday afternoon at 3:30 as the team leaves town.