COLOMA — The top of the batting order came through in the 10th inning Tuesday for the Brandywine baseball team in its Division III district game against defending state semifinalist Bridgman.

No. 2 batter Chandler Plew doubled in the game-winning run in the 10th as the Bobcats outlasted the Bees, 3-2.

Zach Grishaber, who walked to start the inning from his top spot in the order, scored on the double.

“I loved the way my guys battled today,” said Brandywine coach Dave Sidenbender. “It was awesome.”

Brandywine (17-7) advances to play Buchanan in a district semifinal game at 10 a.m. Saturday at Coloma High School. Coloma meets Berrien Springs in the second semifinal around noon. The two winners play for the district title around 2 p.m.

“I like my (batting) order, in general, but (the top of the order) was seeing the ball pretty well today,” Sidenbender said. “I knew they would get some good swings. They did what they had to do so I was really happy with the way they came out and battled.”

No. 3 batter Kyle Duncan collected three hits, including an RBI single in the third inning, which gave Brandywine a 1-0 lead.

That lead held until the sixth when Bridgman scored two unearned runs to take the lead. Tyler Gnodtke hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game and the Bees took the lead when a run scored on a wild pitch off a third strike swing.

After the sacrifice fly, Sidenbender removed his starting pitcher Matt Vaughn from the game and put in Cole Searles.

“It was pretty warm out there,” Sidenbender said. “I didn’t like the matchup. I thought if I got a little bit of a harder thrower in there we’d get a batter jammed and a weak ground ball. I like our pitchers and the four guys we have.”

Vaughn and Searles combined to allow three hits and strike out six.

Gnodtke allowed nine hits and struck out 11 over eight innings.

Brandywine bounced back and scored a run in the seventh to tie the game. With one out, Seth Brown hit an infield single and stole second. He came around to score on a single from pinch-hitter Toby Fox.

“He’s probably our leading hitter this year,” Sidenbender said about Fox, who’s a freshman. “I think he’s hitting over .400. We have a lot of infielders so he doesn’t always get a shot out there so I use him off the bench as a pinch-hitter and as a DH.”

 

 

Division 3 District baseball

At Coloma

Brandywine   001     000     100     1 – 3 11 1

Bridgman       000     002     000     0 – 2 3 3

Matt Vaughn, Cole Searles (6-W, 2-3) and Jeshua Wiese; Tyler Gnodtke, Nick Knowlton (9-L) and Michael Krynicky

2B: Chandler Plew (Brandywine)

Varsity records: Brandywine 17-7, Bridgman 14-15