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VICKSBURG – One season after sharing the Wolverine Conference title, the Niles baseball team came out and took care of business Tuesday by sweeping co-defending champ Vicksburg 4-1 and 10-1. 

The pair of road wins improves Jim Brawley’s Vikings, No. 13 in the latest Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Division 2 state poll, to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference. Vicksburg, now 2-9 overall, remains winless in the league at 0-3.

“We are very fortunate to come up here and earn a doubleheader sweep. Vicksburg has a great team and program. I think there were only a total of seven hits between both teams in the first game. Their starting pitcher was unbelievable for them (Vicksburg) in the first game,” Brawley said. 

Niles grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the opener after Sam Rucker singled to lead off the game and later scored on Acie Kirtdoll’s fielder’s choice. 

It would be the lone run scored in the contest until the final frame.

The Vikings added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Junior Brenden Olsen, Niles’ starting first baseman and leading hitter with a .464 average and five home runs, belted a triple to deep right field scoring Ryne Brown, Rucker and Braylon Schultz. 

Olsen also collected a pair of singles while Rucker, Brody Lace and Schultz all added base hits for the Vikings.

“Brenden is seeing the ball very well for us so far this season,” Brawley said.

“That seventh inning was something that was very special to us. Our No. 2 hitter (Schultz) bunted just to get our No. 3 hitter (Olsen) up to the plate in that situation. That inning would’ve been much different if he (Olsen) hadn’t got that hit. Both pithers got a little tired in that last inning but Jaxen (Racht) settled in and got the job done for us. I’m very proud of him and all our kids,” Brawley said. 

Maguire Bowles scored Vicksburg’s lone run in the bottom of the seventh when he came home on a bases loaded walk to teammate John Rose. 

Niles junior ace Jaxen Racht went the distance in the victory allowing just two hits with five strikeouts. 

“Jaxen works his tail off and has some schools interested in him but we get him another year. He has a real high work ethic, is always in the weight room and doing extra work after practice and really wants to be good at this game,” Brawley said. 

Brady Young pitched well in the loss for Vicksburg. Young tossed a complete game allowing six hits with three walks and 11 strikeouts. 

Niles led game two 1-0 after half an inning. Schultz laced a one-out single and later scored on a wild pitch.

The Vikings added four more runs in the top of the third for a 4-0 advantage. Schultz doubled and later scored on another wild pitch. Olsen singled and scored on fielder’s choice by Dane Asmus. Brown and Bryce Zache added RBI singles in the frame for Niles. 

Braylin Vallier doubled and scored Vicksburg’s lone run in the bottom of the third on Bowles’ fielder’s choice.

Niles added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Rucker singled to lead off the Vikings’ fourth and he scored on Kirtdoll’s RBI single. 

In Niles’ half of the fifth, Tanner Rachels singled for the Vikings, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and ended up scoring after Zache beat out a fielder’s choice throw over at first.

Niles addded three runs in the seventh. Brown singled and scored on a balk by Vicksburg’s Caden Chisholm. Lace scored on Zache’s RBI single. Zache scored on on Olsen’s RBI single. 

Zache went 3-for-4 at the plate in the second game for Niles. Olsen and Kirtdoll added three hits apiece. Schultz added a double and Brown singled twice.

“Bryce had some great at bats for us in that second game. He’s had a great season so far as our No. 9 hitter. The New York Yankees had the Murderer’s Row, but we have the Sophomore Row where our last four hitters in the lineup are all sophomores,” Brawley said.

Josh McIntyre started and picked up the win on the mound for Niles. McIntyre went three innings allowing one run and two hits, with four walks and two strikeouts. 

Brown spun the final four frames to earn a save for the Vikings allowing four hits with a walk and one strikeout.  

Rosalin suffered the loss for Vicksburg.

“We have a hard working group of kids we call The Breakfast Club. They get up at 6 a.m. and come in and hit balls before school. You don’t see that a lot anymore. This is a dedicated group. I was proud of both our pitchers in the second game and we just made good defensive plays behind them. I like how we are never satisfied and keep adding runs as well. This is a group of good baseball players who really understand the game. If our pitchers and the rest of the team stay healthy we feel like we’re as good as any team out there,” Brawley said.

Baseball

Game 1

Niles 100 000 3 – 4 6 2

Vicksburg 000 000 1 – 1 2 2

1. Racht (W); Young (L)

Niles hits: B. Olsen 3 (3b), S. Rucker, B. Lace, B. Schultz

Vicksburg hits: Dorscht, Bowles

Game 2

Niles 104 110 3 – 10 16 0

Vicksburg 001 000 0 – 1 6 0

1. McIntyre (W); Rosalin (L)