Groves Baseball Wins Wild Game Over Seaholm in Extra Innings

BIRMINGHAM – Rivalries can bring out the best in teams. And that was certainly the case on Thursday.   

In a battle for the top spot in the Oakland Activities Association Blue division, and varsity baseball needed extra innings to decide a winner. However, it was the Falcons who won 7-3 with four runs in a wild ninth inning, evening the season series between the schools at one apiece.

For Groves, the game continued an impressive winning streak that is now at nine games. 

“This is huge,” pitcher Mike Mestdagh said. “Not only this game, but this streak we’re on. I think it’s nine in a row. The team is coming together now. (There are) no individual victories, it’s everybody contributing.”

In extra innings it was that kind of team effort that helped the Falcons (13-5; 7-3 OAA Blue) take the lead.

Seaholm entered the game one starter down. Spencer Eick was filling in for starter shortstop Micahel Doney, who fractured his hip during a game against West Bloomfield Wednesday. Doney, Seaholm's leadoff hitter who was batting over .400, will miss the rest of the season with an expected recovery time of six to eight weeks.

The injury forced Seaholm head coach Dan Drapal to shift his lineup around, but he said he was happy with how his team responded in its first game without such a key contributor. 

“I’m upset with outcome, but not with the way they stuck in there,” Drapal said.

A wild game

It was Groves senior Mike Mestdagh who won the game for Groves. The senior came in during the fifth inning, pitching four scoreless innings and hitting the homerun that tied the game at 3-3 and turned the tide for Groves.

The excitment began during the fourth inning, when the teams exchanged the lead. Down 1-0, Groves loaded the bases with no outs to start off the inning and scored two runs. A tremendous throw from Adam Banchiu in left field helped cut the Falcons run short when a runner tried to score from second base.

“(I) give the leftfielder credit, we were going all the way and he was playing deep when the ball came off the bat,” Groves head coach Jim Crosby said. “That kid made a heck of a ball, charged hard like he was supposed to and threw a strike to home.”

After Seaholm's starting pitcher Scott Anderson ended Groves' run, the Maples came right back and regained the lead with a huge double from Michael Burgher. He hit the ball to the centerfield fence to make the game 3-2.

However, after Mestdagh's homerun tied the game, the tides turned decisively for the Falcons. The game was a pitcher's duel until the Falcons grabbed the lead in an action-packed ninth inning.

With Groves' Chase Turner, Chris Ponchas and Mestdagh on the bases, McCann came to bat and hit a ground ball to Seaholm's shortstop. The play may have ended there but Seaholm's Spencer Eick rushed the throw, launching the ball over the second basemen's head. Two runs were scored on the play.

Groves' Ryan Williams then came up to bat and hit a bases-clearing double to give Groves a decisive 7-3 final score.

Both teams’ focus now shifts to winning the division. Groves won the title three years ago and now has a half-game lead with six division games left to play.  

“It’s nice to be in first, but we still got six games left in the league so it’s nothing to brag about yet,” Crosby said. “This whole area is extremely even, (we have) to keep playing hard because teams are going to keep going after you.”

Seaholm won the division two years ago and a strong finish would give them a shot at another. 

“Lot of teams are starting to beat up on each other,” Drapal said. “Anything can happen, it’s still wide open. We’re going to get back to work and see what we can do.”