EAST LANSING – Traverse City West’s historic run to the MHSAA Division 1 baseball state finals came to end Thursday.
Appearing in the program’s first state semifinal, West’s bid to become Traverse City’s first baseball state champion since St. Francis in 1990 fell short with a 3-1 loss to Warren De La Salle at Michigan State’s McLane Stadium.
“These guys have no reason to hang their heads,” West coach Matt Bocian said. “We reached the state finals for the first time in school history and won 41 games this year.”
West entered Thursday’s contest on the heels of winning the program’s first regional title last Saturday, beating No. 12 Saginaw Heritage and third-ranked Bay City Western.
The ninth-ranked Titans then rallied from a three-run deficit on Tuesday to secure a 5-4 win over No. 4 Rockford, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth to punch their ticket to East Lansing.
The Titans broke a scoreless tie Thursday in the third inning on a Gavin Garmhausen RBI single through the shortstop, sending Nick Brzezinski home.
Brzezinski reached earlier in the inning on a double that represented the game’s lone extra base hit.
De La Salle would respond in the ensuing inning on Jake Badalamenti’s two-run single, putting the Pilots (27-13) ahead 2-1.
Mike Kostuch then added an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI single to put De La Salle up 3-1.
Ryan Hayes was saddled with the loss, striking out four while allowing three earned runs on six hits and four walks.
Like much of the postseason, West struggled at the plate, registering just two hits.
West ends the year at 41-3.
De La Salle advances to face the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal, which pitted Saline against defending state champion Hartland.
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