OAKLAND PRESS: Novi blanks Hartland for first regional title since ’00, beats Lakeview to reach first semifinal in 50 years

NOVI — On Wednesday Novi Coach Rick Green had a premonition that came true when the Wildcats beat Northville for the regional semifinal.

But on Saturday he couldn’t have dreamed that Novi would do what it did, earning its first spot in the semifinals in 50 years.

“Yeah I couldn’t predict this. This in my head was a one run ball game, because Lakeview is just so talented. But we got on a roll,” said Green, who has been with the program since 1996, and as a varsity coach since 2000.

Novi won its first regional title since 2000 with a 4-0 win over Hartland, and claimed its first ever quarterfinal win with a 12-2 win over Lakeview. According to records kept on the MHSAA website, the 1973 Novi team made it to the finals (they didn’t have quarterfinals in those days), losing to Blissfield.

This year’s Wildcats (30-8) advance to the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, facing Mattawan at McLane Stadium for the right to head to the D1 championship game.

“Right now these guys believe in each other. We’re on a roll. The momentum is building. It’s special. Once our guys got playing time, we got better. Uli (Fernsler) got healthy and that bolstered our bullpen,” Green said of the post-season turnaround.

“We’ve just got stronger and stronger.”

After tossing a complete game against Detroit Catholic Central in districts, Clemson commit Brendon Bennett started on the mound against Hartland, but unlike last Saturday’s performance, the junior struggled.

“I can’t explain it, really. Just didn’t have a good day. I was missing my spots, walked and hit a few guys, but Uli (Fernsler) came in and shut them down.” Bennett didn’t have his usual stuff, throwing 63 pitches and only lasting 2.2 innings He walked three batters, hit three more and only recorded three strikeouts.

Luckily though, the Eagles couldn’t muster a run, and Bennett found a way to contribute with his bat.

The junior broke the game open in the top of the third with a two-run, bases-clearing double that scored Trevor Reed and Johnny Aurilia for a 2-0 lead. In the top of seventh, he hit into a double play, but Aurilia, who led the inning off with a clutch double, scored on the play for a 3-0 lead.

Andrew Kummer had the other RBI when he drove in Andrew Abler for the 4-0 lead.

Sophomore Uli Fernsler stole the show when he came in relief for Bennet in the third. Fernsler entered and notched a key strikeout of Logan Berner. “Uli is a big time performer, and he’s nasty,” Bennett said.

“You don’t see any pressure on his face, do you?” Green asked with a laugh. “He’s calm, cool and collected. He knows he’s the best out there when he’s out there.” Fernsler finished the day with a lights-out performance. He struck out the side the following inning, allowed soft contact in the fifth struck out the side again in the sixth, and closed out the seventh. He threw 52 pitches, allowed zero hits, and earned eight strikeouts in his performance.

After the dominant pitching in the regional final, the offense was dominant in the quarterfinal.

“We tell the boys to lay off the high pitches, and look for the ball down in the zone. When you hit, take the ball to the middle of the field, or right center. These guys just bought into that. They love each other, and play for each other,” Green said. “The wind was blowing out, the field was playing fast, and we’re a fast team. It was a good day for offense.”

The quarterfinal was close at the start, but Novi held a lead early with Alex Czapski on the mound in Game 2. Jaden Vondrasek drove in a run for a 1-0 Novi lead, before Lakeview took a lead in the third.

The Spartans (35-7) had an RBI triple from Jacob Kucharczyk that scored Jayden Miller from first. A double up the middle of the field from Jackson Haywood scored Kucharczyk two batters later in the third inning for a 2-1 lead.

The Wildcats tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth with an RBI single from Thad Lawler that scored Abler from second.

From then on, it was all Novi, thanks to big innings in the fifth and sixth.

Bennett led the hit parade in the fifth with a single up the middle. Abler walked. Andrew Kummer hit the ball through the hole at short for a single that loaded the bases, and Brett Reed hit a sharp two-run single that gave Novi a 4-2 lead.

Lawler doubled into the outfield clear the bases, adding two more runs and a double by Trever Reed scored Lawler for a 7-2 lead after five. In the sixth, Bennett again led off the inning and the hit parade with a double of his own to start the Wildcat offense.

Kummer hit a single to left field, Lawler drove in Bennett, Reed drove in Kummer, Vondrasek drove in Reed with a single and Aurilia capped the offense with an RBI of his own for a 11-2 lead that left Lakeview reeling.

Bennett again led off the seventh with a single, and was driven in on a sacrifice fly by Alex Wilson for the final run and a 12-2 lead.