Div. 1 baseball: Novi, down to last strike, pulls out 4-1, win in 10 innings
The Detroit News
East Lansing — Novi made the most of its first semifinal appearance in 50 years, working overtime to pull out a 4-1, 10-inning win over Mattawan (25-12-1) Thursday afternoon in the Division 1 semifinals on Thursday at McLane Stadium.
Novi will be trying to win its first state title in program history. It previously lost to Blissfield in the 1973 Class C state championship game.
Things looked bad for Novi, which was just one strike away from becoming a one-hit, shutout victim of Mattawan right-hander Brendan Garza, when Alex Czapski kept his team’s title hopes alive with an RBI single in the top of the seventh, scoring Jaden Vondrasek.
Vondrasek pinch-ran for Andrew Kummer, who had a one-out walk, then moved up to second when Thad Lawler was hit by a pitch with two out. Czapski followed with a line-drive single to center on a 2-2 pitch.
Novi earned its first regional title since 2000 when it defeated Hartland, 4-0, in the championship game after a 6-2 win over KLAA rival, No. 3 Northville.
Novi head coach Rick Green, in his 24th season, felt his team would pull the game out … even when it was down to its final strike. “I just believe in these guys, and I knew if we could get a man on second base, that something was going to happen, and it did,” Green said. “Alex Czapski was a hero today to save this game. I’ve been telling these guys from Day 1, to think about nothing but the state championship. Now, things weren’t always great during the season, but that’s life. The kids believed in themselves and they helped each other. They love each other and that’s as simple as that.”
Czapski, a senior left fielder who hits No. 8 in the lineup, broke down his RBI single. “I tried to swing for the fences earlier in the game and I wish I didn’t do that, but that was a good pitch from him (Garza). Usually, I’m not good at hitting high ones, but I was able to get it,” Czapski said. “It was a high fastball, which, normally, I’m not the best at hitting, but recently I’ve been able to stay down and get to some of those, so I was a little excited as you may have been able to tell.”
Harvard-bound right-hander Andrew Abler started for Novi and gave up just one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six in seven innings. “As soon as I stepped on the mound and saw my entire city behind us, it just really put all the adrenaline in me and made me pitch harder,” Abler said. “All of our team played together. We had zero errors on defense, which I think is what won us the game. I’m just proud of everybody.”
Sophomore left-hander Uli Fernsler relieved Abler and showed why Novi has a team 1.70 ERA. He worked the final three innings, pitching out of a jam in the ninth, when Cole Garza led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before getting Ian Bouche on a liner to right and then striking out Drew Atkinson on a high fastball. “I was just really excited. it was looking like I wasn’t going to be able to pitch because we were losing at the end, then (Czapski) had a big hit, so I was able to pitch and I was really excited to go out there and do my best,” said Fernsler, who improved to 4-0, allowing just one hit while striking out two.
And, on getting out of the ninth-inning jam, Fernsler said: “That was pretty scary, but I just got ahead of the last batter and then I just tried to throw a fastball by him.”
Novi played small ball to score three runs in the top of the 10th. Trevor Reed, the No. 9 hitter, led off with a single, Jonathan Aurilia followed with a walk and then Caleb Walker put down a perfectly-placed bunt, which Brendan Garza, who moved to third after being replaced by reliever Kaden Jominy, picked up and threw to third with nobody covering the bag, allowing Reed to score for the go-ahead run.
Andrew Kummer followed with a two-run single that eluded shortstop Connor Walsh in the hole for the 4-1 cushion. Junior left-hander Brendon Bennett, a Clemson commit, will be Novi’s starter in the title game.
