Harbor Springs baseball earns first league title in at least 30 years
· Yahoo Sports
HABROR SPRINGS — The goals for the Harbor Springs baseball team are far from complete this season.
Visit casino-promo.biz for more information.
But, a major checkmark was just placed next to one of them for the first time in at least 30 years.
While postseason baseball is starting up around the state, the Rams had one last box to mark in regular season action this week, when they wrapped up a share of the Northern Shores Conference championship.
It comes as the first baseball league title for the Rams in more than 30 years of the program, with the Lake Michigan Conference established in 1997 and two years of the Northern Shores.
Needing to sweep Cheboygan on Tuesday, Harbor Springs got it done behind victories of 16-1 and 5-2.
The wins brought Harbor Springs to a 12-2 finish in the league, tied with Kalkaska’s 12-2 mark. The two split during their league doubleheader as well.
Harbor Springs (25-3) was able to get past Cheboygan while also preserving some key arms for later in the week when Division 3 district play begins in Elk Rapids.
Against the Chiefs, Harbor needed just four innings in the opener to earn the win, leaning on a seven-run first and eight-run fourth to bring on the mercy win.
Thaddeus Cosens drove in four runs and went all four innings with three hits allowed and three strikeouts.
Greyson Rife went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Ben McShannock went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs, Nick Lemieur drove in two runs, as did JJ Spencer on a pair of singles. Ryan Novak also doubled.
In game two, Spencer and McShannock split the six innings on the hill, with McShannock earning the win with a hit and walk allowed across four innings, while adding five strikeouts.
Harbor responded to two Cheboygan runs in the top of the first with five of their own, then hung on from there.
Caiden Phillips doubled and drove in two runs, while Lemieur and Chaz Brainard each had an RBI.
While the conference may have changed some over the years, baseball has remained competitive, highlighted by the shared title, a 10-4 league season from Kingsley and eight conference wins each from Boyne City and Elk Rapids this season.
With the regular season now completely wrapped, Harbor Springs will head to Elk Rapids up next for a Division 3 district tournament against many of the same foes.
The Rams will have a tough test from the Ski Valley, taking on a 23-9 Mancelona team at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 30. Boyne City will then take on Elk Rapids at noon, Saturday, before a district championship game follows later in the day.
While conference titles have been of short supply over the years, the Rams have previously claimed recent district titles in the 2021 and 2024 seasons, both led by current head coach Doug Konoske.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected] and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs baseball earns Northern Shores Conference title