COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Coldwater Cardinals baseball team won their first district title since 2016 on Monday afternoon as they defeated the Marshall Red Hawks 8-4 in the M.H.S.A.A. Division Two District Finals at Lowe Field.
Ironically, the last time the Cardinals won a district title seven years ago they defeated Marshall in the finals.
Coldwater advanced to the District finals on Saturday with a 4-2 victory over Harper Creek while Marshall had to go ten innings to defeat Parma Western 5-4 in the second semi-final.
Thunderstorms rolled into the area late Saturday afternoon which forced a postponement of the district title game to Monday.
The Cardinals took advantage of a depleted Marshall pitching staff to score four runs in the last of the first keyed by a two run homer by Owen Tappenden.
Cam Heinemann delivered a two run double in the last of the second to give Coldwater a 6-1 lead.
Marshall rallied and cut Coldwater’s lead to 6-4 before the Cardinals tacked on a pair of runs in the last of the fourth on a Garrett Johns RBI single and a Red Hawk error.
Coldwater winning pitcher Cole Heinemann went six and two-thirds innings and struck out eight while allowing three hits and three earned runs. Garrett Johns got the final out of the game.
Coldwater is now 19-21. They will face Olivet on Wednesday afternoon in the regional semifinals at Lake Odessa Lakewood. According to the M.H.S.A.A. web site, the game is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m.. The Coldwater-Olivet winner plays either Hamilton or Gull Lake in the regional final on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Kalamazoo College.
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