COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – There’s a new home run king in the Coldwater Cardinal baseball program. Owen Tappenden hit three homers during Saturday’s Stout and Sons Invitational at Lowe Field to increase his season total to 13. The old record of 11 in a season was set by Kevin Watson during the 1990s and tied by Austin Krzeminski in 2016. And with over three weeks left in the regular season, there will be plenty of opportunities for Tappenden to add to the mark.
The state record for most homers in a season was set by Gull Lake’s Zach Fish, who hit 24 in the 2011 campaign. The baseline for inclusion in the MHSAA Record Book is 15 home runs.
Stout & Sons Invitational
Coldwater went 1-2 in their Stout & Sons Invitational. They lost to DeWitt 5-2, dropped a 17-7 decision in five innings to Haslett, and needed eight innings to nip Grand Rapids Christian 11-10.
Against DeWitt, Tappenden hit two doubles and drove in both Cardinal runs in the fifth. On the mound, he allowed one run on one hit with nine strikeouts in 5-1/3 innings of work. The Panthers scored four times in the seventh to steal the victory.
Against Haslett, Tappenden hit a solo homer in the third to tie the school record and a two-run shot in the fourth to break it. He finished 3-for-3 with a double and four runs batted in. Logan Turner was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Will Knowlan added a double.
Coldwater found themselves down 8-1 to Grand Rapids Christian before they were able to start their comeback effort with six runs in the fourth. Dayton Ennis hit a three-run home run off the Lowe Field scoreboard in the sixth to tie the game 10-10. Tappenden won the game with a two-out walkoff homer in the eighth. He was 3-for-5 in the game with a double and three RBIs, while Ennis went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Rylan Edwards added a two-run double. Knowlan earned the win in relief of starter Matthew Hurley.
The Cardinals will take a 10-13 overall record to Tuesday’s home doubleheader against Hastings. Coverage on WTVB will join the action in progress Tuesday at 5:20 p.m.
Bronson at Sturgis
Bronson won both games of their doubleheader at Sturgis by identical 11-1 scores, with both contests ending after five innings on the 10-run mercy rule.
In the first game, Rylan Fincham drove in two runs, Warner Wotta went 2-for-2 with a double, Ben Stevens finished 2-for-4 with a double, and Joe Fair went 2-for-4. Connor McClelland gave up an unearned run on five hits and struck out three.
Wotta smacked a two-run double and a three-run homer in the second game. He also struck out five and allowed one hit in three innings to earn the win. Max Byler was 2-for-4 with a double, and Fair went 3-for-4.
The Vikings improved to 15-8 and will. travel to Concord on Tuesday.
East Jackson Dome Classic
Quincy went 1-1 at the East Jackson Dome Classic. They lost to Jonesville 5-4 before coming back to beat the host school 13-3.
Against Jonesville, JJ Wright hit a two-run double during a four-run outburst in the second inning. Joe Gray and Christian Craven also doubled, and Bryson Estlow went 2-for-4.
The Orioles scored in every inning except the second against East Jackson. Kale Dirschell and Matthew Taylor each had two hits and two RBIs. Gray was the winning pitcher, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Quincy is now 10-9-2 on the season. They will play at Reading on Tuesday.
Darmofal Tournament
Union City won the Darmofal Tournament at Colon, with a 7-2 win against Reading in the semifinals and a 13-2 victory in five innings against the host Magi in the championship game.
Against Reading, Nolan Chard threw five innings of no-hit ball with two walks and ten strikeouts. Offensively, Liam Payne was 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBIs, Chard and Mitchell Graham went 2-for-4, and Carson Liles added a double.
Against Colon, Simon Swartzle tossed a two-hitter with no walks. Tucker Zweng hit a three-run triple, Chard was 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs, and Graham went 3-for-4 with a double and drove in three runs.
The Chargers improved to 14-8 overall and will take a seven-game winning streak into their doubleheader Tuesday at Stockbridge.
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