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Cubs ride past Red Wave

Austin Hemmingson | Daily Press Menominee catcher Keagan Monroe attempts to tag out Escanaba’s Noah Lancour at home plate during Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Under-19 League baseball game in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — The ability to hit with two outs made all the difference the Escanaba Cubs needed in an 8-2 win home over Menominee in Upper Peninsula Under-19 League baseball action Wednesday evening.

The Cubs (5-1), who got a solid pitching performance from Grant LaMarche, scored seven of their eight runs with two outs, including five in the bottom of the sixth to blow the game open.

On the flip side, the Red Wave (11-2) stranded the bases loaded in the third inning and then stranded the bases loaded with nobody out in the sixth while trailing by just a run with the top of the lineup up to bat.

“Working out of situations like that is big on the pitching side and the defensive side, and then getting those clutch hits is big on the offensive side,” Cubs manager Jon Bintner said. “A lot of those hits came with two outs. The two runs that we put up in the third inning were all on two outs, and then everything we put up in the sixth was with two outs. Two-out hits are huge. That’s a big confidence boost for every batter. Jake Anderson has been struggling and he got a hit; he got to see the ball go through the infield. We’ll get him rolling. He’s a big part of us, and we need to get him rolling.”

The Cubs struck first in the bottom of the third on back-to-back RBI singles by LaMarche and Riley Lamb.

Menominee pulled within 2-1 on an RBI triple by Keagan Monroe in the top of the fifth, but the Cubs answered with one of their own on a sacrifice fly by Lamb in the bottom half.

Following a leadoff walk to Braeden McMahon to begin the sixth, Brett Schlenvogt came on to pitch in relief of LaMarche. Schlenvogt walked Dante Sarterelli and Hunter Goldschmidt reached first after laying down a bunt for a base hit to load the bases. Schlenvogt then walked Ethan Russell to force home a run before getting the top two hitters in Menominee’s lineup to harmlessly pop the ball up. Monroe then flied out to left on a hard-hit ball to end the threat.

“Things got a little dicey,” Bintner said. “The first guy’s already on, then you walk the next guy and you have guys on first and second with nobody out. But he was able to get out of the jam. That was big at the end of the game, too.”

The Cubs then blew the game open in the bottom half of the inning. With one on and two outs, Nick Kolich singled to right to chase Goldschmidt off the mound. McMahon came into pitch and walked Noah Lancour to set the stage for back-to-back two-run hits by Hunter Lancour and LaMarche. Lamb then drove in the final run of the game with an RBI single to right.

“It was a pretty decently played game again,” Bintner said. “I’m definitely happy with how they’re playing defense. They’re able to pick each other up enough.”

LaMarche earned the win over five innings, striking out seven while giving up just two runs on two hits and four walks. LaMarche and Lamb also finished with two hits and three RBIs.

Monroe and Russell had the two RBIs for the Red Wave, while Goldschmidt took the loss on the mound.

“Grant and his bounce-back (was the story of the game),” Bintner said. “He pitched on Sunday of the U.P. tournament (June 21) and he didn’t have his good stuff. He threw three innings and he threw 80 pitches. Tonight, he went 104 pitches and he went into the sixth. That’s a quality start. He was able to locate his pitches enough, and you can be proud of his performance.”

The Cubs host Gladstone tonight at 7.

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