Escanaba senior Brian Boutilier comes in to celebrate after a home run on May 19, 2026 at Dom Olsen Field. (Adam Hinch?Daily Press)

GLADSTONE — Murphy’s Law was in full effect in game one of a baseball doubleheader as the Gladstone Braves fell 16-0 to the Escanaba Eskymos giving up 13 of those 16 runs in the first two innings of play.

“Everything that could have gone wrong did for us in the first game,” Braves coach Tyler Swanson said. “Credit to Escanaba they are a quality team, they hit the ball hard, found the gaps and scored a lot of runs in doing so.”

The Eskymos drew a trio of walks to load the bases early in game one. Junior Mikaiden Hughes had a RBI-single to put the Eskymos on the board. Lennox Peacock extended the Eskymos lead on a two-run single to put the Eskymos up 3-0. Owen Fields picked up a pair of RBIs as he hit a groundball and reached on an error by Gladstone sophomore Landon Pepin to put the Eskymos up 5-0. Escanaba senior Brian Boutilier hit a two-run home run over the centerfield fence to extend the lead to 7-0.

“I got down 0-2 early in the count,” Boutilier said. “I just shortened up and didn’t try to do too much and he hung a high curveball and I got under it and drove it.”

In the second inning, Bryce Bichler reached on an error and then scored on a RBI-double by Graham Johnson. Hughes, Peacock and Fields each produced RBIs before Boutilier smashed a two-run double to the center field fence to put the Eskymos up 13-0. Boutilier was 2 for 3 in game one with a double. Homerun and four RBIs.

Ashton Rymkos got the win allowing zero runs on one hit with eight strikeouts and one walk.

In the second game, Hughes reached on an error, scoring two runs to put the Eskymos up 3-0. In the top of the fourth inning, Hughes hit a two-run home run that wasn’t just a home run it was a milestone hit as Hughes recorded his 100th hit of his career.

“I got down early in the count,” Hughes said. “I fought one off the right side but knew a curveball was coming and I got it and drove it out.”

The home run put the Eskymos in the driver’s seat as they took a 7-0 lead.

Gladstone senior Thevor Thorbahn had a two-run homer in the fourth inning to cut the deficit to 7-2.

“Thing were not going my way early,” Thorbahn said. “Things kinda switched at that at bat I felt comfortable and was able to get good contact on it.”

The Braves added one more run after Chuck Cameron was hit by a pitch then scored on a RBI-single by Landon Pepin.

The Braves got on more across in the sixth inning and even had the tying run at the plate but a pair of web-gem catches in center field by Boutilier ended and comeback hopes.

“We played very well on defense tonight.” Eskymos coach Scott Hanson said. “Im proud of all these kids they put in the time and you see the results on the field.”

The Eskymos will face St Francis in a double header on Thursday in Traverse City.