Explorers vs. ACes matchup highlights this weekend’s Bartos-Isenhart tourney

By Joel Barnhart For the Daily News

This weekend, both the Midland Explorers and the Emerson ACes will kick off their 2013 men’s fastpitch softball seasons at the Bartos-Isenhart Memorial Tournament at Emerson Park on Saturday and Sunday.
ACes co-manager Gregg Sauve said that his team is eager to get its year started, and he hopes the young Aces can keep their emotions under control and perform to their abilities.

“We are pretty excited, (and) if we can keep our emotions in check, we’ve got a chance to hang in there,” Sauve said.

Sauve mentioned that his young team has a lot of players who are new to fastpitch, and this tournament will mark their first exposure to a heightened level of the game.

“A lot of our guys are playing in local leagues and dominating those right now, so they are ready to take things to another level and challenge themselves,” he said. “We’re a young ball club … (and) we’re fast and athletic with a lot of desire. All of our players want to get better (at fastpitch) and are anxious to take the field this weekend.”

The marquee matchup at the Bartos-Isenhart tournament will be the first-ever meeting between the Emerson ACes and the Midland Explorers on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Currie Stadium.

“That’s a big one, because you have two top quality teams playing each other at the top time of the night,” Sauve said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a good turnout and people will come out, and we’ll show Midland some top quality ball clubs.”

Explorers’ manager Del Benson did not comment on the ACes, simply because he’s never seen them play. Benson said he expects plenty to be excited about nevertheless.

“I’ve never been at a (softball) contest where I didn’t have butterflies (in my stomach),” Benson said. “It’s a big part of competing and knowing what’s at stake. When the butterflies go away, that’s when you know it’s time to hang ‘em up.”

Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, both teams are hoping for an exciting kickoff to their summer.

“It’ll be our first time playing together, and we’re hoping to do things right, compete, and get a few games under our belt,” Benson said.

ACes’ co-manager Dave O’Keefe added that he expects a great weekend and a really fun season.

“(Fastpitch) has been a huge part of our lives, and we are excited to have so many accomplished, young college players,” he noted. “(Sauve and I) think that we’ve sunk the hook into them, and they have a lot of enthusiasm, (which) is going to be fun to manage.”
One contest during the tournament that is sure to be fun for everyone — from players to coaches to spectators — will be the 4 p.m. game Saturday that will see the Explorers take on the Special Olympics team.
This year marks the sixth time the two teams have played one another during the Explorers’ annual June tournament.

“The Special Olympics is a great organization, and we saw it as a chance for our team to give (them) a chance to play against some different players in the (Currie) Stadium. (Both teams) have a common bond that we love playing ball with our friends. It’s great to be able to bring these two groups together for an afternoon,” said Explorers’ player Kyle Beane.

It was Beane who first approached the Special Olympics’ softball teams about the friendly competition six years ago.
“When I first had this idea, I thought this is something we should’ve done a long time ago. It’s something that (Lefty Bartos and Lee Isenhart) used to do years ago, and we just reignited that with the current coach of the Special Olympics team,” he said.

The Special Olympics’ team will consist of players from two groups of local players: the 18-and-up Slammers, and the 21-and-up Dragons.
Dragons’ manager Kathy Peariso said that it is a great time for everyone involved each year.

While the Dragons usually play just a few games throughout the season, the June matchup with the Explorers is a consistent highlight for all of the participants.
“They are all excited,” Peariso said of her team. “It’s something they talk about all year long: ‘When are we playing the Explorers?’ They all love playing, being included with the Explorers and all the special attention. The Explorers have really helped us a lot. Besides the game, they help us out with (providing) uniforms and equipment.”
In addition to the June contest, the Explorers will also participate in a Special Olympics game as part of the IFC World Tournament in Quad Cities, Iowa in August.

“For that one, I get players all over the IFC spectrum to take part,” Beane said. “Guys really like being part of that one. They have gravitated toward it, and it gets bigger every year.”

Lady Explorers 23U team takes second at first tourney of the summer
The Lady Explorers 23U women’s fastpitch softball team recently wrapped up its first games of the season, going 5-1 at the Toledo Tune-Up Tournament last weekend.

The team ended up finishing second to Toledo Magic White, the team that handed the Lady Explorers their lone defeat.

“Considering that we have several new players, my biggest concern (going in) was chemistry,” said Lady Explorers’ manager Mike Kozuch. “I was pleasantly surprised. The girls were all real supportive (of each other), and I think we’ve got something good going for the season.”

In their first game of the tournament, the Lady Explorers defeated Toledo Magic Red 11-3 with Amy Dunleavy picking up the victory.
Emily Schrader, Stacey Klonowski, Amanda Maxon, Amanda Burnard, and Lyndsey Look each had two hits. Maxon drove in three runs.
In game two, Alyssa Boucher picked up the win as the Lady Explorers topped the Toledo Wizzes 9-2.

Schrader had two hits with one RBI, Klonowski smacked a two-run home run, and Maxon scored twice with three RBIs.

The team’s next game was a 5-1 loss to Toledo Magic White, where all five runs against Dunleavy came on home runs.

Maxon ended up pounding out two more hits in the loss.
Boucher picked up another win as the Lady Explorers topped the Miami (Ohio) Blaze 9-1.

Lauren Look paced the team with three hits, while Klonowski, Dunleavy, and Brandi Anderson had two hits apiece.
Boucher earned her third win of the weekend in a 10-2 victory over the Windsor (Ont.) Wildcats.
Schrader had three hits, while Kelsey Beck smacked three hits with three RBIs. Allison Carlson and Lauren Look had two hits each.
In their sixth and final game, the Lady Explorers beat the Detroit Vipers 7-1 with Dunleavy winning again in the circle.
Klonowski smacked a three-run home run, while Maxon and Burnard had two hits apiece.
“We are solid all the way through the lineup,” Kozuch said of his offense, which scored 48 runs over the weekend. “We really don’t have any real weaknesses; I think we’re going to hit all season by the looks of it.”
Overall, Dunleavy pitched 18 innings with nine strikeouts, while Boucher had 19 innings with five strikeouts.
Berryhill Post 165 set to begin season Monday
The Midland Berryhill American Legion Post 165 baseball team will kick off its season on Monday with a doubleheader at Gladwin beginning at 5 p.m.
“We’ve got 11 kids coming back from last season,” said Berryhill manager Steve Cronkright. “We should be good defensively with good pitching. We’ll just see how we do.”
After the Gladwin twinbill, Berryhill will take on Palacio’s, a team out of Grand Blanc, at Bullock Creek on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Next weekend, the team will head to Escanaba for a weekend tournament.

“It’s a good tournament for us,” Cronkright said. “We get to play on Friday and Saturday, then do some fishing, and it’s really good for team-building.”

The Sanford American Legion Post 143 baseball team kicks off its season today with a weekend tournament hosted by Gladwin.
The four-team tournament will see Sanford take on the Gladwin-Beaverton team today, followed by a matchup against Mount Pleasant on Saturday, and a third game on Sunday.

Sanford manager Mike Smock said he is looking forward to seeing how his team comes together.

“We lost quite a few players, including quite a bit of pitching, so it’s going to be a transition year for us,” Smock said.
Perhaps the biggest loss will be shortstop Damon Walter, who’s out for the year following ACL surgery.

“That doesn’t help us either,” said Smock.

Skinner has big weekend in LL play
Midland’s Caden Skinner had a weekend to remember recently at a Little League baseball tournament in Southtown.
Skinner, who is 12, hit six home runs over two days. The day before the tournament, he also hit another home run, giving him seven over three days.

Skinner, who is 5-feet, 10-inches and 155 pounds, plays for Fraternal-Northwest. He is a pitcher and first baseman.
“Caden had a heck of a weekend for us,” said Kurt Ieuter, the team’s coach. “I have never seen a Little League kid hit the ball as well as Caden did for us during the Southtown tournament. Some of his home runs were hit so hard they would have gone out at Dow Diamond. He was 11 for 12 with six home runs.”