{"id":21172,"date":"2013-06-14T22:35:23","date_gmt":"2013-06-15T05:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/?p=21172"},"modified":"2013-06-14T22:35:23","modified_gmt":"2013-06-15T05:35:23","slug":"explorers-vs-aces-matchup-highlights-this-weekends-bartos-isenhart-tourney-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/?p=21172","title":{"rendered":"Explorers vs. ACes matchup highlights this weekend’s Bartos-Isenhart tourney"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Joel Barnhart For the Daily News <\/em>
\n

\"Click<\/a>
Click logo for original news story at the Midland Daily News<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

This weekend, both the Midland Explorers and the Emerson ACes will kick off their 2013 men\u2019s fastpitch softball seasons at the Bartos-Isenhart Memorial Tournament at Emerson Park on Saturday and Sunday.
\nACes 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are pretty excited, (and) if we can keep our emotions in check, we\u2019ve got a chance to hang in there,\u201d Sauve said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 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,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re a young ball club … (and) we\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a big one, because you have two top quality teams playing each other at the top time of the night,\u201d Sauve said. \u201cHopefully, we\u2019ll have a good turnout and people will come out, and we\u2019ll show Midland some top quality ball clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Explorers\u2019 manager Del Benson did not comment on the ACes, simply because he\u2019s never seen them play. Benson said he expects plenty to be excited about nevertheless.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been at a (softball) contest where I didn\u2019t have butterflies (in my stomach),\u201d Benson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big part of competing and knowing what\u2019s at stake. When the butterflies go away, that\u2019s when you know it\u2019s time to hang \u2018em up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of Saturday\u2019s outcome, both teams are hoping for an exciting kickoff to their summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be our first time playing together, and we\u2019re hoping to do things right, compete, and get a few games under our belt,\u201d Benson said.<\/p>\n

ACes\u2019 co-manager Dave O\u2019Keefe added that he expects a great weekend and a really fun season.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Fastpitch) has been a huge part of our lives, and we are excited to have so many accomplished, young college players,\u201d he noted. \u201c(Sauve and I) think that we\u2019ve sunk the hook into them, and they have a lot of enthusiasm, (which) is going to be fun to manage.\u201d
\nOne contest during the tournament that is sure to be fun for everyone \u2014 from players to coaches to spectators \u2014 will be the 4 p.m. game Saturday that will see the Explorers take on the Special Olympics team.
\nThis year marks the sixth time the two teams have played one another during the Explorers\u2019 annual June tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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\u2019s great to be able to bring these two groups together for an afternoon,\u201d said Explorers\u2019 player Kyle Beane.<\/p>\n

It was Beane who first approached the Special Olympics\u2019 softball teams about the friendly competition six years ago.
\n\u201cWhen I first had this idea, I thought this is something we should\u2019ve done a long time ago. It\u2019s 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Special Olympics\u2019 team will consist of players from two groups of local players: the 18-and-up Slammers, and the 21-and-up Dragons.
\nDragons\u2019 manager Kathy Peariso said that it is a great time for everyone involved each year.<\/p>\n

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.
\n\u201cThey are all excited,\u201d Peariso said of her team. \u201cIt\u2019s something they talk about all year long: \u2018When are we playing the Explorers?\u2019 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.\u201d
\nIn 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that one, I get players all over the IFC spectrum to take part,\u201d Beane said. \u201cGuys really like being part of that one. They have gravitated toward it, and it gets bigger every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lady Explorers 23U team takes second at first tourney of the summer
\nThe Lady Explorers 23U women\u2019s fastpitch softball team recently wrapped up its first games of the season, going 5-1 at the Toledo Tune-Up Tournament last weekend.<\/p>\n

The team ended up finishing second to Toledo Magic White, the team that handed the Lady Explorers their lone defeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering that we have several new players, my biggest concern (going in) was chemistry,\u201d said Lady Explorers\u2019 manager Mike Kozuch. \u201cI was pleasantly surprised. The girls were all real supportive (of each other), and I think we\u2019ve got something good going for the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Schrader had two hits with one RBI, Klonowski smacked a two-run home run, and Maxon scored twice with three RBIs.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s next game was a 5-1 loss to Toledo Magic White, where all five runs against Dunleavy came on home runs.<\/p>\n

Maxon ended up pounding out two more hits in the loss.
\nBoucher picked up another win as the Lady Explorers topped the Miami (Ohio) Blaze 9-1.<\/p>\n

Lauren Look paced the team with three hits, while Klonowski, Dunleavy, and Brandi Anderson had two hits apiece.
\nBoucher earned her third win of the weekend in a 10-2 victory over the Windsor (Ont.) Wildcats.
\nSchrader had three hits, while Kelsey Beck smacked three hits with three RBIs. Allison Carlson and Lauren Look had two hits each.
\nIn their sixth and final game, the Lady Explorers beat the Detroit Vipers 7-1 with Dunleavy winning again in the circle.
\nKlonowski smacked a three-run home run, while Maxon and Burnard had two hits apiece.
\n\u201cWe are solid all the way through the lineup,\u201d Kozuch said of his offense, which scored 48 runs over the weekend. \u201cWe really don\u2019t have any real weaknesses; I think we\u2019re going to hit all season by the looks of it.\u201d
\nOverall, Dunleavy pitched 18 innings with nine strikeouts, while Boucher had 19 innings with five strikeouts.
\nBerryhill Post 165 set to begin season Monday
\nThe 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.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve got 11 kids coming back from last season,\u201d said Berryhill manager Steve Cronkright. \u201cWe should be good defensively with good pitching. We\u2019ll just see how we do.\u201d
\nAfter the Gladwin twinbill, Berryhill will take on Palacio\u2019s, a team out of Grand Blanc, at Bullock Creek on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
\nNext weekend, the team will head to Escanaba for a weekend tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good tournament for us,\u201d Cronkright said. \u201cWe get to play on Friday and Saturday, then do some fishing, and it\u2019s really good for team-building.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sanford American Legion Post 143 baseball team kicks off its season today with a weekend tournament hosted by Gladwin.
\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

Sanford manager Mike Smock said he is looking forward to seeing how his team comes together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost quite a few players, including quite a bit of pitching, so it\u2019s going to be a transition year for us,\u201d Smock said.
\nPerhaps the biggest loss will be shortstop Damon Walter, who\u2019s out for the year following ACL surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t help us either,\u201d said Smock.<\/p>\n

Skinner has big weekend in LL play
\nMidland\u2019s Caden Skinner had a weekend to remember recently at a Little League baseball tournament in Southtown.
\nSkinner, 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.<\/p>\n

Skinner, who is 5-feet, 10-inches and 155 pounds, plays for Fraternal-Northwest. He is a pitcher and first baseman.
\n\u201cCaden had a heck of a weekend for us,\u201d said Kurt Ieuter, the team\u2019s coach. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Joel Barnhart For the Daily News This weekend, both the Midland Explorers and the Emerson ACes will kick off their 2013 men\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10,23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-21172","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-isc","8":"category-tournaments","9":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21173,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21172\/revisions\/21173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fastpitchwest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}