Seaholm Shuts Out Rival Groves 4-0

BEVERLY HILLS – The boys varsity baseball team’s bats went cold on Wednesday. And it wasn't because of the frigid temperatures.

starting pitcher John Glazier pitched a complete shut-out on the road, allowing only four hits and two walks during seven innings.

The junior struck out eight batters and only allowed the Falcons to reach third base twice.

“It was beautiful, fun to watch,” Seaholm coach Dan Drapal said. “That’s his third win on the season, he’s obviously our ace. He was in the zone, he was throwing three pitches for strikes. He’s got a nice knuckleball, nice curve for an off-speed (pitch) and a good fastball. He was real calm and cool.”

The Maples (4-0, 4-0 Oakland Activities Association Blue division) scored a run in the fourth and after they added three insurance runs in the sixth, the team’s closer started to get loose. Drapal told him not to worry, Glazier was going to finish the game.

“(Glazier) is a kid that wants the ball every game, that’s obvious,” Drapal said. “Coming on the road with our rival, it was a no-brainer, he was going to come out here and compete.”

Groves stranded six runners in the game, but they couldn’t get anything out of the infield during their scoring opportunities.

In the second inning, Groves catcher Ryan Williams reached third base, but that's as far as he got. Two Groves runners on second and first were also stranded in the fifth inning.

Despite the strong performance from Glazier, Falcons (3-2, 3-2 OAA Central) coach Jim Crosby said he would've liked to see his players less tentative at the plate.

“We’ve been up and down,” Crosby said. “The first game of the year we had 11 hits, second game only four and then Friday we had 17 hits. Today, we come back and didn’t hit at all. Right now, we are just very inconsistent.”

Groves starter Mike Mestdagh pitched four innings. Seaholm batters only had four hits and a run against the junior, but still managed to stay patient and earned fouls off several pitches.

“I mentioned to our guys, our at-bats were great,” Drapal said. “Even when we were down 0-2, you foul off a few. From a pitching standpoint that can be frustrating.”

After closing the first inning with a strikeout, Mestdagh retired eight straight batters.

“We’ll be alright, it’s a long season,” Crosby said, laughing. “You want to win them all, but sometimes you just run into good pitching."

Both teams next game is Saturday. Seaholm plays a double header against Walled Lake North at 11 a.m. and Groves plays in a tournament at Clarkston. The Falcons first game is against Our Lady of the Lake at 10 a.m.