Hartland rolls past Brighton in rematch, 6-0

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HARTLAND — There was no drama this time.

The Hartland baseball team scored three times in the second inning and rode the right arm of Kyle Kletzka to a 6-0 win over Brighton on Friday.

It was the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday that was rescheduled when the first game went 18 innings. Hartland won it in the bottom of the 18th on a John Baker home run, 1-0.

“We were able to get a couple of two-out hits to extend the lead that we haven’t been able to get,” Hartland coach Brian Morrison said. “That took the pressure off. We were able to move runners a little bit better and we were able to steal a couple of bags. It was a much better feeling, offensively, today.”

As it turned out, all but one of the runs scored by the Eagles (12-3 overall, 8-2 KLAA West) came with two outs.

Meanwhile, Kletzka used his slider effectively, allowing one walk and just three hits.

“I went out there and tried to throw strikes,” he said. “Tried to get them to hit ground balls, and I did that.”

“He pitched great,” Hartland catcher Cade Martin said. “He’s been fantastic for us coming off that semifinal game last year. He’s pitched great ever since.”

Brighton, which has gone 25 innings without scoring, threatened only once.

Trailing 4-0, Trevor Hopman led off with a single, Jerad Dokey was hit by a pitch and Donnie Carruthers loaded the bases with a single, prompting a visit to the mound from Morrison.

“He told me to stay straight, keep throwing strikes and count on my defense,” Kletka said.

That faith paid off immediately. The next hitter, Andrew Gilpin, hit a line drive right at Hartland third baseman Max  Hendricks.

He caught the ball and fired to second to get Dokey, who had taken a step or two toward third and was tagged out trying to get back to second.

The next hitter, Chad Rensi, hit a hard grounder back to Kletzka, who tossed the ball to first to get out of the jam.

Hendricks, off to a slow start at the plate, got things going for the Eagles in the second. He walked, and went to second on a single by Martin. Hendricks and Kyle Behnke, Martin’s courtesy runner, both moved up a base on a sacrifice by Gary Turnbull. They both scored on a single by Jake Moyer, who then scored on Alex Vydick’s double.

The Eagles added another run in the third and two in the fifth.

Hunter DeLanoy, who played a flawless second base, had three hits, including triple. Martin also had three hits, two days after catching all 18 innings of the first game.

“My legs are feeling, actually, pretty good today,” Martin said. “Way better than (Thursday). I could not feel my legs yesterday.”

As for his hitting, Martin said, “I was seeing the ball very well today. I could see it well defensively, too.”

Both teams are scheduled to play Saturday. Hartland is playing at a tournament in Adrian, while Brighton is looking to regroup with a home doubleheader against Holly.

“We’ve got an hour of batting practice before the game,” Dokey said. “Hopefully we’ll bounce back.”

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