RICHMOND — A nine-inning classic may have left the Richmond Little League baseball team heartbroken.
But after leaving everything on the field, there was no questioning the team’s heart.
Richmond gave Taylor North all it could handle in an 8-4 loss in the Michigan intermediate state championship game at Jack Davidson Memorial Field on Monday, July 7.
“This team, they’ve been together since 8U (baseball),” Richmond coach Steve Busen said. “There’s been a lot of big-game moments where we’ve been down four or five runs and have come back to win. So, I know this team has got a lot of fight in them.”
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Richmond was down to its final out when Jake Jozwiak stole third base. Taylor North’s catcher fired the ball to third, but the throw went past the third baseman and into left field.
Jozwiak, who had slid into third, got up and sprinted for home plate. He dove head-first before the throw arrived and tied the game, 3-3.
“They always battle back,” Busen said of his players. “We preach that from day one at practice: it’s not over until the last out of the game. They battled (tonight).”
After Taylor North regained the lead, 4-3, in the top of the eighth, Richmond answered once more in the inning’s bottom half.
With the bases loaded and no outs, Brayden Gleason laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Patrick Davidson from third.
The 4-4 tie was brief, however, as Taylor North exploded for four runs in the ninth. North’s pitching worked quickly and efficiently in the next half-inning to seal the victory.
During the postgame ceremony, while Richmond was recognized as this year’s state runner-up, Busen embraced each of his players individually.
There were tears, understandably, but also plenty of smiles. The latter should only increase, because Richmond has a lot to smile about.
In addition to winning four straight District 7 championships, this particular set of boys has now finished as the state runner-up in each of the past two seasons.
“This group means a lot to us,” Busen said. “Most of us have been together since 8U and we spend six, seven months together. We’re playing tournaments every weekend, we’re practicing multiple nights a week, starting in January, all the way through July. So, we know each other. We are a family. We have these kids’ backs no matter what and we really enjoy being with each other.”
Added Busen: “And it’s not just the players, it’s the families, too. This a great group of families. We (all) spend a lot of time together and it’s just been an amazing culture here the last five years.”
That culture was evident Monday at Jack Davidson Memorial Field — Richmond’s home ballpark — as friends, family and other city residents showed up in support.
Rows of fans filled the shaded area behind the backstop, the bleachers in foul territory and even the open patches of grass near the left-field foul pole.
“This community cares,” Busen said. “They go all in on it. I had the Richmond (High School) varsity coach and the (junior varsity) coach at a lot of our practices the last few weeks. All of our varsity pitchers and (junior varsity) pitchers are here throwing batting practice to us. They’re getting up on those hot, muggy mornings and showing up to help us and be part of it.
“(The board of the) Richmond Little League is part of this, too. They provide amazing opportunities for the boys and go out of their way to make us the best baseball team we can be. We have their support and I love that.”
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Even as state runner-up, Richmond Little League baseball has plenty to celebrate
Reporting by Brenden Welper, Port Huron Times Herald / Port Huron Times Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
