BELLAIRE ― The youth of Gaylord St. Mary baseball has largely been seen as a positive for the program as of late, a team made up largely of underclassmen that was playing well above its years for most of the 2026 season.
That youth caught up with them on Wednesday night in Bellaire.
No. 19 St. Mary (25-6) held a 5-1 lead over Mio (21-11) heading into the bottom of the fifth inning when a few key mistakes and a clutch go-ahead home run from Mio’s Logan Fox helped the Thunderbolts eventually finish off an 8-7 victory, ending the Snowbirds’ season in the MHSAA Division 4 regional semifinals.
“There’s no way around it; we made mistakes and they capitalized on it,” coach Matt Nowicki said. “I don’t care about the home run, that happens, that’s baseball. But, it’s what happens before that.”
Gaylord St. Mary’s offense had been terrific heading into its matchup with Mio, putting up 30 runs in two district games, and it started out strong again on Wednesday night. The Snowbirds jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the second inning and added another three runs over the next three innings, leading 5-1 after four and a half. Sophomore Logan Greenier drove in a run with a double in the first inning while fellow sophomore Charlie Cameron accounted for three hits, a run scored and an RBI throughout the game.
Then, that fateful fifth inning came around.
Mio got two runners on before a few little mistakes turned into a massive opportunity for the Thunderbolts; a passed ball scored a run, a missed back pick at first base moved a runner from first to third, and then an error scored another run. All that set up Mio’s Logan Fox, who delivered the biggest swing of the day, clearing the 330-foot fence in centerfield for a two-run, go-ahead home run. Another GSM error in the bottom of the sixth gave Mio a 7-5 lead.
The Snowbirds didn’t go quietly; two hits and a fielder’s choice brought the Snowbirds within a run, then a wild Mio throw into centerfield allowed Greenier to tie the game at seven runs apiece in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, however, the Thunderbolts quickly got a runner to third, then loaded the bases before a short chopper from Brock Stewert scored the winning run, securing the Mio 8-7 victory and pushing the Bolts into Saturday’s regional final in Rudyard.
“Congrats to Mio, man,” Nowicki said. “They got their bunts down when they needed to. They put the pressure on us and we cracked.”
It’s a tough end to what was a successful season overall for GSM, finishing with 20+ wins for the first time since 2023 and winning its 12th district title in 22 seasons. It’ll be an offseason where a few “what-ifs” will be asked, with one question in particular at the top of the list: what if Cal Royce could’ve stayed healthy? The hard-throwing lefty had to shut down his season on the mound due to a shoulder injury, limiting the ceiling of GSM’s pitching staff. Had he been available for the postseason, it’s safe to assume the Snowbirds could’ve pushed things even further, but that will have to stay a hypothetical until next spring.
GSM is still going to be a relatively young team next season, returning all but one senior from this year’s roster. If they can take the lessons learned from the end of 2026 and turn them into positives, then 2027 may just be one of the best seasons for the storied Snowbirds baseball program.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Late Mio rally sinks Gaylord St. Mary baseball in regional semifinals
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
