MASON – Just days after capturing the first Diamond Classic title in program history, the Mason baseball team had an opportunity to keep its postseason going against rival DeWitt in the regional semifinals on June 3.
Mason, which captured its third district title in school history last week, is coming off a deep run to the state semifinals last season. And one of the team’s final goals was to get back to Michigan State’s McLane Stadium for the final weekend of the state tournament this spring.
The Bulldogs took a big step toward acheving that goal with 7-1 win over the Panthers on their home field.
“Anytime you can host a state tournament game, it’s a benefit, and you saw tonight it was standing room only,” Mason coach Kohl Tyrrell said. “”We had people behind centerfield standing on their trucks just to watch us. That makes you proud when you’re talking about a program that we’ve built, to look over and see the huge crowd, it means the world to these players.”
In the first inning, Mason was able to load the bases with junior catcher Gerrit Koot coming to the plate. Koot, who was the Diamond Classic Most Valuable Player for his performance on the mound and with the bat, worked into a 3-2 count with two outs. That meant all three runners would take off with the pitch and Koot took advantage, clearing the bases with a single to centerfield to give the Bulldogs the early 3-0 lead.
Koot would score later in the inning on a single by senior outfielder Carson Chapin, and the Bulldogs added another run in the second inning to take command.
“When you can back the opponent into the corner a little bit and keep that momentum going, it’s a huge advantage early in the game,” Tyrrell said. “You put four runs up early, then win the next inning and get it to five, that’s the number you want to get to. Even with one swing of the bat, they can’t catch you, so we felt really good about getting in front the way we did.”
DeWitt would score its lone run in the fifth inning, but Mason would responded by adding two more in the sixth before senior pitcher Colten McCaleb shut the door in the seventh inning to secure the win.
McCaleb and senior starting pitcher Ryan Myers were dominant on the mound, limiting DeWitt’s bats to just one run.
Mason will next face Detroit Catholic Central in the regional finals on June 6 at 10 a.m. at Northville High School.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott and Bluesky @nathanielbott.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Mason baseball’s historic season rolls on with regional semi win over DeWitt
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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By Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
