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, who also captured its third district title in school history last week, is coming off a deep run to the state semifinals last season. One of the team’s final goals was to get back to McLane Stadium in the state tournament, and with a 7-1 win over the Panthers, that dream got one step closer.
“Anytime you can host a state tournament game, it’s a benefit, and you saw tonight it was standing room only, and we had people behind centerfield standing on their trucks just to watch us,” Mason coach Kohl Tyrrell said. “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 named 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.
Koot would drive a ball into center field with the runners on the move, clearing the bases with a single to put Mason up 3-0 and apply early pressure. Koot would score later in the inning on a single by senior outfielder Carson Chapin, and the Bulldogs didn’t look back from there, adding another run in the second inning,
“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 wan’t 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 Colten McCaleb shut the door in the seventh inning to secure the win.
McCaleb, along with senior starting pitcher Ryan Myers, were dominant on the bump, limiting DeWitt’s bats to just one run.
Mason will 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 continues with regional semi win
Reporting by Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathaniel Bott, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
