Napoleon Freshman Feels Crack of Bat in Tournament

Napoleon High School pitcher Grant Bradley earned the 1-0 win against Columbia Central on Friday.  Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV Sports.

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(May 8, 2021 8:42 AM) Napoleon High School baseball player Grant Bradley has been playing the sport for years.

But the freshman has not felt the crack of the bat … until Friday.

Bradley struck out 10 batters for the Pirates in the Michigan Sports Facilities Wooden Bat Classic on Friday at Onsted High School.

The Pirates defeated Columbia Central 1-0 in a thriller to advance to the tournament final.

The Golden Eagles lost 10-2 to Addison in the consolation final.

Napoleon scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a brief lead in the final, but Onsted scored two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 4-3 win.

The annual tournament – in its 15th season – features four local teams playing with wooden bats. 

Bradley said he had trouble “finding the zone” early in the game on the mound but found a way to get batters out when he needed to.

“Most batters can’t handle inside pitches very well,” Bradley said. “When I needed to get outs, I got them.”

The game featured more bunting, sacrificing, and even an unsuccessful suicide squeeze play by Columbia Central in the first inning.

The Golden Eagles start the first inning with a walk to Ethan Emerson, a sacrifice bunt, and a steal by Emerson putting him at third base. He was out at home on a suicide squeeze play.

Napoleon threatened on a double by Bradley and a stolen base in the bottom of the first. But CCHS pitcher Layne Myers struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Napoleon only had one practice with the wooden bats. Fortunately for the Pirates, they have an inside facility for hitting. 

Bradley and Myers were locked in a pitching duel. Myers finished with eight strikeouts for the Golden Eagles and Bradley 10.

Gage Deland scored the only run of the game for Napoleon on a single, a wild pitch, and a single by Quentin Serafin.

Jason Negus closed out the game for the Pirates pitching one and a third inning.

Both teams could only muster three hits each in the contest. 

The tournament was started by former Onsted State Bank president Gary Schuch. The longtime baseball enthusiast and umpire started the tournament in 2007. OSB sponsored the tournament for approximately 10 seasons before the Brooklyn Exponent became the sponsor. Michigan Sports Facilities is the sponsor this season.

Onsted and Napoleon – the two teams in this year’s championship game – have won the most championships in the 15-year history. 

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