Tournaments - home and away - were good to a couple Leelanau County baseball teams over the weekend.

Lake Leelanau St. Mary got back on the winning track by capturing the St. Francis Invitational Tournament with wins over two teams that have each been a nemesis in the past, Rudyard and St. Francis. Glen Lake, meanwhile won its own round-robin tournament with relatively easy wins over Manton and McBain.

Nothing was easy for the Eagles, who hung on for a 9-8 win over Rudyard and a 7-6 win over the Gladiators.

“We didn’t do so good last year,” said St. Mary coach Steve Plamondon about the 2007 invitational, which like this year was held at Wuerfel Park. “We lost both games, so (2008) was a nice tournament for us.”

Ray Platts went the distance on the mound, scattering 6 hits, striking out 9 and allowing just 2 earned runs, He was victimized by six errors — a problem this season for the St. Mary defense.
The errors allowed Rudyard to get back into the game after St. Mary had built a 9-1 lead through three innings. But the Bulldogs came back with 3 in the fourth and 4 in the sixth before a groundout to Platts ended the game. “They stranded the tying run at third base, so it was right down to the wire,” said Plamondon.

Kienan Sutton’s first-inning, bases-loaded single drove in two runs for St. Mary, and Chase Bonhag’s double sent two more runs home. Hits by brothers Matt Pasch (2 RBI) and David Pasch (1 RBI) provided the big blows in a 5-run second inning. Platts and David Pasch had 2 hits each for the contest.

Rudyard eliminated St. Mary in the quarterfinals of the state tournament last season, and was expected to follow with another strong team, Plamondon said.

St. Mary’s runs also came in bunches against St. Francis, which led 3-1 through three innings. But five Eagles drove in six runs in the fourth inning to provide winning pitcher Adam Peplinski a 6-4 lead, and Peplinski allowed just one run in the final two innings.

Ryan Korson knocked in a pair of runs in the sixth, while run-scoring singles were contributed by Ryan Couturier, David Pasch and Platts. Credit Sutton with a RBI triple, as seven eagles each had 1 hit.

Peplinski scattered 6 hits, struck out 2 and walked just 2 batters.

St. Mary improved to 7-3.

Glen Lake, meanwhile, won its fourth and fifth straight to capture the first of several tournaments it will host this season.

The Lakers clobbered Manton in the opener, 17-3, behind 3 hits and 2 RBI from Josh Jacklin. Glen Lake scored 7 runs in the second and 8 runs in the fourth. Winning pitcher Kyle Klumpp struck out 9, walked just 2 and yielded 4 hits. He also helped himself at the plate wih a pair of hits.

McBain easily set back Manton, 14-2, to earn a spot against Glen Lake for the title — but the Lakers were still hot and easily prevailed, 17-6.

Winning pitcher Tyler Lukasiak combined with Nick Swartz for a 2-hitter. Lukasiak struck out 3.

Joe Galla knocked in 4 runs with 4 hits, while Klumpp’s 2 hits sent another 4 runners home. Swartz doubled, singled and knocked in 3 runs, while KC Novak collected 2 hits.

Glen Lake and St. Mary had their own encounter last week.

The Lakers, fresh off an 18-3 drubbing at the hands of St. Mary on April 19 at the Leelanau County Classic, won two from the Eagles last Wednesday, April 23, by scores of 8-4 and 10-4.

“There was no revenge factor, we just wanted to play good ball,” said Glen Lake coach Kris Herman.

Plamondon said his team played poor defense, giving up 12 errors over the 2 games, while the Lakers played their best offensive ball in the fourth innings of both games.

St. Mary took a 2-0, first inning lead in the opener, but a 2-run shot by Joe Galla as part of a 4-run third inning gave the Lakers a lead they would not relinquish. They followed with 3 more runs in the fifth.

“Centerfield for us is 400 feet,” said Herman in describing the Laker baseball field, “and Joe (Galla) put it over in left-center — and it was closer to center.”

Galla also doubled in the contest, with winning pitcher Kyle Klumpp helping himself at the plate. Klumpp, who didn’t yield a walk and struck out 5 while going the distance, singled three times and knocked in 2 runs. Credit Jacklin and Devin Weber with providing a single and a double apiece.

For St. Mary, Bonhag and Sutton each singled twice.

Sutton’s solo homer in the first inning of the nightcap staked St. Mary to another first inning lead, but Glen Lake again came back with four runs in the third inning and added four more in the fourth. Winning pitcher Swartz struck out 2 and walked a pair.

KC Novak and Jacklin each singled twice, while Klumpp’s single drove in two runs. For St. Mary, Ray Platts and Adam Peplinski each tripled.