The Kingston Cardinals pose with their district championship trophy Friday afternoon. The Cardinals move on to the Mayville regional where they will face Ubly.
By Mike Gallagher
Sports Writer
KINGSTON — Kingston Cardinals baseball coach Michael Seaman knows what it takes to play well during playoff time.
“I have always said that district and regional games come down to whoever makes the least mistakes,” said Seaman.
Junior pitcher Colin Smith didn’t make many mistakes as he led the Cardinals to their third district title in four years as Kingston defeated Carsonville-Port Sanilac 9-5 in the district final Friday afternoon.
In the district semifinal game against Mayville, Smith threw a no-hitter, striking out 13 batters and walking two over seven innings of work. Smith also drove in the only runs of the game. In the championship game Smith came in to pitch the final three innings to shut down the Tiger’s chances at the district crown.
Kingston pitcher Colin Smith fires a pitch during a game played earlier this season. Smith led the Cardinals to victory in the semifinal game against Mayville, throwing a no-hitter, and also drove in the games only runs.
“Smith pitched the game of his life,” said Seaman. “I knew that he had the capability of doing it, and he really came in and showed it. He carried us, and then our seniors came to play and they played with a lot of heart and they gave it everything they had.”
The senior trio of Travis Tucker, Clay Daily, and Aaron VanHorn combined to score five of the team’s nine runs in the finals, while fellow senior Jared Koehler made his mark in the field against Mayville.
“One of the biggest momentum shifts was when Jared made a diving catch in the seventh inning in leftfield that put an end to a Mayville rally,” said Seaman.
In the finals Kingston held a slim 7-5 lead in the fourth inning. That was when Smith returned to the pitching mound.
“We knew coming in that we would use him for the three innings, and me and coach Diegel were trying to decide when we were going to use him,” said Seaman. “It just happened that they were at the top of their lineup and that was the time to start using him.”
Smith pitched three innings of scoreless relief, striking out six and giving up two hits. The Cardinals tacked insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings to finish off the Tigers.
“Ever since the first day of practice I’ve been telling them that May 29th we have to be playing our best baseball,” said Seaman. “If we were playing our best baseball we would have a shot at a district title, and they kept buying into it, and they really played their best baseball.”
Kingston moves on to the Mayville regional, and will face Ubly (19-7), the winner of the Harbor Beach district.
“They’re a well coached team, and have a great pitcher in (Jeffrey) Wright,” said Seaman “They’ll hit the ball well too.”
The Cardinals know that as long as they keep their mistakes down, they will have a chance in any game.