EAST TAWAS – Apparently the Tawas Area baseball team was just waiting for their first North Star League Big Dipper doubleheader to put it all together. The Braves, hosting Alcona on Friday, used a walk-off suicide squeeze play to win game one 7-6, and then kept the momentum going in game two with a convincing 15-1 five inning mercy-style victory.

“This was one of our best games of the year we got down early, but never gave up,” head coach Shane Plank said of game one. “We tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning off of a two-run double from Leif Guillotel. Then in the bottom of the sixth we walked it off on a squeeze from Myles Parish, scoring Aidan Smith from third. Nice hard fought win to start Big Dipper play.”

What makes the comeback all the better for the Braves is that they did so off Evan Borsvold; one of the best pitchers in the NSL. They were down 6-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, where they put up a huge five-run frame; leading to the dramatic walk-off in the bottom of the sixth.

Preston Muckenthaler got the win for Tawas in relief, throwing the final four innings and giving up three runs, two earned on five hits, four strikeouts and one walk. Marshall Turner went the first two innings and struck out three batters.

Guillotel finished with one double, one single and three RBI. Muckenthaler had one double, two RBI and two runs, Parish had one hit and one RBI, with Smith and Carson Selman each getting one hit.

“We used the momentum from game one and kept it going in game two,” Plank said. “Had a great pitching performance from Guillotel.”

Guillotel’s final line was five innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, eight strikeouts and one walk.

Guillotel also had one double, two singles, one RBI and three runs. Parish had three hits and two RBI, Selman had three hits and one RBI and with two hits each was Smith (one RBI), Hunter Oliver (two RBI), and Jack Jensen. Jack Garner also singled and had an RBI.

On Tuesday, April 29, Tawas lost two non-league games at Grayling, 8-2 and 14-13.

Evan Papas took the loss in the opener, going three innings and giving up four runs, three earned on two hits, seven strikeouts and nine walks. H. Oliver fanned three batters in two innings of relief work.

Getting singles in the game was H. Oliver, Garner, Parish and Papas.

Game two went just four innings due to darkness. Smith and Parish shared time on the mound, both striking out one batter.

On offense, Jensen had two hits and two RBI and Smith and Steven Pace both had one double and two RBI. Muckenthaler, Turner (one RBI) and Parish (one RBI) all singled.

“We battled hard in this game and never gave up, scoring seven runs in the last two innings to come up a run short,” Plank said. “I was happy with how we never gave up.”

Tawas took on visiting Oscoda on Monday, they’ll host the Charlton Heston Academy today (Wednesday) and head over to Whittemore-Prescott on Monday.