TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The Davenport baseball team battled with 11th-ranked Ashland for nine innings on Saturday, but the Eagles came through in their final at-bat for the 3-2 win in the GLIAC Tournament. Ashland was facing elimination while Davenport entered the game with two wins and was attempting to reach the championship round for the second straight season. The Panthers will now have to win two games tomorrow in order to capture the tournament title for the first time.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Josh Stover and Cal Djuraskovic entered the game with ERA's over 6.00 for the season, but neither pitched like it in a low-scoring game. Djuraskovic had a much shorter outing than Stover largely due to six walks in his 4.2 innings of work. He did strike out four batters including the first two of the game. Stover improved to 6-2 this season by limiting the Panthers to four hits in a complete-game masterpiece. Stover allowed two runs with three walks and three strikeouts. He threw 107 pitches with 69 strikes. Jacob Buchberger started at designated hitter and then came into pitch in the fifth inning with bases loaded and got the final out on a strikeout. Buchberger entered the game having thrown 8.1 innings this season, but tossed four-plus innings to take the loss (0-2). He allowed four hits and two runs with three walks and two strikeouts. He ended up throwing 74 pitches in relief.

Davenport had the first threat of the game in the top of the second. Travis Harvey walked to lead off and Kamrin Markwardt was hit on the second pitch of his at-bat. Alex Huard squared to bunt and Harvey took off for third. Stover pivoted and threw back to second. Harvey was out at third caught stealing and that essentially ended the threat. Huard struck out looking for the second out and Dylan Watson bounced into a fielder's choice.

The Panthers did score first in the top of the third. Jimmy Filipski singled off the first baseman Micah Allen to lead off. Buchberger then doubled down the left field line and Filipski moved to third. Nolan Bryant had a good at-bat and on a full count grounded out to second allowing Filipski to score from third.

Ashland came right back to tie it in their half of the third. Sam Hawley walked and Austin Eifrid sacrificed him over to second. Carson Mittelmeier reached on an error with two outs and Hawley moved to third. Allen then took a pitch through the right side for a RBI single.

The Panthers once again took a one-run lead in the sixth. Harvey tripled to left center with one out and Markwardt brought him home on a groundout to second. Ashland again tied it in the bottom of the inning. Logan Stoldt walked on four pitches and Dillon Smith singled just over the glove of Huard into left center as Stoldt advanced to third. Garett Robberts then hit a sacrifice fly to center as Stoldt scored standing up.

Ashland threatened in the seventh as Matt Littrell singled with one out and Mittelmeier hit what looked to be a double-play ball, but Huard mishandled it at shortstop. That miscue did not come back to haunt the Panthers as Buchberger retired the next two batters.

DU had a chance in the ninth to break the tie. Harvey worked a leadoff walk on six pitches and moved to second on a grounder. Huard grounded out to third and then Harvey raced over to third after the throw across the diamond. He was stranded however as Watson grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Eagles got a one-out walk on six pitches in the ninth and Zach Franz grounded to first as Littrell moved into scoring position. Allen was intentionally walked and then Littrell advanced to third on a wild pitch. Stoldt fouled off a 2-2 pitch and then sharply singled up the middle to walk-off with the win.

ON DECK
The Panthers (32-17) will tangle with six-seed Saginaw Valley State (20-28-1) tomorrow at 11 a.m. in an elimination game with the winner to face Ashland in a winner-take-all game for the GLIAC Tournament title. The Cardinals defeated the Panthers three times earlier this season in Caledonia.