Midland baseball rounding into form as postseason nears with share of conference title
MIDLAND, Mich. (BVM) — The Midland Chemics are over two decades removed from a historic state title run. Although the 2021 team may not be at that level yet, they continue to round into form as the MHSAA baseball postseason nears.
In a Thursday contest with Grand Blanc, the Chemics officially won a share of the Saginaw Valley League championship with a victory in a 2-1 nail-biter. The title is the team’s third in the last four seasons.
With the 2020 season being canceled, Midland brought back very few players, and had an inexperienced squad to begin the year. One of the lone returning players with varsity experience was pitcher Al Money, and he came through in a big way against Grand Blanc with four shutout innings.
The reason he only pitched four is because this matchup was actually suspended due to darkness last month. Picking it back up on Thursday, the teams began doing battle again in the bottom of the third inning with Grand Blanc holding a 1-0 lead.
After leaving a couple runners stranded in the third and doing nothing in the fourth, the Chemics finally broke through in the fifth as Money drew a one-out walk and later came around to score. Getting out of a jam in the top of the sixth, it was time for Midland to make its push.
With two outs and a man on second, AJ Harvey came to the plate with an opportunity to be the hero. Working the at-bat to a full count, Harvey came through with a single to left that gave the Chemics the lead.
The pressure shifted back to Money on the mound in the seventh, but he was unfazed as he retired the side to preserve the win. The Chemics are now 25-6 on the season, and take home another title under coach Eric Albright.
Now, Midland will look to close the season strong, beginning with a couple non-league games against Grand Ledge, and then going on to face St. John’s. From there, it will be time to get ready for postseason play, where this young Chemics team may be heard from yet again.
