EAST LANSING, Mich — Mike Mokma retired all nine batters he faced in relief, five of them on strikes as Holland Christian beat DeWitt 4-3 in a division two baseball semifinal Thursday morning at Michigan State University.
“Coach said at the beginning of the game if he needs me be ready to go so I was ready to go whenever he called” Mokma said.
Josh Sterenberg drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning.
DeWitt (30-10) scored two off Maroons starting pitcher David Williams in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead. Holland Christian cam right back with two in the top of the fifth on an RBI ground out by Chase Dreyer and a throwing error. The Panthers retook the lead with a run in the top of the fifth, that is when Mokma entered and promptly struck out the first three batters he faced.
“We are confident when Mike comes in but it’s no given, there guys are good hitters, it’s no given that when he comes in that we are going to get out of things and he worked very hard and he earned it just like the rest of the guys on the team” Holland Christian coach Jim Caserta said. “It’s been a team a team effort all the way through this tournament so far.”
The Maroons tied the game in the top of the sixth on an RBI infield single from Brady Brower.
Holland Christian (35-6) advances to Saturday’s division two state championship against at 9 a.m. against Linden.
“I’d like to have the ball Saturday” Mokma added, “hey, we’ll see.”
