News photo by Josh Jambor Wildcat Eli Tessmer winds up to throw a pitch in a game earlier this season, Tessmer recorded 17 outs including eight strikeouts against Marquette.

TRAVERSE CITY– The Alpena Varsity Wildcats battled hard but came up just short in the district semi-finals on Saturday, falling to the Marquette Sentinels 3-2 in a tightly contested matchup.

Both teams showed strong pitching on the hill, but Marquette edged out the victory thanks to timely hitting and capitalizing on a key defensive miscue.

Alpena starter Eli Tessmer delivered a solid performance, recording 17 outs while striking out eight batters. However, the Sentinels were able to push across the winning run in the sixth inning after reaching base on an error.

Marquette opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, using two singles to take a 1-0 lead. Desmond Gleason drove in the game’s first run with a single.

The Wildcats responded in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1. Owen Kaiser ripped a triple and later scored on a ground out by Ethan Walker. Alpena looked poised to keep the game close, but Marquette pulled ahead for good in the sixth.

Alex Brennan earned the win on the mound for Marquette, tossing seven strong innings. He allowed just four hits and two runs while striking out six and walking one. Tessmer took the hard-luck loss after going five and two-thirds innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits.

Offensively, the Wildcats struggled to generate consistent pressure. Brady Chapman, Zach Orban, Cam Mcewen, and Owen Kaiser each recorded one hit. Kaiser led the team with one RBI and went 1-for-3 at the plate.

For Marquette, Desmond Gleason and Jacob Geller each drove in a run and proved difficult for Alpena to navigate in the middle of the lineup.

Alpena Head Coach expressed pride in the way his team battled back saying “it was a good game throughout, the kids fought hard, ultimately things just didn’t go our way.”

While the season ended on a disappointing note in the district semi-finals, the Wildcats showed tremendous fight throughout the game against a strong Marquette squad. Alpena fans can be proud of the effort displayed by Tessmer, Kaiser, and the rest of the team all season long.