News File Photo Members of the Alpena baseball team huddle together in celebration after winning a district title at home last Friday. The Wildcats won their first district title since 2010 and will face Saginaw Heritage in a regional semifinal matchup today.

Three area teams fought to keep their baseball seasons alive and earned district championships last weekend. Now all three teams will face tough challenges in their respective regional matchups.

Alpena capped off an improbable comeback to win its first district title since 2010 and first under head coach Phil Schultz.

The Wildcats stunned Big North Conference champion Traverse City West in the district championship game. Alpena trailed 7-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Wildcats rallied and scored six runs to tie the game and plated two more in the fifth win the game.

“We’re ecstatic. We’re really happy with what happened and the way we battled back. Every run that we scored in that championship game we earned and the guys are feeling pretty confident right now,” Schultz said. “It’s going to be a great experience for these kids to compete at the regional level. They exceeded my expectations a little this year and I think we have now raised the bar for the future. I just hope the kids stay loose and enjoy the moment.”

Today’s regional matchup will be similar to Alpena’s last trip in 2010. The Wildcats will again play Saginaw Heritage at Saginaw Valley State University in a game that begins at 10 a.m.

The Wildcats ran into a good Hawks team in 2010 and were shut down by Heritage southpaw Jeff Kinley as Alpena fell 4-0.

This time around won’t be any easier for the Wildcats as they take on a Heritage team that is 29-6 overall on the year and ranked 12th in Division 1.

Heritage is led by junior Spencer Schwellenbach, who has already committed to Nebraska. Schwellenbach has a fastball that tops out in the low 90s and is one of the top hitters in a loaded Hawks lineup. Along with Schwellenbach, Heritage also has junior Brandon Smith who has a mid 80s heater. The Hawks also have two other college bound baseball players in Noah Marcoux and Matthew Sulkanen.

“We’re going to continue to work on small ball. We did that prior to districts and we know we are going to face some tough pitching so we understand we’ll probably have to play a little small ball when the opportunity presents itself,” Schultz said. “We have heard some good things about them and know that they are ranked and they play in a tough conference. We just have to be ready to play our A game.”

The Wildcats hope to continue playing well at the plate and on the mound. Bruz Copping pitched well in relief last week and catcher Bailey Marquardt has also been red-hot at the plate along with Josh Lucas, Aidan Goike and Chandler Lantz.

“I think we’re in a good position. We have some momentum heading into the tournament and I think as long as we keep working hard we can go to Saginaw and win a few more games,” Alpena pitcher Lucas Crosby said.

Another team that put together a wild come from behind win to capture a district championship was Onaway.

Despite trailing 8-4 with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning to Rogers City, the Cardinals rallied to score four runs in the sixth to tie the game before D.J. Fenstermaker doubled to the center field fence to score Cody Neelis from first base for the winning run.

“We’re excited. We’ve envisioned this all season because we knew that we had a good group of kids. We put in the work all season to get to this point and we are staying focused,” Onaway coach Mike Crull said.

The Cardinals will also have a tall task ahead of them as they play a Maple City Glen Lake team ranked ninth in Division 4.

“We know they’re ranked and they have a good team and they have a storied athletic program not just in baseball, but in all sports. They have good athletes and have enjoyed success, but we don’t mind being the underdogs,” Crull said. “It’s going to be neat playing in our backyard essentially. It is a field that we are able to practice on and we’re used to playing there. It’s going to be nice to have a huge fan base there as well. We continue to work on the little things and fine tune some stuff, along with perfecting the stuff we are good at and get prepared for the weekend.”

The Cardinals and Lakers will be the second game of the day with the first pitch scheduled for noon.

The first game of the day will be Alcona vs. Gaylord St. Mary at 10 a.m.

The Tigers won two close games on their way to winning a district title and will have just as tough of a task as the other two local teams.

Alcona will take on a Snowbirds team that is ranked 10th in Division 4.

Gaylord St. Mary return several starters from last season and are aiming to win a second straight regional title.

Alcona has had a rollercoaster of a regular season as the team has showed signs of being a solid ball club, but has also struggled at times.

With a balanced lineup and a pitching staff the team can usually depend on to throw strikes, Alcona knows it needs to play error free baseball against a top team.

“We have been working hard and to take that next step into regional play really has us excited. We have to continue playing good ball,” Alcona coach Terry Franklin said. “We know they are a good team and they hit the ball well. We need to play really good defensively, limit their chances and throw strikes. It’s nice to be in this position because when you get to that next level, you get another week of practice and that’s always a good thing.”

Jonny Zawacki can be reached via email at jzawacki@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5690.