MHSAA Division 2 baseball: Flint Powers crushes Spring Lake for first state title since 1980

EAST LANSING ― Once the final ball hit the first baseman's mitt, Flint Powers pitcher Fischer Hendershot threw his glove to the ground and started to mime "Ring me" before he was mobbed by the entire team on the edge of the mound.

It was time to celebrate Powers' first state title in 44 years.

Hendershot pitched all five innings, giving up two hits and no runs in Powers' convincing 11-0 win in the Division 2 state championship game at McLane Stadium on Michigan State's campus on Saturday. It is the Chargers' first baseball state title since 1980 and the first won by 42-year Powers head coach Tom Dutkowski.

"We are just so happy to do it for him," Hendershot said of his head coach who took over Flint Powers two years after the last title.

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The next mob came right after Dutkowski put his hands on the first place trophy. First, he turned and lifted it in triumph towards the Flint crowd, then towards his team who came together to celebrate again.

"I'm a little bit hurting to find the words," Dutkowski said. "... It was a 39-year drought in terms of (reaching the semifinal) but these guys didn't flinch, never wavered."

Flint Powers jumped on Spring Lake with a three-run first inning, two of which came on a double into left-center by third baseman Gavin Darling. Hendershot kicked off the second with a single, and the pinch runner replacing him scored on a walk to make it 4-0.

"Before we came here, we hit batting practice up at Powers and (had) a lot of confidence," Darling said. "More confidence than I've ever seen this team have."

Powers added more in the top of the third, scoring another four runs. Hendershot drove in the first run with a single to left, a runner was walked home with the bases loaded, then shortstop Connor Kelly drove in the final two runs of the inning. In the fourth, Powers kept the foot on the gas with three more runs, two coming from a throwing error and one on an RBI single from Isaac Sturgess to score his brother Eli.

"Every run that scored, I just felt better and more confident," Hendershot said of the run support. "I had no worry because I knew my defense and offense had me."

He finished off the title game by getting a flyout, strikeout and then groundout before breaking into celebration. Spring Lake had two hits and four base runners in total in five innings while striking out four times, unable to solve the 6-foot-5 senior right-hander.

"Since (the Flint tournament), he's been lights out," Dutkowski said. "But today, oh my gosh. He was in command of himself, the situation.

"I asked them to play with courage today, play with courage and compete, and I felt like if they did that, we were going to be in good shape. And they did."