Howell can't hold early lead in loss to Northville in KLAA baseball title game
NOVI — Howell experienced losing in a championship baseball game without suffering the ultimate consequence.
Playing for the KLAA title is a dress rehearsal for the state tournament, when there are no mulligans after a loss.
The sixth-ranked Highlanders will now focus their attention on preparation for Division 1 district play after losing 7-3 to third-ranked Northville in the KLAA championship game Thursday at Novi High School.
Howell will have to play an extra postseason game, facing Mason in pre-districts at 5 p.m. May 31 at MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing. If they win, the Highlanders would face 13th-ranked Okemos in the district semifinals.
“We still got a share of the league title,” Howell coach Jason Ladd said. “These tournament championship games are great preparation for the postseason. They played a very good game. We had a few errors here and there. They’re the better team today.”
The Highlanders shared the KLAA West championship with Northville, which has handed Howell three of its six losses.
“They pitch and play good defense and they’re well-coached, a good program,” Ladd said.
Howell got off to a great start, taking a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a three-run homer by Justin Militello.
The Mustangs responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, then took the lead by scoring twice in the second.
Militello allowed five runs in 3 innings, three of which were unearned. He struck out nine batters.
“He’s a good pitcher,” Ladd said. “Sometimes you give up hits here and there and sometimes the defense doesn’t do a good job behind you. Those first three runs in the first inning, only one was earned.”
Northville’s Caden Besco pitched four innings of scoreless relief for Northville, allowing three hits.
The Mustangs won the KLAA title for the first time since 2015.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Howell can't hold early lead in loss to Northville for KLAA baseball title
