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After facing elimination in the semifinals with rally to knock off Marlette, 6-5, Cros-Lex overcame some solid pitching from Sandusky's David Zambron to collect a 5-1 win in the championship game Saturday of the County Baseball Tournament at Brown City High School. The Pioneers, 9-1 after the two wins on Saturday, picked up their 13th County title in 24 years, but their first since 2004.

Winning the County is the first of three big goals the Pioneers are looking to reach this season, the others are a league championship and a sustained post-season run.

"We got the first one out of the way," said Coach Rick Patterson.

"It was a long day for us," he continued. "People battled hard with us all day, but we finally got it done."

In the title contest, the Pioneers, co-leaders at the halfway point of the BWAC season, held a 1-0 lead through five innings. The lone run off the ÔSkins' sophomore ace, came on a double by Trenten Bar and base hit by Justin Walls in the third inning.

Cros-Lex broke through for three runs in the top of the sixth. After scoring an unearned run on an error, two stolen bases and a passed ball, Nick Jex doubled and Jerry Torrez and Brad Seidl followed with RBI singles.

After the Pioneers added one more run the seventh, Sandusky scored its lone run off C-L sophomore Cameron Barrett on a base hit by Zambron.

For Barrett, it was his first start and first mound appearance this season. He gave up five hits and struck out seven.

"He doesn't throw the ball real hard," noted Patterson on Barrett's effort. The Pioneers had used their No. 1 and 2 pitchers on Thursday in a BWAC doubleheader against Imlay City. "But, he kept it in the strike zone and he didn't get behind in the count."

Mike Stoliker, Sandusky coach, said Zambron's performance was not complimented by the ÔSkins' offense.

"Dave pitched well enough to win. We just didn't give him enough run support. We had a couple of opportunities early in the game," lamented Stoliker.

Zambron also led at the plate with three hits. Garrett Gavin added two singles for the Redskins (4-10).

Cros-Lex 6 Marlette 5

After a lead-off double by Zach Fabian, Garrett Grundman pounded a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the semifinal game with Marlette. Jex and Derek Sheridan kept the rally going with base hits before Barr, two outs later, delivered the game-winning single.

"The kids just started swinging the bat," said a relieved Patterson. "It's nice to see the kids didn't panic."

Marlette (4-12) jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first two innings. Cros-Lex cut the margin to 4-3 with a pair of runs in the third before Marlette made it 5-3 on Andy Brown's home run in the fifth.

"We had the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth, with one out, and couldn't score," said Patterson. "We tried about everything we could to tie the game."

Grundman and Jex each had two hits for C-L. For Marlette, Nathaniel Ward was 2-for-4 and Shawn Monroe had a double.

Walls picked up the win in relief for C-L. Adam Cornwell, making his first start this year, left the mound after five-and-a-third innings of work.

Sandusky 4 Brown City 2

The Redskins upset the Green Devils, the defending County champs, in the first semifinal of the day.

Sandusky took a 2-0 lead in the second as Gavin drove in both runs with a base hit. After Brown City tied the game in the third, the winning runs for the ÔSkins came in on base hits by Gavin and Shane Albrecht.

Brennen Miller pitched the first five innings, striking out six, and earned the win. Gavin picked up the save.

"It was a great win," said Stoliker, who added that his team played very well defensively. "I've been really preaching that - I we're young - but we have to play good defense. We're not good enough (offensively) to give teams five or six outs in an inning. When we keep it to zero (errors), we're going to be in the ball game."

Stoliker said the defensive play of the game came early when outfielder Travis Narra made a diving catch, with runners on, to end the first inning.

For BC, Jake Meadows and Ricky Bailey each had two hits and Jeremy Burgess drove in both runs with a single. Justin Holsworth suffered the loss on the mound.