By Jim Mulchay
Staff Writer

Howell won the Howell pool at the 49th Shelander Classic defeating Fowlerville 9-0 and Ann Arbor Pioneer 5-1, then defeated Brighton (the Brighton pool winner) 6-3 to win their third consecutive Shelander Classic championship. As a side note Fowlerville defeated Pioneer 6-2 in the Howell pool.

Here is a quick recap of some of the action. 

Game 1 

Howell 9, Fowlerville 0 
Howell starter Dylan Roberts (LHP, 2013/Kalamazoo Valley CC) went five innings for the win giving up two hits and one walk and getting seven strikeouts. Pat Wagner (LHP, 2014) pitched a scoreless sixth and Pat O'Brien (RHP, 2013) a scoreless seventh.

Howell scored three in the first on three hits, two errors and two walks.  Overall they scored in every inning except the third. Howell got a solo homerun from DJ Arnold (DH, 2013/Saginaw Valley) and doubles from Tyler Bradner (CF, 2013/Kellogg CC), Joe Corsten (3B, 2015) and Darren Ford (RF, 2014).

Game 2

Fowlerville 6, Ann Arbor Pioneer 2
Fowlerville held Ann Arbor Pioneer to two runs and four hits in a 6-2 win. Starter Chase Flanery (RHP, 2014) went 5 innings and only allowed one earned run for the win with Jacob Prochnow (RHP, 2014) and John Grable (SS/RHP, 2014) each pitching a scoreless inning.

Fowlerville got the scoring started early by plating an unearned run in the first and two more in the third They then tacked on single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Grable, Jacob Hubert (RF, 2014) and Garrett Nolan (C, 2015) all had two hits.

Pioneer's Noah Morehouse got the loss  giving up four runs (only one earned) in four innings.  Offensively for Pioneer Erich Schulz (LF, 2013) had a double.

Game 3

Howell 5, Ann Arbor Pioneer 1
Howell starter Austin Palo (RHP, 2015) threw a complete game.  Palo only allowed one run on six hits and struck out four as Howell defeated Ann Arbor Pioneer 5-1.

Howell scored three runs in the second with three hits, two walks with one out, but Pioneer ended the inning with an infield fly and a ground out.

Joe Corsten (3B, 2015) had two hits including a double and two RBI while Nate Holmes (LF, 2014) had two hits as well.

Pioneer's Matt Clendenin (LHP, 2013) started and got the loss going five innings. Erich Schulz (LF, 2013) and Jake Norton (2B, 2014) each had two hits.

Ryan Kielczewski (RF, 2013) drove in Pioneer's run with a two-out single in the third.

Howell went on to win the Shelander Championship by defeating Brighton 6-3.