NORTHVILLE – Groton erased a 6-4 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on the way to an 8-7 win over the Northville Merchants in Region 2B Amateur baseball action to punch its ticket to the state tournament starting next week in Mitchell.

Ben Althoff hit a two-run double to tie the score, before Brian Hansen’s sacrifice fly gave Groton the lead. Jonah Schmidt then drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run on a single. Northville’s Ashton Remily hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Groton jumped in front on Ty Sieber’s two-run single in the bottom of the first inning. Northville responded with a three-run home run from Niko Pezonella in the top of the third. However, that lead was short lived as Althoff doubled in a run in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score.

Northville then scored three unanswered runs, two on a pair of RBI singles from Greg Heyne, to set the stage for Groton’s pivotal seventh inning.

Althoff finished with three hits and knocked in three runs for Groton.

Heyne and Beau Kirsch each had three hits for the Merchants.

Northville Merchants 003 020 101 – 7 12 5

Groton Locke Electric 201 100 40x – 8 9 4

Ashton Remily, Niko Pezonella (7) and Kyle Stahl; Ryan Groeblinghoff and Carlos Camacho. 2B – Groton Locke Electric, Ben Althoff, Brevin Fliehs, Camacho, Korbin Kucker. HR – Northville Merchants, Remily, Pezonella.

Lake Norden Lakers 7, Milbank Firechiefs 1

Lake Norden Lakers 300 301 000 – 7 9 2

Milbank Firechiefs 000 100 000 – 1 2 4

Josh Cleveland and C. Trumm; Kaden Krause, Brady Krause (5) and B. Krause. 2B – Lake Norden Lakers, Kale Stevenson, Mick Tulson. HR – Lake Norden Lakers, Stevenson.

NOTE: Josh Cleveland threw a complete game two-hitter and struck out seven batters.