Birmingham Blanks Utica, 4-0
UTICA, Mich. – The Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (19-16) used strong pitching and an early offensive attack to shut out the Utica Unicorns (21-15), 4-0, Wednesday night at UWM Field.
The Beavers wasted little time getting on the board. Matt Piotrowski doubled with one out in the bottom of the first before David Coppedge reached and Tommy Barth delivered an RBI double. The Beavers added two more runs in the second and carried a 3-0 advantage through the middle innings.
That was more than enough support for Birmingham’s pitching staff.
Blake Johnson earned the win after an impressive five-inning start, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out four. Miles Garrett followed with two hitless innings before Jack Hoeymans worked the final two frames to earn the save. Together, Birmingham’s pitchers held Utica to just two hits and no runs over nine innings.
Birmingham added an insurance run in the eighth. Coppedge opened the inning with a double and eventually came around to score, extending the lead to 4-0.
Kaehukai Young led Birmingham with two hits and an RBI, while Chase Rodriguez drove in two runs. Piotrowski, Coppedge and Barth each recorded doubles as Birmingham finished with eight hits.
Utica’s only hits came from Alex Harrell and Cecil Lofton, as Birmingham’s defense also turned two double plays to keep the Unicorns off the scoreboard. Utica starter Calvin Shepherd took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits across four innings while striking out three. The Unicorns’ bullpen kept the game within reach until Birmingham added its final run in the eighth.