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The Red Devils surprised a lot of people when they knocked off favored Elk Rapids, 6-5, in extra innings in the Division 3 regional semifinal game at Kalkaska High School last Saturday.

But they couldn't duplicate the effort in the regional against Standish-Sterling.

Yes, they did benefit from a little good fortune when the Elks made some fielding blunders to open the door for a four-run fourth inning.

Elk Rapids, champion of the Lake Michigan Conference this season, was 26-5 and had its ace pitcher, Brandon Isenhart on the hill.

Worse still, the Elks grabbed an early 1-0 lead. All but the East Jordan fans in attendance considered it only the beginning of what would soon be a flood of runs for Elk Rapids.

It didn't look promising for the Red Devils. But fate has a way of intervening. That appeared to be the case when the Elks dropped an infield pop up with one out in the fourth inning.

Pouncing on the mistake, East Jordan benefited from further Elk fielding blunders and mental errors, plus a timely hit, to score four runs.

Now leading, 5-1, the Red Devils seemed to be in total command of the game.

Isenhart had been lifted in favor of a relief pitcher, and was playing at a different position for the Elks.

He failed to get a hit in his next time up at the plate as well, and the Elks' confidence dipped along with their spirits.

East Jordan then experienced its own misfortune when after holding the Elks' vaunted offense at bay through the first five innings its starting pitcher suddenly lost command of his pitches.

Unable to locate the plate, he issued a couple of walks, including one which came with the bases loaded and forced in an Elk Rapids run.

The Elks' fans sensed a comeback, and began to cheer their team on.

With the noise level reaching increasingly high decibels, East Jordan was in jeopardy of losing its composure, and perhaps the lead ... maybe even the game.

Elk Rapids tied the score, and the game went into extra innings. Just that quickly, the fortunes of the game swung in favor of the Elks.

Rather than get down on themselves for squandering what once appeared to be a comfortable lead, the Red Devils kept playing hard and kept their heads in the game.

Their chances didn't look all that good with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But, they had a runner on base in freshman Billy Kraemer, and the game wasn't over yet.

Seizing the moment, junior Scott Hansen ripped a shot through the middle of the infield to drive Kraemer home with the winning run.

East Jordan's miracle run ended in the regional finals, where Standish-Sterling handcuffed the Red Devils hitters and emerged with a 4-0 victory.

Despite the shutout loss in the finals, East Jordan should feel proud of its tremendous effort in beating a very good Elk Rapids team in the semifinals.

In achieving what some thought impossible, the Red Devils proved that no team is unbeatable. They also proved that any team can win if they play the game right, and never give up.