Iron Mountain hurler Carson McLean pitches during the Mountaineers’ season-opening game against the Gladstone Braves in Gladstone on Tuesday. Iron Mountain was able to hold on for a 9-8 win. (Todd Rose/Escanaba Daily Press photo)

GLADSTONE — Despite an attempt at a comeback, the Gladstone Braves fell 9-8 in their boys varsity baseball season-opener against the Iron Mountain Mountaineers on Tuesday afternoon in Gladstone.

With rain threatening, officials wasted no time getting things started under an overcast sky accompanied by a brisk wind.

Also wasting no time to start things were the Mountaineers, as leadoff batter Hunter Fortner ripped a double into right center field to jumpstart a five-run inning for his team. Fortner batted twice in the inning — with the Mountaineers going through the order plus two — getting on base with a walk in his second at-bat.

Mountaineers coach Paul Julian was happy with the win, considering Iron Mountain tapered its expectations due to the chilly weather and lack of outdoor practice.

“It feels good (to get the win),” Julian said. “First time playing a game outside in 35 degree weather and, on top of that, we had our first practice outside yesterday. So, we weren’t expecting a lot today. We knew we had good athletes but the weather, of course, is challenging.”

Through the next several innings, Iron Mountain built their lead up to 8-0. The added runs paid off late as the Braves came roaring back with two four-run frames in the fourth and sixth innings.

In the fourth, Hunter Solis knocked in Austin Bagwell on an RBI double and would cross the plate himself on a bases-loaded walk from Braden Sundquist moments later. A sacrifice fly from Cam Kelly brought in Casey Alworden while Tyler Darmogray scored on a passed ball.

The sixth saw Kelly hammer a triple — that was almost caught in left field — to usher in two runs. Kelly crossed the plate two batters later as Nick Martin put a ball in play for a double. Aedan Creten — who got on base after getting hit by a pitch — was the final Gladstone player across the plate as he crossed on a single by Bagwell.

Gladstone was unable to get anything going in the seventh, though, and the score ended at 9-8.

One extra run from the Mountaineers in the fifth — scored by Fortner on a single by Lucas Maxon — made the difference come the end of the game. But the early lead was a solid buffer, Julian said.

“Starting off so strong with our bats — we went through our order and then some — I think we put five or six runs up on the board,” he added. “That was a heck of an insurance plan.”

Carson McLean started for the Mountaineers and pitched into the fourth inning before being replaced by Zeke Runsat.

Runsat pitched until the sixth when Tony Kralovec took over on the mound. Before the inning was over, though, Runsat was back on the mound. He finished the game to earn the save.

Cam Kelly was the Braves’ starting pitcher and pitched most of the first inning. He was replaced by Tyler Darmogray — who toed the rubber through the second — at the end of the first.

Braden Sundquist took over to start the third and went the distance from there.

“Braden Sundquist pitched a hell of a game when he came in for relief,” first-year Braves head coach Joe Darmogray said. “I had full intentions of just pitching every kid two innings, and Braden only got up to fifty-some pitches, so I kept him going.”

Like Iron Mountain, the Braves are still trying to find their footing in the early days of the 2022 season.

“It was nice to get out,” Darmogray said. “We didn’t find out until 6:00 last night that we were playing today, so that was kind of shaky and only being outside one time all year. We were out for an hour yesterday.

“But, after the first couple of innings, the kids settled down a little bit. They played defensively and started playing better. It’ll come. It’s mental mistakes right now and we can clear that up,” he added.

Todd Rose, sports writer for The Daily Press in Escanaba, can be contacted at trose@dailypress.net.