MHSAA Division 2 Baseball Final: Grand Rapids Christian vs. Forest Hills Eastern

EAST LANSING, MI – Forest Hills Eastern has warmup shirts its calls “The Dominators” and caps it calls “Championship hats.”

They didn’t wear them.

This game would not be about a look, a feel or a vibe.

It was about a team locked in on a championship destiny and getting it done.

“We’re not big on over-thinking things,” Eastern coach Ian Hearn said. “We just give (our pitchers) the ball. No pep talk, no big speech, just stick to the process.”

Forest Hills Eastern completed its march to history Saturday, outdueling Grand Rapids Christian 3-0 to capture the program’s first Division 2 high school baseball state championship. The No. 1-ranked Hawks shined on the grand stage of Michigan State University’s McLane Stadium just as they shined on every stop of their magical tour this season.

Senior starter Evan Parks showed not a single sign of the pressure-packed situation, coolly firing a one-hitter with nine strikeouts – similar to teammate Jacob Pallo’s two-hit, nine-K semifinal performance – to vault to victory.

“It was a regular morning. I just woke up knowing we had to win a game,” Parks said. “It’s no different whether it’s the state championship game or the first game of the year, you get up expecting to play great.

“We were thinking about the end goal in the first game of the year. We knew we had a good squad here and it was important to perform at our best all the time.”

Eastern (39-4) was at its finest in the finals, playing a crisp and clean game to outduel its West Michigan rival in the ultimate game – while wearing their normal crimson colors. The Hawks scratched out single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, building a lead that seemed sizeable with Parks getting the deal done on the mound.

He also delivered at the plate, going 3-for-3 on a day when hits were at a premium. His RBI double off the right-field fence brought home Caleb Kuiper with the first run of the game in the third.

The lead grew to 2-0 in the fourth when Mac DenBrader singled, Brian Messing doubled and Max Ferrick rapped an RBI groundout. Eastern got three straight singles from Parks, Pallo and Leo Hearn to make it 3-0 in the fifth.

Parks took care of the rest. After starting the game with an 8-1 record and 0.89 ERA, he improved those numbers with a big-game gem. He had a no-hitter for 5.1 innings and saw it broken up on a swinging bunt by Christian’s Nathan Hedlund.

His defense finished it off in style as Eastern spun a 4-6-3 double play to end the game and launch a historic celebration.

“I don’t think it will sink in until we’re on the bus. We’ll all be together, getting loud and excited -- I’m sure -- and that’s when we’ll really be able to enjoy it,” Parks said. “It might include a nap, too, because we’ve worked hard all season.”

In the 18th year of the school’s baseball program, Eastern reached the summit. The Hawks had never won a regional title, but they broke through in a big, big way this time around.

“This means so much to every kid here,” senior third baseman Brian Messing said. “When we came together in eighth grade, we knew it was real. We knew we could do something special. The guys ahead of us taught us the right way to do it, so it feels good to set an example for the ones to follow us.”

It was a tough day at the end of a sensational tournament for Grand Rapids Christian. The No. 14-ranked Eagles returned to the finals for the first time since rattling off three straight appearances from 2011-13 – highlighted by their back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 – and showed they’re still title-ready under coach Brent Gates.

But after downing Grosse Ile 9-1 in the semifinal, the Eagles couldn’t find any offensive punch in the title game.

Kyle Remington opened the game by drawing a walk for Christian and stole second base. But the Eagles couldn’t bring him around, missing an opportunity to set a different kind of tone. They would manage just four other baserunners the rest of the way.

Parks controlled the action for Eastern, giving the Hawks a dominating win and a championship moment even without their “Dominator” warmup and “Championship” hat.

“A hundred years down the line, it will still say we’re 2022 state champs,” Parks said.

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