GMG’s Colin Teske (5) and Rider Kupka (33) celebrate on their way off the field after the Wolverines defeated BGM 8-4 in Saturday’s Class 1A District 7 championship baseball game in Brooklyn. Teske earned the pitching victory and Kupka came through with a suicide squeeze bunt as the Wolverines moved to within one win of state. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

BROOKLYN — The little engine that could seems to be gaining steam. Who’s to say where the top of the hill is for the GMG baseball team?

The Wolverines earned their third postseason victory on Saturday night, chugging their way into the substate finals with an 8-4 triumph over BGM in the Class 1A District 7 championship at BGM High School.

Just a week earlier, GMG (11-14) was one out away from being eliminated in the first round by Montezuma. But a six-run surge started the Wolverines on their current trajectory, including back-to-back wins over the two teams that beat them to begin the summer.

Saturday’s triumph over BGM was one of them.

Playing in its first district championship game since 2009, GMG emerged with a hard-earned win.

GMG junior Kaleb Gill (1) is greeted at the dugout after scoring a run on a wild pitch during the fifth inning of Saturday’s game. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

“It’s great,” senior Noah Teske said. “We haven’t made it past the first round in a really long time, and for this being my and some others’ senior year, it’s great.

“No, substate really wasn’t on our radar at first, but now it is.”

The Wolverines will meet ninth-ranked Lisbon (24-4) in Tuesday’s Substate 4 final at Solon High School. The Lions edged Easton Valley, 4-3, in pursuit of their third straight trip to the state tournament.

“We’re in a good position,” said GMG head coach Mick Long. “There’s only 16 teams left and we’re one of them.

“I’ve never been this close to the state tournament as a head coach. This has been a lot of fun.”

Members of the GMG baseball team including catcher Kaleb Gill, left, and Wyatt Jackson (20) celebrate their win over BGM last Saturday night in Brooklyn. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

GMG has played well in all facets in the postseason, allowing just 3.0 runs per game while scoring nearly twice as much. Avenging a 10-2 loss from its season opener against BGM, the Wolverines became the only 1A team seeded lower than No. 2 to advance through districts. In fact, 14 No. 1 seeds and only one No. 2 seed are substate finalists.

GMG, seeded sixth, has stolen the show.

“The kids just started believing,” Long said. “We never had enough time to hit a stretch (during the season). We hit a funk is what we did, but they just kept believing. It’s just like a different team. Guys are putting the ball in play, we’re still making small baserunning mistakes, but we play really good defense and my pitchers have been throwing well.”

“It’s just the kids. I’m just happy for the kids and all these people. We had a lot of people show up at the last game at Gladbrook-Reinbeck and then they sure followed us here tonight. This was one of of the most fun baseball games I’ve been involved in.”

The Wolverines scored in six of their seven at-bats, including the first, and BGM (11-13) couldn’t keep pace. Colin Teske pitched five strong innings and Brayden Duden delivered his second save of the postseason with two shutout innings of relief.

“At the end of last season some guys were working and even before the season started, we were hitting balls and throwing and that helps a lot,” said Colin, a sophomore. “We struggled a little bit at the beginning of the season but that happens. We just started playing and people started realizing this is the last time we’re playing with the seniors, this is all they’ve got, this is the last high school sport for them.”

Colin Teske set the table in the top of the first with his leadoff single. He stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Zach Duncan was caught in a rundown after getting picked off at first.

BGM answered in kind, starting with Jacob Maurer’s leadoff double. Two strikeouts later, Kieran Sacora singled him home.

Colin Teske led off the third with a single, and he took third on his older brother Noah’s subsequent single to right. Duden’s sacrifice fly to deep center brought in the younger Teske for a 2-1 lead.

The host Bears were unable to answer and GMG scratched out another run in the fourth. Rider Kupka singled and stole second, moved up on Grady Dieleman’s sacrifice bunt and scored on a wild pitch.

BGM inched back within one when Maurer took a two-out walk, stole second and advanced when Dominic Coleman’s grounder was bobbled. Coleman also got picked off, but not before Maurer could scamper across to cut GMG’s lead to 3-2.

The Bears pulled Maurer from the mound to start the fifth, and the move backfired. Mason Maschmann walked six of the eight batters he faced, forcing home three GMG runs to make it a 6-2 game.

As it had done all game, BGM responded with two runs of its own. Maschmann led off with a double and three straight singles by Beau Burns, Cael Coburn and Tucker Wright had the Bears threatening more. Colin Teske calmed down to strike out the last two batters to maintain a 6-4 lead.

The Wolverines tacked on insurance runs in the sixth and seventh, starting with Kupka’s suicide squeeze bunt in the sixth. With Duden streaking toward home plate, Kupka’s bunt landed safely in front of the second baseman. In the seventh, Dieleman and Colin Teske were walked before Noah Teske ripped an RBI single to right.

Colin Teske struck out six and walked four total, allowing eight hits and three earned runs. Duden struck out one and walked one in two innings of relief.

Duden, Colin and Noah Teske had two hits apiece as both teams had eight hits.

Maurer took the loss for BGM, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two in four innings. In the season opener, Maurer went the distance on the mound in BGM’s 10-2 victory. He allowed four hits, three walks and two unearned runs while striking out nine that night in Green Mountain.

“We played them in the beginning of the season and I knew Jacob Maurer was a good pitcher,” said Colin. “He struck me out three times, and I wasn’t going to let that happen again. But when they beat Don Bosco, that’s when we realized they’re legit.”

BGM shocked fifth-ranked Don Bosco, 3-2 in eight innings, the same night the Wolverines stunned Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 7-2.

“I think we just started to bring the energy and pump each other up and just get confident in ourselves,” said Noah. “This win means a lot and it’s great that so many of our community members and school faculty come out to support us and it just feels really great that everyone was here.”

“We might as well go all the way.”

GMG is scheduled to face No. 9 Lisbon (24-4) Tuesday night beginning at 7 p.m. in Solon for the Substate 4 championship.