Picture credit to Carson Caprella

 

MICHIGAN MONARCHS  8  MUSKEGON CLIPPERS  5  -  FINAL 

MARSH FIELD - The Michigan Monarchs clinched the fourth and final playoff spot with an 8-5 come-form-behind victory on the road over the Muskegon Clippers.

 

The Monarchs (17-18) officially knock the Xenia Scouts (17-19) out of the playoffs winning for the ninth time in its last 13 games. 

 

Michigan overcame an early 5-0 deficit starting with a four-run barrage in the fourth inning. The Monarchs ran the bases aggressively scoring on a two-run wild pitch and a two-run infield single.

 

It got started when Lucas Rick (Western Michigan) scored easily from third base when the ball made it all the way to the backstop. Liam Pollack (Oakland University) noticed when advancing to third base he could run the additional 90 feet thanks the spacious foul ball territory at Marsh Field.

 

Tanner Mally (Western Michigan) trimmed the Muskegon lead to 5-4 with his two-run infield single. Mally hit a bullet back up the middle that knocked the glove off the hand of Clippers pitcher Dylan Kaminski (Michigan State). Scoop Harden (Adrian College) scored easily and Derek Ruiz raced home from second on Kaminski’s throw to first base. Ruiz slide under the tag at home on the throw home from first base by Muskegon’s Justin Osterhouse. 

 

Jad Oestrike (Eastern Michigan) came up with two of the most important hits of the Monarchs season. Oestrike’s RBI-single in the fifth inning tied the game when Pollack crossed the plate.

 

In the seventh inning, Oestrike struck again with run scoring base hit driving in Reginald Sharpe (Michigan State).

 

The Monarchs tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth when Oestrike reached on an error allowing Sharpe and Pollack to score.

 

Kopper Etheridge (Kellogg CC) retired the Clippers in order in the bottom of the ninth securing the win and the playoff berth. Etheridge pitched the final two and 1/3 innings retiring all seven batters that he faced earning his second save of the season.

 

Mally went 3-for-5 at the plate for the Monarchs  and is 7-for-9 in the first two games in the series.

 

The Clippers had jumped to a 5-0 early advantage thanks to Oserhouse (Purdue Fort Wayne). He broke and 0-for-13 slump hitting a solo home run in the first inning followed that with a grand slam homer in the second inning. Osterhouse finished 2-for-5 with a season high five RBIs.

 

The Clippers still have plenty to play for in the regular season’s final game. A Muskegon win combined with a Lima Locos loss would give the Clippers the #2 seed in the upcoming playoffs.

 

The final game of the series and the regular season between the Clippers and Monarchs takes place Wednesday at Spring Arbor University with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm

 

 

LIMA LOCOS  10  GRAND LAKE MARINERS  9  -  FINAL

SIMMONS FIELD - The Lima Locos survived a scare   giving up a big lead the then walking it off with a 10-9 win over the Grand Lake Mariners at Simmons Field.

 

Liam Richards (Yavapai College) drove in the game’s winning run on a fielder’s choice in a wild bottom of the ninth inning.

 

The Locos treated its crowd at largest attended night of the season to a game with the entire range of emotions.

 

The Locos got off to a great start scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Richards hit a two-run homer capping the inning. 

 

Lima was cruising to a 7-1 lead before the Grand Lake bats woke up in the top of the seventh inning. The Mariners sent 11 batters to the plate scoring eight runs and taking the lead 8-7.

 

Ty Davis (Ball State) smacked a bases loaded double driving in three RBIs. Ethyn Barnitz (West Virginia State) delivered a two-run single giving the Mariners the lead.

 

The Locos quickly tied the game at 8-8 when Sebastian Alexander (Coastal Carolina) scored on an RBI-single by Kaden Brown (Kennesaw State).

 

Grand Lake took the lead once again 9-8 in the eighth inning. Jackson Rains (North Arkansas College) hit a sacrifice fly to center field allowing Cameron Bryant (Ohio University) to tag up and score from third base.

 

The Locos had one last chance in the ninth inning. The Mariners walked the bases loaded beginning the inning. 

 

Brown hit a ball to shallow center field that by all accounts should have been caught. Justin Gorski (Miami University) raced in from third base scoring the tying run. The runners on base froze waiting for the ball to be caught, allowing the Mariners to salvage a force play at second base.

 

Next up it was Richards with runners on the corners and one out. He grounded to third in could have been an inning ending double play. Instead, Richards beat out the throw at first allowing Lou Fujiwara (University of Washington transfer) to score from third base and the Locos escaped with a victory.

 

Carter Parks (St. John’s River State College) got the start for the Locos and deserved better than a no decision. Parks did his part going five innings giving up just one run on seven hits. He struck out a season high six batters while not allowing a walk.

 

In the final game of the season all the Locos (20-15) need to do is beat the Mariners (11-24) to secure the #2 seed in the upcoming GLSCL playoffs which begins on Friday night.

 

That final game happens Wednesday night at Simmons Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.

 

 

HAMILTON JOES  1  SOUTHERN OHIO COPPERHEADS  0  -  FINAL

FOUNDATION FIELD - The Hamilton Joes win another one-run game securing the series victory with a 1-0 win over the Southern Ohio Copperheads at Foundation Field.

 

The Joes have now won 10 out of the 11 three-game series for the season. Hamilton swept three of those series on its way to it most wins since the 2021 season.

 

Two Hamilton pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout. The Joes staff was stingy with base runners only issuing three walks.

 

Evan Moore (Lincoln Trail) went the first seven innings improving his record to 2-0 on the season. Moore, who joined the team on June 30, doubled his amount of strikeouts on the season with eight punch outs against the Copperheads.

 

Abe Crall (Wright State) pitched the final two innings earning his second save of the season. Crall, who is an incoming freshman from Western Brown High School in Mount Orab, Ohio, struck out five out of the six outs the he recorded. 

 

The game’s only run was scored by the Joes in the second inning. Eli Kieser (Ball State) slapped an RBI-single scoring Paul Osting (Western Illinois) from third base. Kieser was responsible for two of the Joes seven hits of the night.

 

The Copperheads offense was held in check for the most of the night. Pauly Mancino (Ohio University) accounted for exactly half of that number with two doubles.

 

The Joes (26-9) are looking to go into the playoffs of a roll. Hamilton has already securing the #1 overall seed and look to end the regular season on a five-game winning streak.

 

The Copperheads (13-22) will attempt to snap a three losing skid when the two teams meet one last time on Wednesday at Bob Wren Stadium. 

 

 

ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES SUMMER COLLEGIATE LEAGUE 

The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate, founded in 1987, is a wood-bat league that is certified by the NCAA and is partially funded by Major League Baseball. The GLSCL is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity that is one of 12 members of the National Alliance of Collegiate Summer Baseball (NACSB). The league currently consists of 7 active franchises in Ohio and Michigan boasting several players that have earned service time in major league baseball.