Picture credit to Brady Laber

 

HAMILTON JOES  4  SOUTHERN OHIO COPPERHEADS  3   -  FINAL 

FOUNDATION FIELD - The Hamilton Joes manufactures a run in the eighth inning pulling out a 4-3 win over the Southern Ohio Copperheads at Foundation Field.

 

The win for Hamilton evens the holiday weekend series to one win apiece for each team.

 

The Joes broke a 3-3 tie in the eight inning when Jackson Wang (Wabash Valley) scored the go ahead run on an RBI-single by Miguel Correa (Central Michigan commit).

 

Wang lead off the inning with a base hit and stole second base putting himself into scoring position. Wang advanced to third base on a balk committed by Copperheads reliever Peyton Buckley (Ohio Wesleyan). Correa smacked a single to left field easily allowing Wang to score what turned out to be the winning run.

 

CLICK HERE for postgame interview with Jackson Wang.

 

Hamilton brought in Matty Helms (Northern Kentucky commit) who retired the side in the ninth inning his first save of the season.

 

The Joes (14-12) took the lead originally in the second innings after scoring a pair of runs on a two-run triple off the bat of Cody Miller (Lake Erie College).

 

The Copperheads (10-15) answered with a run in the third inning. Tylan Graves (Southwest Tennessee CC) delivered an RBI-single driving in Frankie Clark (Eastern Michigan) cutting the deficit to 2-1.

 

The Joes extended its lead to 3-1 when Christopher Roa (Miami University) lead off with a single. After stealing both second and third base, Roa scored on a bloop single to center field by Wang.

 

Southern Ohio chipped away to eventually tie the score. The Copperheads cut the deficit to 3-2 on an unearned run in the fifth. With Clark standing on third base, Graves grounded to shortstop on would should have been the final out of the inning but instead reached on a error allowing Clark to score.

 

The Copperheads tied the game 3-3 in the sixth inning Derek Occhipinti (University of Akron) produced a two-out RBI-single scoring driving in Brendan Willadsen (Adrian College).

 

Dean Brown (Central Michigan) earned the victory for the Joes evening his record to 1-1 on the season. Brown pitched four and 2/3 innings out of the bullpen with five strikeouts.

 

Ben Bates (Adrian College), making his season debut after pitching for the Copperheads last year, started and pitched six innings. Bates, who did not factor in the decision, struck out seven batters.

 

The series finale shifts to Bob Wren Stadium in Athens with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05pm.

 

 

XENIA SCOUTS  4  GRAND LAKE MARINERS  3  -  FINAL

MONTGOMERY FIELD - The Xenia Scouts earned a one-run victory and clinched a series win taking down the Grand Lake Mariners 4-3 at Montgomery Field.

 

The Scouts (16-9) have won six out of its last seven games and now are three and 1/2 games ahead of the pace in the GLSCL South Division standings.

 

Xenia benefited from a strong pitching performance out of Caleb Cook (Harding University). Cook pitched six innings out of the bullpen, his longest stint of the season, earning his first victory of the season. He gave up just two runs, only one of which was earned, scattering three hits and striking out two batters.

 

The Scouts scored two runs in the top of the first inning and never trialing during the one-run victory. 

 

Noah Manasan (Arizona Christian University) led off the game with a single to center field. Rolen Reyes (Westmont  College) was walked and he and Manasan both advanced into scoring position on a double steal. Manasan scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacob Souders (Samford University) and Reyes crossed the plate on an RBI-single by Will Lawrence (Samford University).

 

Xenia added another run in the fourth inning extending its advantage to 3-0.

 

The Mariners got on the board in the fifth inning when Sam Lapping’s (Whitman College) two-run single drove in Isaac Sobieszczyk (Bradley University) and Anthony Girling (Adrian College).

 

The Scouts added the all important insurance run that turned later to the game winner. Souder was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a single to eft field by Johnathan Jackson (Harding University).

 

Grand Lake down 4-2 rallied late but couldn’t quite get over the hump. The Mariners scored in the eighth inning when Sam Reczek (Olivet Nazarene) scoring on an RBI-groundout by Jake Lopez (University of Scranton transfer).

 

The Mariners trailed 4-3 when loading the bases in the bottom of the ninth with just one out. Xenia’s Garrison Martin (Coffeyville CC) got out of his own jam recording the final two outs with a strike out and a ground out.

 

The series moves to Grady’s Field at Browne Stadium on Sunday with the Scouts going for the sweep. The Mariners will try to salvage a win and avoid that fate when the game begins at 5:05pm.

 

 

MICHIGAN MONARCHS  9  MUSKEGON CLIPPERS  8  -  FINAL/10 Innings  

MARSH FIELD - The Michigan Monarchs overcame a 6-0 deficit pulling out an extra innings win defeating the Muskegon Clippers 9-8 on Saturday night at Marsh Field.

 

The Monarchs (13-13) tied the game 8-8 in the top of the eighth inning on a towering two-run homer by left fielder Kenny McKinley (Middle Tennessee State). It was McKinley’s fifth home run  of the season which leads the Monarchs and is second in the GLSCL.

 

The game went into the tenth inning with Michigan taking advantage of the Clippers fifth error of the inning.

 

Wyatt Epple (Davenport University) led off the inning with a single when Bren Wilkinson (Cal State Northridge transfer) was sent to the plate to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Wilkinson bunted in front of the plate, it was fielded by Clippers pitcher Chase Schwierking (Central Michigan) who threw the ball the away into the spacious foul ball territory at Marsh Field. This allowed Epple to score the go ahead run all the from first base and Wilkinson to advance to third base.

 

Schwierking was able to retire the side avoiding any further damage but that was all the Monarchs needed going into the bottom of the tenth.

 

Monarchs reliever Johnny Stavola (Michigan-Dearborn) was sent out for his third inning of relief. Stavola gave up a two-out double but stranded the tying run in scoring position inducing a game-ending groundout. The knuckle balling lefty improved his record to 3-1 and lowered his ERA to 0.55 on the season.

 

The Clippers (10-16) who squandered a 6-0 lead did benefit from a controversial home run call in the bottom off the first inning. Video replay on the broadcast showed the a ball hit by Muskegon’s Ethan Delgado (Ecclesia College) short hop the fence and landing under an advertising banner attached to the fence. The ball was wedged between the fence and the banner but was awarded a home run for Delgado after he was awarded a ground rule double.

 

The rubber game of the series takes place on Sunday at Hillsdale College with first pitch scheduled for 4:35pm.

 

 

LIMA LOCOS  11  FLAG CITY SLUGGERS  2  LIMA LOCOS  2  -  FINAL  

SIMMONS FIELD - The Lima Locos scores 11 unanswered returning the favor on the Flag City Sluggers winning 11-2 on Saturday at Simmons Field.

 

The Locos (17-8) were on the other side of the same situation in the series opener on Friday night. The Sluggers scored nine straight runs after trialing the game 2-0 in the early going for a 9-2 victory.

 

On Saturday, Flag City (13-11) lead 2-0 after Matt Gardner (Little Rock) hit a two-run homer in the top of the second inning. 

 

The Locos tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the second before exploding for six runs in the sixth inning.

 

Lima, who sent ten batters to the plate, broke the 2-2 tie with when Evan Holstein (Kennesaw State) scored on an RBI-single by Nolan Book (Troy University). David Falloon (Mercer University) was forced home from third base when Will Briggs (UMass commit) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Back-to-back two-run singles by Brecken Menuet (Louisiana Tech) and Charlie Vercruysse (Purdue University commit) capped the six-run inning.

 

The Locos added three more runs on just one hit in the eighth inning to finish off the Sluggers.

 

Anthony Lariz (Central Florida) pitched three and 2/3 shutout innings out of the Locos bullpen earning the victory. Lariz improved to 3-0 on the season striking out six batters without giving up a walk and giving up just two hits.

 

Anderson Hayes (Notre Dame) got the start for the Locos and didn’t factor into the decision despite notching nine strikeouts in five and 1/3 innings or work on the mound.

 

The rubber game of the series takes place at Simmons Field wrapping up the series on Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:05pm.

 

 

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 8 active franchises in Ohio and Michigan boasting several players that have earned service time in major league baseball.