Baseball / Muskegon Magic and the Cardiac Clippers Claim Sweep in A Thriller

Muskegon Magic and the Cardiac Clippers Claim Sweep in A Thriller

Date:  Source: GLCBL: Muskegon Clippers

Muskegon Magic and the Cardiac Clippers Claim Sweep in A Thriller 

Jonathan Timm

 

Findlay, OH: Can you believe that Muskegon? The Muskegon Clippers (14-16) never quit and fought against all odds to score six runs while down to their final four outs to beat the Flag City Sluggers (13-15) by a score of 11-10, completing the sweep at Fifth Third Field on July 10th. 

 

The Clips are now on a four game winning streak, and victorious in five of their last six. An 11 run performance, it is their third double-digit run outing this week.

 

After the Clippers took a 5-2 lead in the top of the sixth, the Sluggers figured out eight unanswered runs, scoring three in the bottom of the sixth and a five in the bottom of the seventh, making the score 10-5 Flag City. 

 

The next two innings would require the Clippers to will their way out of the jaws of defeat.

 

During the top of the eighth walks to Ben Meyers, Taylor Head and Jack Backus forced the Sluggers to dig into their bullpen and use three different pitchers. 

 

After the Clippers challenged a protest on the field, the game resumed with two outs and the bases still loaded for Ashten Wong. A two-RBI double put runners at second and third and brought the Clippers back to a three run deficit with the score being 10-7. Davis Weeks immediately would bring home Bakus and Wong during the next at bat with a two-RBI single to make it 10-9.

 

In the bottom of the 8th, the Clippers were challenged with Will Lafferty getting hit by a pitch. He was immediately thrown out trying to steal second by catcher Nolan Zajac. 

 

The Sluggers would load the bases through a walk, hit batter and catcher interference. Clipper relief pitcher Matt Heflin forced a key ground ball from Caleb Smith and the infield turned a 4-6-3 double play to keep it a scoreless frame.

 

Going into the ninth inning down 10-9, there was more Muskegon magic needed. 

 

Aidan Robinson hit a one out single and advanced to second on a fielder's choice hit by Jackson Isaacs. The second out left the game in the hands of Head, who beat out an infield single in which the throw went wild. Robinson was able to score on the error as Head reached second.

 

With the game tied 10-10, Jack Bakus elevated an RBI-single in right center field to bring a hustling Head to the plate and officially secure the lead and complete a five run comeback. 

 

Weeks, who served as the Clippers designated hitter, was called on to finish the job on the mound. The young two-way player secured a three-up and three-down inning with two strikeouts and added the winning decision to his day of accolades. 

 

The Clippers scored 11 runs on nine hits, one error and drew 11 walks. Sluggers obtained their ten runs off of 12 hits and one Clipper error. 

 

Trevor Raade got the start on the mound and pitched 5.1 innings while allowing five earned runs, six hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Other pitchers used in the game included Winston Delp, Blake Geddrich, Hefflin and Weeks. 

 

There were a lot of contributors at the plate for the Clippers. Head had two hits, as many runs and an RBI. Bakus had the game winning RBI-single and went 1-5. Barnes walked four times and scored twice. Wong scored two runs and had his eighth extra base hit of the season on the two-RBI double. Weeks had a bunt single and the two-RBI knock and run. Zajac had two RBI-sacrifice flies that scored the Clips first two runs. Cole LeClair went 1-4 with a run. Robinson went 1-4 with an RBI-walk and a run. Last but not least, Ben Meyers went 1-2 with an RBI-sac-fly and a run.  

 

Clips will look to carry the momentum into the weekend series vs.Southern Ohio, with tomorrow’s first pitch at 6:35.