Picture credit to Maddie English

 

LIMA LOCOS  6  SOUTHERN OHIO COPPERHEADS  3  -  FINAL

BOB WREN STADIUM - The Lima Locos inched closer to clinching the GLSCL North Division title with a 6-3 victory on the road against the Southern Ohio Copperheads.

 

The Locos record now stands at a league best 23-11 and are five and 1/2 games ahead of the pace with just eight games left to play in the season.

 

Lima has had to rely on newcomers to get them through to the end of the season counteracted injures and departures. 

 

Anthony Sarro (Fairleigh Dickinson) is one of the those newcomers having his breakout game. Sarro, who joined the team on July 8, getting off to 1-for-21 start, delivered three hits on Tuesday night. 

 

Sarro, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a stolen base, scored the game’s first run on an RBI-groundout by Cole Crafton (University of of Louisville).

 

The Locos scored three more runs in the second inning. Sarro got involved again delivering a two-run single. Luke Mottola (Central Florida) then scored when Payton Ebbing (Kent State) grounded out to shortstop.

 

Southern Ohio (13-20) got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. The Copperheads loaded the bases on three consecutive walks. Will Heisler (University of Akron) come in to score when Jake Fix (Allegheny College) grounded into a fielder’s choice.

 

The Locos got that run back when Brecken Menuet (Louisiana Tech) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded forcing Evan Holstein (Kennesaw State) in from third base.

 

The Copperheads scored in the fourth inning making the score 5-2. Heisler was again driven in on an infield groundout.

 

Sarro struck one last time for the Locos driving in another newcomer Julian Jimenez (Maryland Eastern Shore) with an. RBI-single in the ninth inning.

 

Heisler, who scored all three of the Southern Ohio runs, crossed the plate one last time when Case Sullivan (Valparaiso) smacked an eight-inning double.

 

Three Locos pitchers combined holding off the Copperheads. Cameron Darrington (Ashland University transfer) got the start going five innings earning his first victory of the season. Brady Koester (Notre Dame) bridged the gap going two and 1/3 innings before the Locos handed it over the Brady Fitzpatrick (Morehead State).

 

Fitzpatrick recorded the final five outs only facing six batters. The lefty all-star struck out three batters including back-to-back punch outs ending the game for his second save of the season. 

 

The same two teams play the middle game of the series in Athens on Wednesday with first pitch at Bob Wren Stadium with first pitch scheduled at 7:05pm.

 

 

XENIA SCOUTS  3  MUSKEGON CLIPPERS  2  -  FINAL

GRADY’S FIELD - The Xenia Scouts took the opening game of its midweek series defeating the Muskegon Clippers 3-2 on Grady’s Field at Browne Stadium.

 

The first place Scouts (21-13) led the way in the GLSCL South Division standings. Xenia now leads the second place Hamilton Joes (17-17) by four full games.

 

The Scouts only needed four hits in the game scoring its first run without the benefit of a hit.

 

Johnathan Jackson (Harding University) reached on a walk and stolen second base. Next up was Caleb Webster (Trevecca Nazarene) who laid down a bunt and reached on a throwing error allowing Jackson to score from second base.

 

The Scouts score two more times in the fourth inning starting with an RBI-double by Rolen Reyes (Westmont College) driving home Troy Lynch (University of Minnesota Duluth). That was followed by Cody Schneider (Kaskaskia College) coming around to score on an RBI-groundout by Kaden Wu (Taylor University).

 

Schneider, who was making his season debut for the Scouts, was also a member of the 2023 Xenia team that was GLSCL Championship Series runner-up.

 

The Scouts lead 3-0 at this point and cruising right along. Starter Ryne Kaiser (Southwest Baptist University) ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Kaiser was in a groove notching seven strikeouts and not allowing a run through the first five innings.

 

The Clippers (17-17) lead off the sixth inning when Casey Barnes (University of Northwestern Ohio) reached on a ground rule double. Barnes would eventually score the Clippers first run on a bases loaded walk issued to Nolan Zajac (Western Michigan). 

 

After Caleb Cook (Harding University) entered the game for Xenia in relief of Kaiser he allowed the second Clippers run. Luke Noack (University of Southern Arkansas) delivered an RBI-single driving home Ashton Wong (LSU Shreveport).

 

Cook bounced back striking out Muskegon’s Taylor Head (Chattanooga State Tech) and forcing Clippers all-star Jack Bakus (Lansing CC) to ground out ending the threat with the bases loaded.

 

The Scouts were able to hold of the Clippers rallies in all of the final three innings. Muskegon reached base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings failing to score. The Clippers stranded a total of five runners on base in those final three innings.

 

Danny Slaske (The Masters University) earned his third save of the season pitching a shutout ninth inning despite hitting two batters in the process.

 

The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the red hot Clippers.

 

The series wraps up on Wednesday with a double header at the Xenia Athletes in Action Sports Complex with first pitch scheduled for 5:05pm.

 

 

FLAG CITY SLUGGERS  15  HAMILTON JOES  10  -  FINAL

FOUNDATION FIELD - The Flag City Sluggers made an incredible comeback overcoming a 9-1 deficit defeating the Hamilton Joes on its own field 15-10 on Tuesday night.

 

The Sluggers (17-16) were left for dead after the first five innings starting the unlikely comeback scoring six runs in the sixth inning. Flag City followed that by scoring four runs in the seventh inning and four more in the ninth.

 

Flag City could not have played any worse in the first five innings. The Sluggers committed six out its seven errors in the game during the first three innings.

 

The Hamilton (17-17) pitching staff helped contribute to its demise by allowing 17 walks, hitting two batters and throwing five wild pitches. 

 

The Joes bats also went cold after the 9-1 start only scoring one run on one hit after the fifth inning.

 

The Sluggers tied the game 10-10 in the seventh inning when Tanner Powell (Loyola University New Orleans) scored a wild pitch. The Sluggers scored what turned out to be the winning run when Caleb Smith (Three Rivers CC) crossed the plate on an RBI-single by Matt Gardner (Little Rock).

 

Smith finished the game going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Gardner also had three hits going 3-for-6 at the plate.

 

Harrison Engskov (Arkansas State transfer) was 2-for-4 with a triple and hitting his fourth home run of the season.

 

The Joes designated hitter Jaxson Christ (Lake Erie College) went 3-for-5 with Christopher Roa (Miami University) and Miguel Correa (Central Michigan) each contributing two hits.

 

The series shifts to Findlay with the Sluggers hosting the middle game of the series with first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm at Marathon Diamonds.

 

 

MICHIGAN MONARCHS  7  GRAND LAKE MARINERS  7 -  FINAL/Sudden Death

HILLSDALE COLLEGE - The Michigan Monarchs pulled off one of the most unlikely wins of the season beating the Grand Lake Mariners in sudden death.

 

The lead changed hands three times starting with the bottom of the eighth inning before going to the sudden death 11th inning. 

 

The Mariners went to the plate in sudden death advancing the automatic runner to second base with a sacrifice bunt. Already using up its first out, the Mariners had two outs to try to push the go ahead run across the plate.

 

Monarchs pitcher Antonio Biggs (University of Olivet transfer) induced a groundout and a fly out stranding the potential winning run on second base. 

 

The Monarchs (17-17) broke up a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning taking a 4-2 advantage. Bren Wilkinson (Cal State Northridge) doubled driving in Cole Van Ameyde (Michigan State). Wilkinson came around to score on an RBI-single by Kenny McKinley (Middle Tennessee State).

 

Grand Lake (10-24) trailed 4-2 going in to the top of the ninth inning when the Mariners bat caught fire.

 

Back-to-back hits opening the inning allowing the Mariners to score the first run of what turns out to be a five-run rally.

 

The Mariners tied the game 4-4 when Sam Lapping (Whitman College) scored on an RBI-single by A.J. Klubeck (Palomar College). Sammy Besztery (University of Rochester) drove in the go ahead run when his single drove in Ty O’Brien (University of Toledo).

 

Grand Lake extended the lead when Klubeck scored from third base on a balk and Besztery came in on an RBI-single by Jake Lopez (University of Scranton transfer). 

 

The Mariners led 7-4 going into the bottom of the ninth inning but couldn’t finish the transaction.

 

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.