Picture credit to Carson Caprella

 

LIMA LOCOS  vs.  GRAND LAKE MARINERS  -  DH

SIMMONS FIELD - The Lima Locos clinch the North Division title with a 6-1 victory over the Grand Lake Mariners in the first game of its double header Saturday afternoon at Simmons Field.

 

The Locos swept the double header winning the second game 10-0 improving its record to a league-best 25-11.

 

Lima used three pitchers shutting down the Mariners offense only allowing two hits in the opener.

 

Anderson Hayes (Notre Dame) went the first three innings giving up only two hits along with one walk and one strikeout.

 

Evan Shapiro (Ball State transfer) was in next earning the victory pitching three hitless, shutout innings. Shapiro only allowed two base runners both reaching on separate Locos errors in the fifth inning. Shapiro notched two strikeouts while improving his record to 3-2 on the season.

 

The Locos scored four runs in the third inning putting the game out of reach. 

 

Payton Ebbing (Kent State) scored on an RBI-single by Evan Holstein (Kennesaw State). Julian Jimenez (Maryland Eastern Shore) smashed a two-run triple to right field and then scored on a sacrifice fly by David Falloon (Mercer University).

 

The Mariners avoided being shutout in the seventh inning when Sammy Besztery (University of Rochester) scored on a bases loaded walk issued to A.J. Klubeck (Palomar College).

 

In game two, the Locos jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Cole Crafton, who went 2-for-3 in the first game, had the big blow launching a two-run homer.

Crafton made news earlier in the week when he announced that he had committed to transfer from Louisville to the University of Illinois. He made further news when he hit his second two-run homer of the game in the fifth inning.

 

Crafton became just the third GLSCL player joining Braydon Kersey and Caleb Webster with a multi-home run game this season. He finished the day going 4-for-6 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored.

 

Locos starter Landon Vandegrift (University of Akron) also had a standout performance in the second game. Vandergrift pitched five shutout innings with a season high 10 strikeouts. Vandegrift is the fifth pitcher in the GLSCL this season with a double-digit strikeout game. He scattered three hits while only allowing two walks.

 

The Locos also benefited offensively for Grant McGuire’s (Winthrop University) two-run double in the second inning. Marwynn Matthews (Macomb CC), making his Locos debut, went 3-for-4 with a double and two singles.

 

Grand Lake (10-28) had chances once Vandegrift was lifted but couldn’t take advantage of four late inning hits. The Mariners stranded the bases loaded in the sixth and ended the game with runners on the corners in the seventh.

 

The series wraps up on Sunday with the Locos going for the sweep at Montgomery Field with first pitch in Celina scheduled for 4:35pm.

 

 

HAMILTON JOES   vs.  MUSKEGON CLIPPERS  -  DH

FOUNDATION FIELD - The Hamilton Joes sweep the Muskegon Clippers winning the weekend series taking the opener 10-6 and the night night cap 7-2.

 

The Joes (20-18) have clinched a spot into the GLSCL divisional series and will have the opportunity to defend its 2024 GLSCL Championship.

 

In the opener the two team exchanged the lead before Joes scored four runs in the third inning taking a 5-3 advantage. 

 

Muskegon broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the third scoring a pair of runs taking a 3-1 lead. 

 

The Clippers had runners at first and third when Jack Bakus (Lansing CC) lifted a sacrifice fly driving in Taylor Head (Chattanooga State Tech) for third base. Cole Leclair (Texas A&M Texarkana) then crossed the plate on an RBI-single by Ben Meyers (Lake Michigan College).

 

The Joes answered in the bottom of the inning pushing four runs across the plate taking a 5-3 lead.

 

Back-to-back RBI-singles by Jackson Wang (Wabash Valley College) and Travis Yankovich (Lake Erie College) tied the score 3-3. That duo scored on a two-run triple by Aidyn Coffey (Stony Brook University) giving the Joes the lead.

 

Hamilton scored a single run in the fifth but Muskegon chipped away at the deficit. 

 

Leclair scored on a fly ball to shallow left field by Meyers. The ball caught by Joes shortstop Brett Denby (Wright State) turned into a sacrifice fly when Leclair tagged up and raced home from third base.

 

Cole Mason (Grand Valley State) scored in the sixth inning when Parker Vaughn (Lansing CC) was issued a bases loaded cutting the Joes lead to 6-5.

 

The Joes answered in the with four big runs providing the pad they would need to pull out the victory. 

 

The Clippers intentionally walked Jaxson Christ (Lake Erie College) to face Denby instead and he made them pay for that decision.

 

Denby made them play with his second hit of the game smacking a two-run single. Wang singled to right field driving in Christ and Denby scored on an error when the ball was mishandled by the Clippers right fielder.

 

Wang was 3-for-4 at the plate in the opener with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored.

 

Muskegon rallied in the seventh inning without the benefit of a hit. Casey Barnes (University of Northwestern Ohio) and Nolan Zajac (Western Michigan) led off the inning reaching on back-to-back walks. Mason loaded the bases when he reached on a error. The Joes defense traded a run to get two outs when Luke Noack (Southern Arkansas University) grounded into a double play allowing Barnes to score from third base. 

 

Joes receiver Dylan Kaiser (Tiffin University) finally slammed the door striking out Head to clinch the victory.

 

The win was the clincher for the playoff spot as the Joes magic number was one going into the twin bill.

 

Hamilton earned the sweep with the 7-2 victory in the night cap benefitting from good pitching in the second game.

 

Michael Murphy (Xavier University) got the start going the first three innings. Murphy gave up just one run on two hits, two walks and struck out four batters.

 

Jack Cecil (South Mountain CC) pitched four innings in relief earning his first victory of the season. Cecil gave up just one unearned run along with three hits and just one walks. He registered a season high five strikeouts in his longest appearance of the summer.

 

Christ was the spark plug of the offense out for the leadoff spot. The all-star designated hitter was 2-for-4 with a double and his third home run of the season driving in two RBIs and scoring three runs.

 

Christopher Roa (Miami University) was 3-for-4 at the plate for the Joes scoring a run and stealing a base.

 

Despite the two losses, the Clippers (19-20) are still in the hunt for the second playoff spot in the North Division trailing the second place Michigan Monarchs (20-17).

 

 

XENIA SCOUTS  @  FLAG CITY SLUGGERS  -  Suspended in Top of 2nd Inning

MARATHON DIAMONDS - The fans at Marathon Diamonds only saw seven batters worth of baseball before the game between the Flag City Sluggers and the Xenia Scouts was suspended.

 

Both teams retired the side in order during the first inning and Xenia has its leadoff man at the plate in the second inning when the umpires called for the tarp.

 

The game was suspended and will be picked up at the point of interruption on Sunday in Xenia on Grady’s Field at Browne Stadium. First pitch of the resumption game is scheduled for 5:05pm.

 

The regularly scheduled game will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the suspended game and will be a seven-inning contest.

 

The Scouts need to win just one of the games on Sunday to clinch the GLSCL South Division title.

 

 

MICHIGAN MONARCHS  @  SOUTHERN OHIO COPPERHEADS  -  Suspended in Top of 3rd Inning

BOB WREN STADIUM - The Michigan Monarchs and the Southern Ohio Copperheads faired much better but still couldn’t finish its game Saturday in Athens.

 

The Copperheads lead the Monarchs 3-2 in the top of the third inning before the game was halted and eventually suspended.

 

Southern Ohio struck first scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Derek Occhipinti (University of Akron) hit a two-run single driving home Billy Adams (Tiffin University) and Will Heisler (University of Toledo). Occhipinti came around to score on an RBI-single by Brendan Willadsen (Adrian College) 

 

In the second inning the Monarchs cut the deficit to 3-1. Christian Holmes (UIC transfer) scored on single by Ben Brittingham (Hanover College). 

 

The Monarchs were in the midst of a rally scoring a run to make 3-2 just ahead of the stoppage in play.

 

The game will resume on Sunday at Bob Wren Stadium at 1:05pm with the regularly schedule game to follow 30 minutes later.

 

 

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.