GLSCL Recap - July 4

LIMA LOCOS  12  SOUTHERN OHIO COPPERHEADS  2  -  FINAL/7 Innings

SIMMONS FIELD - The Lima Locos sweep the Southern Ohio Copperheads with a 12-2 mercy rule victory on Independence Day at Simmons Field.

The Locos (20-5) earned its third straight run-rule victory over the struggling Copperheads (5-22) by a combined score of 46-10.

Lima left fielder Tyler VanSumeren (Kennesaw State) capped off a weekend for the ages going 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and two RBIs. In the three-game series, VanSumeren went 9-for-11 at the plate with two home runs, 13 RBIs, six runs and 16 totals bases.

The Locos scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh giving Lima the game-ending ten-run lead. 

Jimmy Dionne (Purdue University) led off with a solo homer for his third home run of the season. Parker Dastou (Mercer University) singled through the left side allowing Grant McGuire (Winthrop University) to score from second base. Braylon Cordonnier (Marshall University) delivered an RBI-single to center field driving home Shane Miranda (Notre Dame). VanSumeren walked it off with single up the middle sending home Datsou with the final run of the game.

Cameron Greene (UT Martin transfer) had a big night at the plate as well going 3-for-3, just a double short of the cycle, with a triple, a home run three RBI and three runs scored.

Garrett Byrd (Winthrop University) got the start earning his league best fifth victory of the season. Byrd went five innings with seven strikeouts giving up just one run and four hits. It was announced that this was his final appearance of the season reaching the innings limitation place on him by the coach's at Winthrop. Byrd finishes the season with a 5-0 record in 25.2 innings of work and a GLSCL-league with 32 strikeouts.

The Copperheads could only muster six hits total with Brady Kaufmann (Princeton University) and Matthew Bright (Southwest Tennessee CC) each coming up with two hits.

The Locos (20-5) extended its lead in the GLSCL North Division to six-and-a-half games over the second place Flag City Sluggers.

GRAND LAKE MARINERS  VS.  MUSKEGON CLIPPERS  -  DH

MONTGOMERY FIELD - The Grand Lake Mariners extended its win streak to 11 games thanks to a double header sweep at Montgomery Field over the Muskegon Clippers by scores of 12-4 and 4-2.

The Mariners won 11 games total in each of the 2024 and 2025 seasons and now possess an 11-game winning streak which is the longest this season in the GLSCL.

In the opener, the Mariners overcame and early 3-2 deficit by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the third inning. Grand Lake only needed four hits while sending 13 batters to the plate. 

The first four runs crossed the plate without a ball being hit out of the infield. Luke Wildes (St. John's River State College) bucked that trend with a bases loaded double driving in all three base runners. CJ Filipek (Lawrence University), who went 3-for-3 at the plate, followed later in the inning with a two-run single up the middle.

Kaden Howard (Grand Valley State) was a bright spot for the Clippers with two of Muskegon's five hit in the game. Howard gave the Clippers a brief 3-2 advantage with a two-run single back in the second inning.

In the second game, Mariners centerfielder Maalik Perkins (Ball State) broke up a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning with a two-RBI triple. 

That was all the Grand Lake bullpen needed to work with as Bryce Eggleton (West Virginia State) and Jackson Murcer (Gardner Webb) combined to slam the door on the Clippers bats in the final three and 2/3 innings.

The Mariners sit atop GLSCL South Division standings after earning its 20th win of the season. The Clippers (13-13), despite the two losses, is just one game out of the playoff hunt in the North Division standings. 

The series wraps up on Sunday with the Mariners going for the sweep and to extend its win streak to 12 games. First pitch at Montgomery Field is scheduled to take place at 4:05pm.

HAMILTON  JOES  @  FLAG CITY SLUGGERS  -  DH

MARATHON DIAMONDS - The Hamilton Joes gain two wins on the road clinching the series victory over the Flag City Sluggers at Marathon Diamonds in Findlay.

The Joes won the suspended game 7-6 and took the regular scheduled game by a score of 10-8.

Friday's game was suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Joes leading 1-0. When play resumed on Saturday the Sluggers bats caught fire scoring six runs in the sixth inning.

Flag City took the lead scoring a pair of unearned runs when Brett Reed (Madonna University) reached on an error allowing both Drew Tajblik (University of Toledo) and Jovanny Skrelja (Tiffin University) to score on the play. The Sluggers lived pretty much the rest of the inning with the bases loaded scoring on a pair of RBI-groundouts. Gino Williams (Millersville University) finished the scoring flurry with a two-run single down the right field line.

The Joes came back from the 6-1 deficit beginning with a three-run eighth slicing into Flag City's lead making it a 6-4 game. 

In the ninth inning Owen McKoon (Louisiana Monroe) began the scoring with an RBI-single and then scored the tying run on a double to left field by Brady Bowen (University of Akron). Bowen scored the go ahead run from third base on a costly error committed by the Sluggers.

Bowen, who was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and three RBI, moved from second base to the mound pitching the ninth inning for the Joes. Bowen threw a perfect ninth inning slamming the door for his first save of the season.

In the night cap Hamilton completed the sweep winning a 10-8 slugfest. The Joes scored five runs in the second and five more in the sixth inning. 

The Sluggers rallied in the seventh and final inning scoring five runs of its own and had the potential winning run at the plate. With runners on second and third base on two outs, Joes pitcher Kyle Binder (Wheeling University) was finally able to record the elusive final out as Hamilton escaped with the victory.

LaForce has a big game at the plate for Flag City with a pair and two-RBI single including one during the furious seventh inning comeback attempt.

Despite losing its fifth straight game, the Sluggers (14-12) remain one game ahead of the Muskegon Clippers for second place the GLSCL North Division and the final playoff spot. On the other hand, the Joes (13-10) appear to have some breathing room for now in the South for that division's second playoff bid.

The series finale shifts to Hamilton's Foundation Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.

MICHIGAN MONARCHS  vs.  XENIA SCOUTS  -  DH

HILLSDALE COLLEGE - The start Michigan Monarchs secured a series victory with a double header sweep over the Xenia Scouts by scores of 5-2 and 8-0.

The festivities kicked off play on this Fourth of July Holiday in the GLSCL with an 11:05am first pitch.

In the first game, the Monarchs scored four runs in the second inning proving to be the difference in the game. Trailing 1-0 after the Scouts scored a run on a first inning balk, Evan Morrison (Macomb CC) tied the game scoring on an RBI-single by Casey Robertson (High Point). Ryan McKay (Macomb CC) came to the plate with the bases loaded giving the Monarchs a 4-1 advantage after his bases clearing three-run double.

The Scouts (8-18) scored a run in the fifth inning when Drew Snipes (Bluffton University) doubled, stole third base and scored on a wild pitch. Michigan got that run back in the bottom of the fifth when Morrison scored again this time on a single to left center field by J.T. Thomas (Saginaw Valley State).

Ryan Walters (Saginaw Valley State) went 4.2 innings earning his first victory of the season for the Monarchs. Owen Shimel (Schoolcraft College) pitched the final one and 1/3 innings for his second save of the year.

In the second game the Monarchs (8-16) pitching staff recorded it first shutout of the season winning 8-0. The Michigan hurlers combined to give up just three hits in the seven-inning contest. 

Starter Luke Stevens (Grand Valley State) struck out a season high eight batters in five innings of work. Stevens gave up just two hits and one walk improving his record to 1-1 on the year.

The Monarchs gave Stevens plenty of cushion to work with scoring five runs in the first inning. Michigan scored its first two runs on back-to-back bases loaded walks. Sebastian Nelson (Aquinas College) slapped a two-run single followed by Aiden Robinson (Saginaw Valley State) scoring on a sacrifice fly by McKay.

Nelson, who joined the team in time for the double header, was 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI. 

Zach Lemke (Mott Community College) pitched the eighth and Reece Omodio threw a perfect ninth securing the victory.

The Monarchs improve its record to 8-16 while the Scouts (8-18) free fall continues dropping its eighth straight and 13th of its last 14 games. The series wrap which is the makeup game of Friday night's postponement is Sunday at Hillsdale College with first pitch scheduled for 2:05pm.

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.