Sixth Inning Dooms Sluggers in 17-2 Rout by Clippers
MUSKEGON, MI — It was a Wednesday night to forget for the Flag City Sluggers, who suffered a stinging 17-2 loss at the hands of the Muskegon Clippers in a rain-shortened or run-ruled seven-inning affair at Marsh Field.
The lopsided defeat drops the Sluggers to 14-9 on the summer, while the Clippers move above .500 at 12-11.
Flag City actually jumped out to a promising start in the top of the first inning. Drew Tajblik sparked the offense with a lead-off double and quickly came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Miles Mitchell to give the Sluggers a brief 1-0 advantage. Muskegon answered right back with a run in the bottom half to knot the game.
The wheels completely came off for Flag City starting in the third. Muskegon crossed the plate three times in the third and twice in the fourth to jump out to a 6-1 lead, knocking out Sluggers starter Parker Faris (0-4).
The bottom of the sixth inning turned into a complete nightmare for the Sluggers. Plagued by four defensive errors on the night and a parade of walks, Flag City watched the Clippers send a massive 16 batters to the plate. Muskegon exploded for 11 runs in the frame—highlighted by home runs from Taylor Head and Isaiah Domey—to turn the game into an absolute rout at 17-1.
The Sluggers showed a tiny bit of late resistance in the top of the seventh when William Barnes walked and scored on an RBI single by Braden Sprague, but the contest was quickly brought to a close.
Key Stats
Flag City Sluggers
Drew Tajblik (CF): 2-for-2, 2B, R, BB
Atticus Huffstutler (DH): 2-for-3, 2B
Braden Sprague (C): 2-for-3, RBI
Miles Mitchell (3B): 0-for-1, RBI, BB, Sac Fly
Muskegon Clippers
Isaiah Domey (DH): 3-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R
Taylor Head (SS): 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB
Nick Moss (LF): 3-for-4, RBI, R
Andrew Pohlmann (P): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO (Win)
