Sluggers Drop Series Finale to Locos Despite O'Brien's Three-Hit Night
LIMA, OH — A big fourth-inning home run and a steady late-game offense pushed the Lima Locos past the Flag City Sluggers 8-3 on Sunday afternoon at Simmons Field.
The Locos (2-1) took two out of three games in the opening weekend series, leaving the Sluggers (1-2) looking to bounce back after a tough road finale in front of 360 fans.
The Sluggers striking first in the top of the third inning. Alex Grissinger drew a walk, and Trenten Smith singled to put runners on the corners. Drew Tajblik drove in Grissinger with a single, and Ty O'Brien followed shortly after with an RBI double to give Flag City an early 2-0 advantage.
Flag City starter Parker Faris (0-1) kept the Locos quiet through the first three frames, but the Lima bats woke up in the bottom of the fourth. After Jin Kasuya walked and Nick Fumich singled, catcher Gabe Gonzalez launched a three-run home run over the wall, instantly flipping the lead to 3-2. Tyler VanSumeren added an RBI single later in the frame to cap off the four-run outburst.
Flag City manufactured a run in the top of the sixth when Trenten Smith drew a walk and eventually scored on a wild sequence of defensive mistakes, cutting the deficit to 5-3.
However, the Locos capitalized on a crucial Flag City error in the seventh inning. Facing reliever Max Dunaway, Lima managed to cross two unearned runs across the plate, highlighted by a Jimmy Dionne sacrifice fly that widened the gap to 6-3. Dunaway pitched well despite the defensive miscue, striking out six batters over his three frames.
Lima put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth against Mason Jacob. Nick Fumich singled and advanced on a balk, setting up another two-run single by VanSumeren to complete the 8-3 scoreline.
Grant Jolly (1-0) picked up the victory for the Locos in relief, throwing three innings while navigating three hits and three walks to limit the Sluggers to a single run.
Adam Guillet earned his first save of the summer with two dominant, hitless frames to finish the game. Guillet struck out three of the seven batters he faced, ending any hopes of a late Flag City comeback.
The Sluggers host Muskegon on Tuesday at the Marathon Diamonds with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.
Key Statistics
Flag City Sluggers
Ty O'Brien (C): 3-for-4, 2B, RBI, SB
Drew Tajblik (LF): 1-for-5, RBI, SB
Trenten Smith (2B): 1-for-3, BB, RBI, R, SB
Max Dunaway (P): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO
Lima Locos
Gabe Gonzalez (C): 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB
Tyler VanSumeren (CF): 2-for-4, 2 RBI
Nick Fumich (LF): 2-for-4, 2 R
Adam Guillet (P): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 SO (Save)
