Sluggers Outlast Clippers 8-6 in Battle
FINDLAY, OH — The Flag City Sluggers used a mix of timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to top the Muskegon Clippers 8-6 on Wednesday night, securing back-to-back home wins at Marathon Field.
A quiet crowd of 100 watched the Sluggers (3-2) answer every punch from the Clippers (2-3) before the bullpen shut the door over the final few innings.
Flag City got on the board early, striking for two runs in the first inning and adding another in the second. But Muskegon tied it up in the third with a two-run triple from Caden Thelen, then briefly took a 4-3 lead in the fourth when Nolan Laskey drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt.
The Sluggers took the lead right back in the bottom of the fourth against Clippers starter Carson Merritt (0-1). Gino Williams singled and Cameron Spezia hit a triple to drive him in. Brett Reed followed with an RBI single, and Mickey Anderson later grounded out to bring home another run, putting Flag City ahead 6-4.
Muskegon chased Sluggers starter Leo McEnulty in the fifth after racking up two more runs on hits by Kaden Howard and Zane Wilson to tie the game yet again at 5-5.
The decisive blow came in the bottom of the sixth against Muskegon reliever Brady Young. Williams singled and Spezia reached on an error. Miles Mitchell then stepped up and laced a clutch two-run single into the outfield, breaking the tie for good and giving Flag City an 8-6 cushion.
Julius Robichaud (1-0) earned the win in relief for the Sluggers. He entered a messy game in the fifth and stabilized things, throwing three innings while giving up just one run on two hits.
Aidan Murphy earned his second save in as many nights, entering the game in the eighth. Murphy was highly efficient, throwing just 21 pitches over two frames, allowing only one hit, and forcing five groundouts or flyouts to close out the victory.
The Sluggers host Muskegon for the final game of the series on Thursday at the Marathon Diamonds with the first pitch scheduled for 5:05pm.
Key Statistics
Flag City Sluggers
Miles Mitchell (3B): 1-for-4, 2 RBI (Game-winning hit)
Cameron Spezia (RF): 1-for-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R, SB
Gino Williams (1B): 2-for-4, 2 R
Julius Robichaud (P): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 SO (Win)
Aidan Murphy (P): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R (Save)
Muskegon Clippers
Caden Thelen (CF): 2-for-5, 3B, 3 RBI, R
Kaden Howard (2B): 2-for-4, R
Drake Roa (SS): 2-for-5
