Clips head home after rough road trip

XENIA, OH – It was an up-and-down road trip for the Muskegon Clippers after dropping both games of a doubleheader following a rainout that postponed the middle game of a three-game series with the Scouts. The Clips came into the first game on Thursday already having won the series opener, but much like we had seen in Sunday’s loss, both the pitching and hitting department for Muskegon had completely shut down, resulting in a 12-6 defeat. However, game two was different. The Clippers battled all game and would eventually fall to Xenia in extra innings, 5-4.

GAME ONE

Ty Randall, the game one starter, pitched well through two innings on the mound. It was the third frame where everything fell apart. Check that, the third inning with two outs. That’s right, Randall gathered two quick outs, allowing no runs, but the Scouts had the definition of a two-out rally when they put an ugly five-spot on the scoreboard. It was quickly 11-1 in a seven-inning game where runs typically come at a premium.

Randall finished with a not-so-great line score but was effective until the back end of the third.

There weren’t many positives to come out of game one, outside of the five-run 7th that Muskegon was able to put together. Dalton Dick, a big part of that, tallied two hits and drove in a pair of runs to keep his hot hitting going in the cleanup spot. Ben Meyers also contributed two hits, but overall, it was a disappointing showing for most of the game, as Muskegon went five innings scoreless.

Chase Swierking did come on to pitch later in the game and tossed the ball well, going nearly two innings of one-run baseball.

GAME TWO

The nightcap looked like a whole different ball club. Carson Merritt made another start for the Clips and pitched solidly, allowing just four runs through three innings of work.

Xenia would score early in the first inning, but Merritt was able to keep them at bay with just one run. Dick again delivered for Muskegon with a two-out two-RBI single to put the Clips out in front.

When I tell you it was a back-and-forth affair, it truly was. Because just after Dick’s single, the Scouts laid a three-spot in the bottom half to take back the lead. Nolan Laskey smoked a double to close the gap to just one run in the fourth.

Laskey, who had only seen several at-bats to start the season, was thrown into the starting first base role for the whole series in the absence of Isaiah Domey, who couldn’t travel with the club. Laskey stepped up massively as he had three hits in the series, including two that drove in Clipper runners.

The Clips only rallied together for six hits, but everyone in the lineup did their job by moving runners into scoring position with one or sometimes even zero outs.

Zane Wilson was a perfect example of that in the sixth when he skied a ball to left and drove in Meyers from third on a sac-fly to tie the game at four apiece.

Around this time, is when everyone realized AJ Park, who came into relief for Merrit, has been dealing for Muskegon. Quite possibly the most effective a pitcher has been for the Clips all season. Park had gone three innings of no-run baseball and was handing out swords like it was candy. In the eighth with just one out and runners both second and first, Park was able to work out of and keep the game tied.

Park finished his day throwing five scoreless innings and punched out 11 Scout hitters.

In the ninth, by now it was the second inning of extras, and per league rules, we entered the sudden death stage where a coin flip would occur, and the winner got to choose whether they wanted to pitch or hit. How it works is, if you choose to hit first, you would start the inning with a runner at first, and if you score, you win the game. If not, the opposing team wins.

After the flip, Muskegon would pitch to Xenia in the ninth. Jack Perry came onto the pitch and delivered a perfect pick-off move to nail the runner first. However, after a walk, a single, and an intentional walk, the Scouts had the bases loaded and just one out.

A pitch in the dirt got away from the catcher, Cayden Nieto, just enough to advance the runner from third, resulting in a heartbreaking yet instant classic of a midweek regular-season game.

The Clips now travel back to Muskegon to host the Hamilton Joes in a three-game series that features a doubleheader on Saturday.