Tough loss for the Clippers in Findlay
FINDLAY, OH – The Muskegon Clippers played potentially their best baseball game of the early summer season on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the bats went quiet in the eighth and ninth innings. Flag City took the lead in the fourth and never gave it back, taking the middle game of a three-game set, 8-6.
It almost felt as if the baseball gods weren’t in the Clippers favor on Wednesday as there were several swings that resulted into either a lineout or a web gem from the Sluggers.
Carson Merritt (Kalamazoo College) got the ball to start the game for Muskegon and went four innings allowing six hits on four runs. Merritt struck out three hitters and pitched his season-high for innings between both collegiate and summer season.
Miles Mitchell drove in two runs for the Sluggers in the first inning on a single to right. Flag City would add to that in the second on a passed ball. Muskegon got onto the board in the third on a triple from Caden Thelen (GVSU) which marked his sixth RBI of the series and has been swinging a hot stick to start the season.
The Clips added one more in the fourth on a sac fly from Nolan Laskey (GVSU) that cut the lead to just one run. However, Flag City countered with three runs that put Muskegon in an early 6-2 deficit.
Thelen and Zane Wilson (SVSU) both recorded RBI singles in the fifth, putting the Sluggers on their heels. Flag City didn’t flinch though; Mickey Anderson and Ty O’Brien singled and doubled adding cushion to the Sluggers’ lead, 8-5.
Muskegon’s lone run in the final three innings came from Kaden Howard, who got on his horse and scored on a wild pitch all the way from second.
Chase Schwierking (CMU) held the Sluggers scoreless in the seventh and eighth but wasn’t able to get any run support.
Clips played a clean game across the board but left one too many guys on the basepaths as they stranded the bases loaded with just one out back in the fifth. It seems that this Muskegon squad has been just a few hits away from remaining undefeated after a one-run loss in game two against the Monarchs, an extra-inning loss on Tuesday against the Sluggers and the most recent two-run loss on Wednesday.
Were in that early stage of the season and the 2026 Clips have tons of star power and will look to avoid a sweep in the series finale on Thursday.
First pitch is set for 5:05 PM from Findlay before the Clips will be back in Muskegon for a three-game series against Grand Lake this weekend.