Locos notebook: Locos drop to 13-11 on the season

LIMA — It might have been star-spangled but the Lima Locos’ 9-2 loss to the Muskegon Clippers on Thursday at Simmons Field was less than spectacular.

Rain in the area early in the day pushed the game’s starting time back an hour and much more rain later in the day resulted in it being called after seven innings.

In between, the Locos fell behind right away when Muskegon scored two runs in the top of the first inning, managed only two hits, committed four errors and sent three pitchers to the mound.

A first-inning single by Lou Fujiwara and a triple by Justin Gorski were the only hits for Lima (13-10) when Muskegon (14-7) won for the second time in three games against the Locos this week.

Leadoff hitter Ashten Wong went 3 for 3, scored three runs and had an RBI to lead an 11-hit attack for Muskegon. Preston Leon was 2 for 4 and had a home run.

Starting pitcher Jacob Palio (5 strikeouts, 2 walks, 2 hits, 2 runs) threw the first six innings and Owen Graves had a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh for Muskegon.

Howard shuts down Clippers

LIMA — Starting pitcher Thomas Howard’s statistics in the Lima Locos’ 5-2 win over Muskegon on Wednesday night at Simmons Field included five innings pitched, only one run and four hits allowed, three walks, two strikeouts and one interception.

While the interception wasn’t an official stat, it might have been the most talked-about play in the game. Certainly, it was the most unexpected play.

With the Locos leading 5-1 in the top of the fifth inning and Muskegon runners on first base and third base, the Clippers tried a double steal.

When Locos catcher Tyler Herron started to throw to second base, the runner on third base took off toward home plate.

But he never got there because Howard, who was moving toward the plate, stuck his glove in front of the throw, caught the ball, and flipped it to a teammate. The runner was caught halfway between third base and the plate and eventually tagged out after a rundown.

“That was not planned at all. I just caught the ball, I saw he (the baserunner) was running down (the baseline) and I just ran to him. Tyler intended to throw it to second. It was something that was just freak,” Howard said.

“Coach asked me, ‘Did you do that on purpose?’ and I said, ‘No, I did not.’ It was kind of just something that happened.”

The Locos (13-10) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Justin Gorski led off with a single, Lou Fujiwara doubled to score him, Blake Bowen singled and Sebastian Alexander singled to score Fujiwara.

They added two more runs in the second inning when Landon Tate singled and the next batter, Bo Shinkle, followed with a home run to make it 4-0. Fujiwara’s sacrifice fly, which scored Shinkle in the fourth inning, made it 5-0.

“We played well in all three facets. Pitching came ready to go tonight. We came out swinging. That was one of the best defensive games you’ll see. Like I’ve been telling these guys all summer when we put it all together we’re going to be tough to beat,” Locos coach Chad Ehrnsberger said.

Howard recorded his second win of the season in five decisions.

Mistakes cost Locos against Muskegon

LIMA – The Lima Locos’ offense has been clicking as of late.

However, the Locos’ offense sputtered for most of Tuesday’s game against visiting Muskegon.

The Locos recorded six base hits but managed to score just one run in a 7-1 loss to Muskegon in the first game of a three-game series against the Clippers at Simmons Field.

Muskegon starting pitcher Zach Vriesenga (Western Michigan) didn’t give up a base hit to the Locos until the fifth inning. Kaden Brown (Kennesaw State), the starting first baseman, drove a single to right-centerfield for Lima’s first hit of the game. Brown went 2 for 4 at the plate.

Vriesenga worked seven innings before being lifted. The tall right-hander did not allow a run. He struck out eight and hit one batter while throwing 96 pitches.

“I think it’s just energy,” Locos head coach Chad Ehrnsberger said in reference to his team’s lack of run production on Tuesday. “I said to the guys tonight, ‘We just didn’t have any energy’. … I can’t explain why. (We’re) playing a team that is ahead of you in the standings. … It’s a good crowd. I can’t explain why we weren’t ready to play. We just weren’t. So, hopefully, we can challenge these guys a little bit, and they come out ready to go tomorrow.”

Locos starting pitcher DrewKirby pitched three innings before being lifted. He gave up five runs (two earned) on just one hit while striking out five, walking three and hitting two batters.

Mariners snap Locos’ winning streak

CELINA — Lima appeared to be on the verge of extending its winning streak to seven on Sunday evening at Montgomery Field but a disastrous four-run fifth inning swung the momentum in Grand Lake’s favor, allowing them to avoid a three-game sweep with an 8-5 victory.

“It’s hard to be upset after winning six in a row, but at the same time, we want to have that killer mindset to go for the sweep,” said Locos coach Chad Ehrnsberger. “I think we came into this game content with winning the series and that was a different mindset than we’ve had the past six games. Hopefully, we learn from this one that every game is important and we need to win.”

Lima starter Dane Ebel (Lincoln Trail College) exited after four solid innings and Ryan Yingst (Tiffin University) entered the game, struggling mightily with his control and loading the bases on three-straight hit batters.

After Cameron Bryant (transfer portal) drew a walk to force in the first run, Andrew Kell (Salisbury University) tied the score at four with a sacrifice fly, and then Ethyn Barnitz (West Virginia State University) plated two runs on the first hit of the inning. Barnitz also drove in Bryant in the seventh inning.

Yingst was charged with the loss after allowing four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Ebel limited the damage to one earned run on four hits while striking out seven hitters in his third appearance of the summer.

“He’s thrown well every time out and we saw some more good things from him today,” Erhnsberger said of Ebel. “We’re still building up his pitch count, but his fastball has some velocity and his slider is working well for him. If I’m going to be picky, I’d say he has to get ahead in the count more often because he has good enough stuff that if he’s ahead, they’re going to have a hard time hitting.”

Marco Dumsky (Dartmouth College) picked up the win for Grand Lake and AJ McAninch (Marshall University) was credited with a four-inning save.

Both Cameron Bryant and Ethyn Barnitz had two hits for the Mariners and Barnitz drove in three runs.

Top performers

Grand Lake Mariners 8, Lima Locos 5

• Andrew Stechschulte (Ohio Northern University) hit his first home run of the summer in the loss.

• Liam Richards (Yavapai College) went 3 for 4, drove in a run and scored once.

• Dane Ebel (Lincoln Trail College) struck out seven batters over four innings in his first start.

Muskegon Clippers 7, Lima Locos 1

• Justin Gorski (Miami University) went 2 for 4 with a double in the loss.

• Andrew Stechschulte (Ohio Northern University) tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and struck out six hitters.

• Kaden Brown (Kennesaw State) also registered a two-hit game.

Lima Locos 5, Muskegon Clippers 2

• Thomas Howard (transfer portal) was the winning pitcher after he went five innings and limited the Clippers to one earned run on four hits.

• Skyler Lhamon (Olney Central College) picked up his first save of the season after he threw four innings out of the bullpen and held Muskegon to one earned run.

• Lou Fujiwara (University of Washington) walked twice and went 1 for 1 at the plate, driving in two runs and scoring once in the win.

Muskegon Clippers 9, Lima Locos 2

• Justin Gorski (Miami University) went 1 for 3 with a triple and two runs scored in the loss.

• Lou Fujiwara (University of Washington) had one of the Locos’ two hits.

• Tyler Herron (University of Louisville) recorded his first RBI of the summer.

GLSCL STANDINGS

Team`Record

Hamilton Joes`19-5

Muskegon Clippers`14-7

Lima Locos`13-11

Xenia Scouts`10-14

South Ohio Copperheads`10-14

Michigan Monarchs`8-13

Grand Lake Mariners`7-17

RESULTS AND SCHEDULE

Sunday

Grand Lake Mariners 8, Lima Locos 5

Hamilton Joes 12, South Ohio Copperheads 12

Muskegon Clippers 8, Michigan Monarchs 2

Tuesday

Muskegon Clippers 7, Lima Locos 1

South Ohio Copperheads 13, Grand Lake Mariners 7

Hamilton Joes 4, Xenia Scouts 3

Wednesday

Lima Locos 5, Muskegon Clippers 2

Hamilton Joes 12, Xenia Scouts 5

South Ohio Copperheads 6, Grand Lake Mariners 1

Thursday

Muskegon Clippers 9, Lima Locos 2

Grand Lake Mariners 5, South Ohio Copperheads 4

Hamilton Joes 6, Xenia Scouts 5

Friday

Games ended after The Lima News deadline. Find scores, game stories, photos and more on LimaScores.com.

Xenia Scouts at Lima Locos, 7:05 p.m.

Michigan Monarchs at Hamilton Joes, 7:05 p.m.

South Ohio Copperheads at Muskegon Clippers, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday

Lima Locos at Xenia Scouts, 7:05 p.m.

South Ohio Copperheads at Muskegon Clippers, 7:05 p.m.

Michigan Monarchs at Hamilton Joes, 4:35 p.m.

Michigan Monarchs at Hamilton Joes, 6:35 p.m.

Sunday, July 7

Xenia Scouts at Lima Locos, 5:05 p.m.

South Ohio Copperheads at Muskegon Clippers, 4:05 p.m.

Tuesday, July 9

Lima Locos at South Ohio Copperheads, 7:05 p.m.

Muskegon Clippers at Grand Lake Mariners, 6:35 p.m.

Xenia Scouts at Michigan Monarchs, 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday, July 10

South Ohio Copperheads at Lima Locos, 7:05 p.m.

Muskegon Clippers at Grand Lake Mariners, 6:35 p.m.

Xenia Scouts at Michigan Monarchs, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, July 11

South Ohio Copperheads at Lima Locos, 7:05 p.m.

Muskegon Clippers at Grand Lake Mariners, 6:35 p.m.

Xenia Scouts at Michigan Monarchs, 7:05 p.m.

Friday, July 12

Xenia Scouts at Grand Lake Mariners, 6:35 p.m.

Hamilton Joes at Muskegon Clippers, 7:05 p.m.

Michigan Monarchs at South Ohio Copperheads, 7:05 p.m.