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Clippers and Scouts Share Go-Ahead Runs in Split Double-Header

Jonathan Timm

 

Xenia, OH: Two of the top three pitching teams in the league provided a couple of low scoring affairs between the Muskegon Clippers (18-18) and the Xenia Scouts (22-14) who split the double header, two seven-inning games at Grady’s Field on Wednesday, July 16th. 

 

Game 1 went to Xenia, needing just a late spark in the sixth inning to win 1-0. The Scouts doing so reached their magic number and clinched the first spot in the GLSCL Playoffs. 

 

Game 2 resulted in the Clippers finding some magic in the top of the final frame to win 2-1, the third game with a one-run margin of the series. 

 

In the shutout Scout win, their lone run came courtesy of All-Star Troy Lynch and an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to score for the first and last time. Xenia finished with four hits.

 

Nathan Masar kept the game close for the Clippers, pitching five scoreless innings and allowed two hits and two walks while throwing a season-high of seven strikeouts. Alex Hardacre threw the sixth inning. 

 

The Clipper bats were rather quiet the whole day, with Game 1 only having two hits from Taylor Head and one from Ben Meyers. 

 

Starting and winning pitcher Troy Lopez kept the Clippers off the bases for 17 straight batters after a Head’s leadoff single in the first, through his two-out single in the sixth. Jacob Maurer got the save for Xenia. 

 

Strategy and fundamentals were needed for Game 2 as well, with neither team finding much luck at the plate. 

 

The Scouts would score first in the bottom of the third, after a Coleman Gray triple for his first GLSCL at-bat. Gray would score on a 3-4 groundout from Noah Manason the next batter. 

 

That was the only run the Clippers allowed, and it came against starter Joe Chrapliwy. Chrapliwy had three innings with four hits, the earned run, no walks and one strikeout. The return of ‘24 Clipper Sam Pollock was successful, as he pitched his way out of a couple of Scout rally calls. Pollack threw two scoreless innings and allowed three hits with no walks and struck out one. 

 

Arms allowed the Clippers to eventually cross the plate in the fifth inning. Head would hit an RBI sac-fly with the bases loaded to even the game at 1-1. The run scored was Ben Meyers, who started a rally with a double. 

 

The Clips had just four hits but three of them were two-baggers. Prior to Meyers, Jackson Isaacs hit his second of the series in the fourth inning.

 

Amongst them came from Cole Mason, playing for the first series since the 2024 Championship Round. With one out in the top of the seventh, Mason crushed his first hit of the season to the left field wall. After a Luke Noack ground out, Mason was able to reach third base. With two outs and Taylor Head at the plate, Xenia elected to replace Manny Soto with Nolan Phillips. On his first toss, Phillips threw a wild pitch that allowed Mason to score the game’s winning run and make it 2-1 Clippers.

 

After throwing a scoreless sixth, Davis Weeks returned for the bottom of the seventh. Weeks would leave four Scouts on base while picking up the win, and tossed five strikeouts while earning the Player of the Game nod. 

 

Next up, the Clippers will hit the road for the final time during the regular season and take on the defending GLSCL champion Hamilton Joes for a three game set with a 7:05 first pitch on Friday followed by a double-header on Saturday.