Windsor ONTARIO CANADA — On Thursday, June 6, the Galion Graders and the St. Clair Green Giants were back at Lacasse Field in Canada to play games number two and three of the 2019 season in Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL) action. Game two, originally scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, was postponed due to weather and was made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday.
After dropping the summer opener back on Tuesday, June 4, Galion looked to rebound against their hosts in the first game of the double-dip.
Things got off to a promising start for the Graders as Thomas Staab, a Clear Fork product, led the game off with a single before Ryan Strittmather reached first. In stepped DeVonte Washington, who was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Nicholas Sykes went down on strikes for the first out of the game before Andrew Sharp stepped up and ripped a bases-clearing grand slam to put Galion up 4-0 after the top of the first. St. Clair responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to cut into the lead after Connor Bagnieski recorded a two-out walk. Jayden Sinju would proceed to blast a double, scoring Bagnieski.
Scoring would then cease until the bottom of the seventh, which is the final inning in the GLSCL doubleheader format.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Green Giants would notch two hits that led to three runs to send the game into extras. Galion managed to get out of the inning with the bases loaded for St. Clair.
The Graders would go down in order to begin the eighth, sending the home team to bat with the potential to walk-off the game for the second contest in a row.
Nolan Tucker would lead-off the inning with a walk and proceed to steal second base. With a runner in scoring position, Bagnieski would also walk, sending the dangerous Sinju to the dish. Galion would elect to intentionally walk him, thus loading the bases and creating force outs at any bag. However, Alex Crump would deliver a sacrifice fly, scoring Tucker and giving the Green Giants the 5-4 walk-off victory.
St. Clair scored their five runs on just five hits while stranding 14 runners on the base path. Galion plated four on seven hits and stranded five. Both teams committed one error apiece in the contest.
Creek Miller started the game on the hill and went 4⅔ innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while walking four and striking out six. Parker Brown worked 1⅓ innings in relief, giving up just one hit and two earned runs while recording four walks and two strikeouts. Chase Jessee took the loss after 1⅓ innings that saw him allow one hit and two earned runs following six walks and three strikeouts.
Offensive statistics in game one of the doubleheader were: Team- 7/29, 4R, 4RBI, BB, 8K; Staab- 2-1B, R; Strittmather- 1B, R; Washington- R; Sharp- 2B, HR, 4RBI; Brown- 1B and Jared Strickler- 1B.
Game two saw St. Clair score four runs in the bottom of the first after holding Galion scoreless to open the ballgame. Playing catch up the remainder of the contest, the Graders fell to 0-3 to begin their 2019 campaign with a 4-2 loss.
Galion scored two runs on just three hits while leaving eight runners on base while St. Clair posted four runs on 10 hits, stranding eight runners as well. The Green Giants committed the only miscue of the contest.
Sykes led-off the Galion second with a solo home run for the Graders first run and Sharp scored run number two in the top of the sixth thanks to a Jeremy Chambers sac-fly.
James Kontur took the loss as the Galion starter, going four innings and allowing four earned runs on seven hits while issuing one walk and fanning one. Christopher Punka worked the final two frames, allowing three hits while walking one and striking out one.
Offensively for Galion: Team- 3/22, 2R, 2RBI, 6BB, 9K; Seamus Kenneally- 1B; Sykes- HR, R, RBI; Austin Harper- 1B; Sharp- R; Chambers- RBI and Staab- SB.
The Graders opened up their series with the Grand Lake Mariners on Friday evening at Heddleson Field in Heise Park. On Saturday, Galion will travel to Celina for game two of the series before returning home for the finale against the Mariners on Sunday, June 9 at 4:05 p.m. The Graders will host their nemesis, the Lima Locos, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
St. Clair Green Giants 3, Galion Graders 2
Windsor ONTARIO CANADA — Back on Tuesday the Galion Graders opened their summer schedule on the road in Canada against the hosting St. Clair Green Giants.
Galion found themselves trailing after two innings; 1-0. After a quiet third, the Graders saw Sharp deliver their first hit of the season in the top of the fourth, a single and their first run scored by Washington.
Both teams would be kept off of the scoreboard in the fifth before Galion took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth.
Strittmather reached first base via an error and would proceed to steal second base. Washington stepped in to the batter’s box and would deliver an RBI double to score Strittmather for the go-ahead run. The score would remain the same throughout the seventh, eighth and top of the ninth, sending the Green Giants to bat with the game on the line.
With one down in the frame, Sinju delivered a solo blast to tie the game at two apiece and St. Clair would strand two additional runners on base to send the game into the 10th inning.
Kenneally would lead-off the Galion 10th with a walk but would be left on the base path following a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to end the inning. In the bottom of the 10th, Bagnieski ripped a double to start the Green Giants’ threat, sending Tucker to the dish. Tucker would send the ball to right field for a single, sending Bagnieski to third before he later scored the winning run via an error by Graders right fielder Garrett Kuns.
For the opener, Galion scored two runs on four hits and left seven on while St. Clair tallied three runs on seven hits, stranding nine runners on the bases. The Green Giants finished with four errors on the day while the Graders had two costly mistakes in the field of play.
Jarrett Miller got the nod as the opening day starter for Galion and went the first eight frames, scattering four hits and allowing just one earned run while walking three and fanning seven. Strickler worked ⅓ of an inning in relief, surrendering a hit and an earned run whilst walking two and striking out one. Punka took the loss, going ⅔ of an inning and giving up an earned run on two hits and recording one strikeout.
Opening day offense for Galion: Team- 4/37, 2R, 2RBI, BB, 13K; Strittmather- R, SB; Washington- 2B, R, RBI; Sharp- 1B, RBI; Kuns- 1B, SB and Kenneally- 1B.
