MASON, Ohio — Two members of the Galion Graders baseball squad have been selected for the 2021 Great Lakes League All-Star Game.
The game is scheduled for Tuesday, July 20 at Prasco Field in Mason, Ohio. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.
Galion outfielder and pitcher Jay Luikart was named to the North All-Star Team both as a position player and pitcher. The Ashland native, who is a junior at Wright State University, has a .304 batting average with five home runs, 17 RBI, and eight stolen bases this season. He leads the Graders in home runs, is second in stolen bases, and third in RBI.
Luikart has pitched in five games this season, compiling a 4.35 earned run average in 10.1 innings of work. He’s recorded 14 strikeouts and just one walk. His record is 1-0.
Luikart has a perfect fielding percentage with 39 putouts in 128 innings.
Graders infielder Kaito Hara from Houston, Texas, was named to the North All-Star Team as an alternate. He is batting .340 with a team-high 28 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. Hara has one home run, 6 RBI, and 16 walks.
Hara, a sophomore at the University of Akron, has a .917 fielding percentage with 37 putouts, 63 assists, and nine errors in 171.2 innings this season.
To see the complete North and South all-star rosters, go to the Great Lakes League website www.greatlakesleague.org.
Tough weekend
The Graders (10-20) fell to last place in the North Division after dropping two out of three games they played over the weekend.
On Friday, Galion lost to Sandusky 15-5 at Heise Park. The Ice Haulers scored 10 runs in the first four innings and rolled to the win.
Ten different Sandusky players each had a hit as the Ice Haulers piled up 13 total hits. Nick Mueller went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Scott Mackiewicz had a home run and two RBI.
Ryan Santangelo went 3-for-4 with one RBI for Galion.
The Graders needed extra innings to knock off Grand Lake on Saturday. Galion prevailed 4-3 in 11 innings at Celina.
Santangelo and CJ Colson each had two RBI to lead the Graders. Hara, Seth Schroeder, Christian Orr, and Matt Christopher each scored a run.
Luikart picked up the win in relief after working 1-1/3 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and struck out three batters.
Brady Biglin started and pitched six innings for the Graders. He gave up one run on five hits, recording four strikeouts and one walk.
Brandon Parrott went 2-for-3, scored a run, and drove in a run for the Mariners.
Grand Lake’s Zach Boyer took the loss after coming on in relief. He gave up two runs on one hit in four innings of work. Boyer recorded six strikeouts and four walks.
Galion ended the weekend with a 16-4 loss on the road at Michigan. The Monarchs plated 14 runs in the first three innings of a game that ended after six innings of play.
Upcoming schedule
Galion plays road games at Royal Oak, Sandusky, and Lima this week, kicking off the schedule Tuesday with a trip north to Michigan.
The Graders have home games on Wednesday against Lima, on Friday against Grand Lake, and a doubleheader with Jet Box on Sunday at Heise Park. The weeknight games begin at 7:05 p.m. The Sunday twinbill starts at 5:05 p.m.
Following the all-star break, Galion has only four games left in the regular season.
Admission to Graders home games costs $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens.
