Sugar Beets earn series split with 10-6 road win over the St. Clair Green Giants

 

Responding to yesterday's loss, the Saginaw Sugar Beets (18-14-0) battled back to earn a series split (1-1) with a 10-6 victory over the St. Clair (Windsor, ON) Green Giants (19-12-0) at Lacasse Park in Tecumseh, ON this afternoon. 

 

With today's win, the Sugar Beets remain in third place, just 2-games back of the first place Lima Locos and a game-and-a-half behind the Green Giants in the northern division standings of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.

 

The Sugar Beets got out to a huge start with a 7-spot in the first when DH Adam Proctor (Michigan State University) led off the game with a double, followed by a single from first baseman Cooper Marshall (Western Michigan University) and a walk to RF Noah Marcoux (Davenport University) to load the bases, while Proctor and Marshall scored when shortstop Daniel Page (Hofstra University) reached on a fielders choice and advanced to second on an error by the St. Clair pitcher, before Saginaw catcher Connor Charping (Western Michigan University) doubled to drive in Marcoux and Page for a 4-0 lead with nobody out.

 

Saginaw LF Brady Wood (Adrian College) walked to keep the inning alive and CF Ryan Missal (Western Michigan University) followed with a single to load the bases, while Wood scored on a wild pitch, as Sugar Beets third baseman Ryan Robinette (Lawrence Tech) walked, before Missal stole home on a double-steal after the Giants had thrown to second trying to get Robinette (who stole second base safely) giving the Sugar Beets a 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

 

The Green Giants answered with 2-runs in the bottom half of the inning when third baseman Gibson Krzeminski (Iowa Western CC) drove in RF Carter Mossey (Otero Junior College) before St. Clair DH Matthew Ornelia (Palomar College) scored on a sac fly RBI to cut the Saginaw lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the first inning.

 

Saginaw padded its lead in the second after Marshall was hit by a pitch, which led to a 2-run home run by Marcoux (6) his sixth of the season, while Page was driven in on a sac fly RBI for a 10-2 Sugar Beets lead in the top of the second inning.

 

The Green Giants scored a run in the third when catcher Alex Crump drove in first baseman Harrison Jones with an RBI-single in the bottom of the third to make it a 10-3 game, before St. Clair second baseman Gavin Homer (Kellogg Community College) scored on a sac fly to cut the Sugar Beets lead to 10-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

 

St. Clair added a pair of runs in the seventh when shortstop Kevin Dion (St. Clair College of Canada) drove in Green Giants CF David Cole (Central Michigan University) with an RBI-single, before William Kleffner (Ohio State University) scored on a sac fly to make it 10-6 game.

 

Sugar Beets starter, a lefty from Lawrence Tech University, Matthew Blunk (5-1, 4.93 ERA) picked up his fifth win of the season for Saginaw after giving up 3-earned runs on 7-hits and 6-walks, while striking out 1-batter through 5-innings today.

 

Marcoux was 2 for 3 with 2-RBI's and 1-walk, including his sixth HR of the year to lead the Sugar Beets' offense, while Marshall also finished 2 for 3 with 2-runs scored, followed by Missal, who was 2 for 3 as well, adding a walk and 1-run scored.

 

All but six of the Sugar Beets players will now get a few days rest, with the 2018 GLSCL All Star Game set for Tuesday at Prasco Park in Mason, OH where Marshall, Charping, Marcoux, and Proctor; along with Saginaw Pitchers Brandon Reed (Central Michigan University) and Ryan Jungbauer (University of Northwestern Ohio) will represent the Sugar Beets on the Northern division roster at Tuesday's mid-summer classic.  

 

The Sugar Beets will return from the break with a road game against the Xenia Scouts at 7 pm at Grady's Field in Xenia, OH on Thursday evening.