Muskegon Clippers outduel Ice Haulers with three big innings

LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON – The tale of the Clippers’ 11-2 win over the Sandusky Ice Haulers on Sunday can be summed up by looking at the first, fifth and seventh inning outputs.

Those innings saw Muskegon put up three or more runs, something they needed to do as their opposition found ways to stay alive in the early going.

The Clippers were firing on all cylinders to start, setting down Sandusky’s first three batters in order. Stoney Smith proceeded to lead off Muskegon’s offense with a walk, allowing Aaron Piasecki to knock him in with a double.

That hit from Piasecki was one of only two in the bottom of the first, but the Clippers managed to churn out three runs to own an early advantage. Sandusky earned a run on two hits to start the second and held Muskegon without a run in the bottom.

Clippers starting pitcher, Jack Decker, brings the heat in the first inning. Photo/Eric Sturr

With both teams trading shots in the third and fourth innings, the score sat at 4-2 in favor of Muskegon. A momentous fifth inning for the Clippers put them in the driver’s seat as Sam Lisiak, Aidan Arbogast, Griffin Clark and Smith all notched hits to put them up by an additional three runs.

The scoring didn’t stop there, either. In the bottom of the seventh, Muskegon pushed in another four runs courtesy of Brett Stanley and some poor defense from the Ice Haulers. Sandusky continued to struggle to the finish, unable to produce an answer for the Clippers’ red-hot bats.

Jack Decker earned the win on the hill for the Clippers, allowing two runs on four hits and seven strikeouts through five innings of work.

Stanley and Brandon Scheurer were the only two batters with a multi-hit game as each bagged two hits. Stanley also led the way in RBI with four. Piasecki and Arbogast each had two RBI.

The Clippers moved to 26-5 with the blowout win and will get a few days of rest before they hit the road for a two-game series with the Michigan Monarchs. The first of those games will be played at Cleary University, 7:05 p.m. Wednesday.