LocalSportsJournal.com

MACOMB – An impressive pitching performance keyed the Muskegon Clippers to a 5-2 win over Jet Box on Saturday night.

Jack Decker hummed right through eight innings of work, allowing no runs and just one hit. He struck out 14 batters. The arm of Decker was vital in a game where Muskegon’s offense struggled in the early going.

The Clippers were the first to strike, taking a 1-0 lead in the first without needing a hit. After Luke Kerrins took a pitch to his body, he stole two bases then Colin Cornwell notched a sacrifice fly to bring him home.

Before the start of the sixth inning, Muskegon had four hits total with just that single run to show for it. The offense came alive a bit more in the top of the sixth as Aaron Piasecki started it off with a single.

Piasecki was followed by singles from Donovan Rinehart and Brandon Scheurer to put runners on the base paths. Sam Lisiak batted Piasecki home with a sacrifice fly of his own, turning the Clippers’ four hits in that stanza into a 2-0 advantage.

The offense got going again in the eighth inning as Scheurer scored on a double from Lisiak. Lisiak would score later on a wild pitch. The Clippers finished their night at the plate with one run as Nicolas Hawkins scored on a wild pitch as well.

Jet Box struggled against Muskegon’s defense for the majority of the game, only recording a single hit until the ninth inning. By that time, they were on the wrong side of a 5-0 ball game. Two runs on two hits was not enough to battle back in the bottom of the ninth, ending the night in favor of the Clippers.

Piasecki led the way offensively, going 3-for-4. Rinehart had the only other multi-hit game, going 2-for-5. Cornwell and Lisiak both had one RBI each.

Muskegon jumped up to 20-3 with the win, giving them a 3-0 lead in the four-game series. The series will come to a close at 5:35 Sunday at Oakland University.