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Grand Lake players celebrate after defeating Hamilton 7-4 in the third game of the GLSCL South Division Championship Series at Montgomery Field. The Mariners advance to the championship series against Lima tonight at Simmons Field.
CELINA - Exactly 20 years after Grand Lake captured its last Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League championship, the Mariners are back on the big stage as they rallied from a 4-0 Hamilton lead to win 7-4 in Game 3 of the GLSCL South Division Series at Montgomery Field in Celina.
"The team is division champs, I just enjoy watching them play," said Grand Lake coach Mike Roberts. "I'm enjoying watching them compete. (Hamilton) gave us a three-game battle, so I can't give anything but compliments to them. But I also have to thank our players for making a comeback in a tough game, they did a great job. I'm just along for the ride."
Grand Lake will take on Lima in the GLSCL championship series in a rematch of the 2017 series that Lima won. Game 1 is at Simmons Field in Lima tonight at 7:05 p.m., before the teams return to Celina for Game 2 Saturday at 6:35 p.m. If needed, Game 3 will be Sunday in Celina at 2:05 p.m.
It was a quick start for the visiting Joes, as a leadoff hit from AJ Gundler was followed by a Peter Heintz two-run shot over the left-center wall a batter later. Grand Lake starter Cournell Bennett McCoy worked out of the inning, but Hamilton had the early momentum.
Joes' starter Eli Wagner kept the Mariners' bats in check early and often. The lefty allowed just two hits over the first four innings and helped his team keep and eventually grow the lead.
In the fifth, Roberts went to righty reliever Kaden Plank. Brady Bowen drew a two-out walk that started another Hamilton rally. Heintz earned a free pass after taking a 3-2 pitch outside, and Alex Koelling quieted the crowd with a two-run double that banged off the wall in right.
Trailing 4-0, the Mariners were never bothered when it was their turn to hit in the fifth. Huston Dunn led off with a single, and a wild pitch to Landon Tiesing moved Dunn into scoring position.
Tiesing made Wagner pay just a few pitches later with a double that was lined into a gap in center field. Dunn scored, and the Mariners were on the board.
Grand Lake's Brandt Kendall starts his slide as Hamilton catcher Alec Harter waits for the ball. Kendall was safe to make the score 7-4.
Brandt Kendall brought some juice back into the stadium when he took the second pitch he saw to center and over the small dip to the left of the high wall for a two-run blast. With the score now 4-3, Hamilton went to the bullpen.
Nik Copenhaver was a new arm on the mound, but it was the same results for Grand Lake's offense. Parker Vaughn singled to left, and CJ Filipek tied it when he took an off-speed pitch the other way to left field and away from a shaded left fielder to bring Vaughn in.
Two strikeouts ended the inning with the score at 4-4, but with the sun going down so did Hamilton's chances.
A clean sixth from Plank brought the bats back up with a ton of energy. Walks to Marek Bolson and Dunn proved vital when an errant pickoff attempt from pitcher Jacob Murphy put the two in scoring position.
Murphy's next pitch was well low and outside to Tiesing, and a dash from Bolson put Grand Lake up 5-4. Jeffrey Levin was next out of the Hamilton bullpen as Noah Drake stepped up to the dish.
Drake's grounder did give Hamilton an out, but his speed down the line made it a fielder's choice as Dunn crossed home. Filipek delivered an RBI single three batters later that scored Kendall and it was a 7-4 lead for Grand Lake after the sixth ended.
Sean Krueckeberg pitched three innings of scoreless relief to help Grand Lake reach the GLSCL Championship Series for the first time since 2017.
Sean Krueckeberg toed the rubber for Grand Lake over the final three innings. The lefty scattered three hits over his time on the hill and worked through a bases-loaded jam with two down in the eighth to preserve the lead.
The final inning saw Hamilton get a one-out single form AJ Beggs, but it was not enough as Krueckeberg sat Bowen down looking on a 3-2 pitch to end it.
For his efforts, Krueckeberg picked up a save, while Plank got the win for Grand Lake. The staff finished with 12 combined strikeouts in the game, and walked just six. Filipek finished with four hits and two RBI to lead the offense, while Kendall and Vaughn had two-hit days.
"This morning we spent an hour just enjoying each other. We sat in the dugout and every player shared about their summer. We practiced a little bit and I felt really good," said Roberts. "The guys were ready to compete and we set the rotation. The pitching today matched up with what we wanted to do."
