Locals lead Mariners to win over Locos

CELINA - Local breweries provided the beer on Friday night at Montgomery Field.

And local players - New Bremen's Luke Vonderhaar and Versailles' Noah Richard - provided a spark for the Grand Lake Mariners.

Vonderhaar went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs, Richard pitched three scoreless innings in relief and Grand Lake defeated league-leading Lima 7-1 in Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League baseball action.

Hitless through four innings, the Mariners (16-21) finished with eight hits and benefitted from three Locos (25-12) errors to avenge a 7-4 loss a night prior in Lima.

The Locos loaded the bases with one out in the third thanks to a leadoff double by Xavier Haendiges and walks to Nick Colina and Jackson Miller. Tyler Tolve hit a potential inning-ending double-play ball to second baseman Donald Stone, who got the ball stuck on the exchange and had to settle for a force out at first base. Haendiges scored during the action and the Locos led 1-0.

Lima starter Jacob Lewis held Grand Lake in check for four innings before Oliver Campbell hit a double with one out in the fifth. Vonderhaar followed with the tying hit - an RBI double off the left field fence.

In the seventh, Lima reliever Kyle Sacher issued a leadoff walk to Stone and then balked him to second. An infield error later allowed Stone to score the go-ahead run. The Mariners had the bases loaded after Logan Adams and Vonderhaar were hit by pitches. A ground ball to shortstop by Cole Kiddy plated another run, Thomas Eitniear hit an RBI sacrifice fly and Carson Eddy added a run-scoring single to make it 5-1. 

An inning later, Vonderhaar hit a two-run single.

"Vonderhaar came up big in a couple big situations, put the ball in play hard with the double and the hard-hit ball at the end," Grand Lake coach Damon Haecker said. "I think our bats were better (late in the game). We put the ball in play when we had guys on, and they made some errors in that one inning that kind of led to us having a big inning."

Mariner starter Tommy Siemer pitched five innings of three-hit ball and then gave way to Richard in the sixth. Richard threw three scoreless and hitless innings, striking out three and walking one to earn the win. Brad Calhoun pitched a scoreless ninth.

"Our pitchers threw strikes tonight," Haecker said. "They kept us in it, bullpen did a good job and we played defense. I mean, you saw them - they had three errors and that kind of cost them. When you play clean defense and you throw strikes, you're going to stay in it most of the time."

Vonderhaar, who upped his batting average to .239 and RBI total to 10, was named Grand Lake Mariners Player of the Game. Eddy added two hits.

Grand Lake's beer garden, "The Galley," was open for the fourth time this summer. Featuring beer from local venders Lake Rat Brewing, Tailspin Brewing Company and Moeller Brew Barn, The Galley is open for business again on Sunday when Galion rolls into town for a 4:05 p.m. first pitch. It will also be open on Tuesday for a 7:05 p.m. game with Galion. Beer will be sold 45 minutes before game time.

Grand Lake visits Lima's Simmons Field today at 4:05 p.m.