Flag City rallies for 14-13 win

FINDLAY – Miles Mitchell lined a game-winning two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Flag City a 14-13 win over the Michigan Monarchs on Friday in a wildly back-and-forth Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League game at the Marathon Diamonds.Michigan used two three-run doubles in the third inning in building an 8-1 lead. Flag City got back in it with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, pulled within 11-10 with three runs in the seventh, then capped the amazing comeback with a four-run rally in the ninth.Miles was 3-for-6 with two singles and a double and the game-tying and game-winning RBI. Trenten Smith was 3-for-5 – all singles – and drove in three runs.Cameron Spezia (2-1B) drove in three runs and Brett Reed (2-1B) and Atticus Huffstetler (2B) plated two each. William Barnes (1B, 2B), Drew Tajblik (1B, 2B, RBI) and Aiden Booth (2-1B) also had two hits for the Sluggers, who rebounded from Thursday's 4-2 loss at Xenia to improve their record to 12-7. Michigan dropped its fourth straight and is 5-12.Braylon Sheefel, Flag City's fourth pitcher of the night, earned the win, allowing one run and two hits in two innings of relief.Michigan got a huge game from leftfielder Cole Novara, who was 5-for-5, scored twice and drove in a run. Maddux Bach and JJ Fontana had a single and a double each for the Monarchs, with both lining bases-loaded doubles in the third inning.The Sluggers and Monarchs will go at it again today at 6:05 p.m. at the Marathon Diamonds. Flag City then begins a four-game road swing, starting with Sunday's 6:05 p.m. game against the Monarchs and including games Tuesday (6:35 p.m.), Wednesday (6:35 p.m.) and Thursday (5:05 p.m.) against the Muskegon Clippers.Flag City had a three-game win streak halted on Thursday when Xenia scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning and edged the Sluggers 4-2.Two RBI singles, an error and a wild pitch allowed Xenia to put four runs on the board in the first inning. Mitchell doubled in one run and Tajblik singled in another when Flag City trimmed that deficit to 4-2 in the fourth inning, but the Sluggers were shut out the rest of the game. FRIDAY'S GAMEMichigan 017 021 011—13 13 1Flag City 100 501 304—14 17 2WP—Sheefel. LP—Kos. TOP HITTERS: (MM) Novara 5-1B, RBI; Bruggeman 2-1B, RBI; Bach 1B, 2B, 5 RBI; Fontana 1B, 2B, 3 RBI; Metz 1B, RBI; Thomas 1B, RBI. (FC) Mitchell 2-1B, 2B, 2 RBI; Tajblik 1B, 2B, RBI; Barnes 1B, 2B; Smith 3-1B, 3 RBI; Booth 2-1B; Reed 2-1B, 2 RBI; Spezia 2-1B, 3 RBI; Huffstetler 2B, 2 RBI. THURSDAY'S GAMEFlag City 000 200 000—2 4 1Xenia 400 000 00x—4 8 1WP—Tipton (3-1). LP—Faris (0-3). TOP HITTERS: (FC) Mitchell 2B, RBI; Tajblik 1B, RBI. (Xen) Mathison 2-1B; Rohlmeier 1B, 2B, RBI; Moore 1B, RBI. ScheduleSaturday's EventsGLSCL BASEBALLMichigan Monarchs at Flag City, 6:05 p.m. Sunday's EventsGLSCL BASEBALLFlag City at Michigan Monarchs, 6:35 p.m.