Monarchs rally for 5-4 win over Sluggers

HILLSDALE – The Michigan Monarchs scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Flag City 5-4 on Sunday and complete a season-opening series sweep of the Sluggers. The Sluggers, a first-year team in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, built a 4-3 lead with Will Lafferty (1B, 2B) doubling and scoring in the first inning, Ryan Mills doubling and scoring one of Flag City's two runs in the fifth, and Findlay High grad Andrew Stechschulte leading off the sixth with his second hit of the day and scoring on a fielders choice. The Monarchs regained the lead with two in the bottom of the seventh when Emmanuel Gutierrez, who had doubled in run in the second inning, banged out his third hit and scored on a two run triple by Derek Ruiz. William Juday earned the win in relief, allowing just one hit and striking out four in 3-1/3 innings. Cooper Ashby, the fifth of five Sluggers pitchers, took the loss. Lafferty, an outfielder who plays college ball for Marshall, also had a double in Flag City's opener, a 6-4 loss to the Monarchs at Fifth Third Field on Friday. Stechschulte tripled and Harrison Engskov and Brett Reed doubled on Saturday when Michigan (3-0) beat the Sluggers 7-3 on Saturday. Flag City (0-3) now faces a three-game homestand with the Lima Locos visiting Fifth Third Field for GLSCL games beginning at 7:05 p.m. today, Wednesday and Thursday. Flag City then has a three-game series in Michigan against the Muskegon Clippers. SUNDAY'S GAME Sluggers &emsp;&emsp;100 &emsp;&emsp;021 &emsp;&emsp;000—4 7 &emsp;&emsp;1 Monarchs &emsp;&emsp;020 &emsp;&emsp;100 &emsp;&emsp;20x—5 7 &emsp;&emsp;2 WP—Juday. LP—Ashby. TOP HITTERS: (FCS) Lafferty 1B, 2B; Stechschulte 2-1B; Mills 2B. (MM) Gutierrez 2-1B, 2B; Ruiz 3B, 2 RBI. Legion baseball TAWA RUN TOURNEY OTTAWA – Kyle Hopkins beat Findlay's Post 3 American Legion team once with his arm and once with his bat during the Tawa Run baseball tournament held in Ottawa over the weekend. Hopkins, a second-team all-Ohio shortstop who batted .457 for Columbus Grove this spring, delivered the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning that earned Ottawa's Post 63 squad a 1-0 win over Findlay on Friday. On Sunday, Hopkins pitched a four-hitter, allowed three runs and struck out five in pitching Ottawa to a 7-3 win. That victory advanced Post 63 to the championship game, where Ottawa came up just short, 14-12, in a slugfest with Blissfield, Mich. Findlay struggled offensively in the season-opening tournament. Post 3 did score a 5-2 win over Sidney, but scored just four other runs in the two losses to Ottawa, a 3-1 setback to Blissfield, and a 0-0 tie with Adrian. Kellen Frankart had a big game in Findlay's win over Sidney, earning the pitching win and delivering three hits at the plate, including a two-run double during a three-run sixth inning rally that broke things open. Ryan Maas, Landon Stansbery and Trenton Smith added RBI singles in that game. Findlay is back on the road this weekend when the Post 3 club will compete in the Midland Redskins Round Robin tournament.