Betancourt pitches Sluggers to split in doubleheader

FINDLAY – After six losses in a row, Flag City needed someone to step up. Sluggers pitcher Braxton Betancourt did that in the second game of a double header with the Grand Lake Mariners Friday. In a seven-inning game, Betancourt went the whole way, allowing one run on six hits while punching out eight as the Sluggers nipped the Mariners, 2-1. This was after Grand Lake won the first game after surviving defensively the extra half inning of a 3-3 contest. Offensively for the Sluggers, Tanner Powell had two singles and scored both Flag City runs. Ryan Ruch singled and drove in a run for the Sluggers. Salvatore Besztery drove in the only Mariners run. Cason Bennett took a tough-luck loss for Grand Lake, going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits. In the first game, The Mariners scored a run in the first and two more in the fourth, and led 3-0 going to the bottom of the fifth. Findlay High graduate Andrew Stechschulte walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-1 in the fifth. In the sixth, Jaxon Brown had an RBI single for Flag City, and then tied the game on when Matt Gardner hit into a double play. That was it for the scoring. The Mariners held the Sluggers in the extra half inning to win. Caleb Smith had three hits for the Sluggers, who lost for the sixth consecutive time. Cameron Baker started for the Sluggers on the mound, and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out five and was saddled with the loss. Bennett – who pitched so well and took the loss in Game 2 -- got the win in relief in Game 1 by collecting the last two outs of the extra half inning. The Sluggers relievers – Talmadge Davis and Aidan Murphy – combined for 4 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. The teams will play again today at Marathon Diamonds, at 7:05 p.m. TRIPLE A BASEBALL OMAHA, Neb ---Troy Melton threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings Friday, and Mud Hens pitching combined on a three-hit shutout of Omaha, 3-0. Melton allowed two hits, walked two and struck out eight, but settled for a no-decision. Toledo reliever Bailey Horn, who recorded the final out of the sixth, got the win. The Mud Hens scored in the seventh, when Andy Ibanez and Trei Cruz walked against Storm Chaser reliever Ben Sears. With one out, Tomas Nido lined a single to center, plating Ibanez. The Mud Hens' Matt Manning -- a first round pick of the Tigers in 2016 -- pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh, fanning a pair, and then Matt Seelinger threw two scoreless innings to record his first save of the season. In Thursday's game, Akil Badoo had three hits, including an RBI triple in the sixth inning, and the Mud Hens nipped the Storm Chasers, 3-2. Justyn Henry-Malloy and Jace Jung each drove in a run for the Mud Hens. Devin Smeltzer started on the mound for Toledo and went five shutout innings, allowing four hits, not walking a batter and fanning three. Toledo led 2-1 after six innings, but then Omaha's Joey Wiemer – a Sylvania native – tied the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh off Mud Hens reliever PJ Poulin. But Malloy drove in the winning run by hitting into a fielder's choice in the eighth. Poulin, who allowed a run on two hits, got the win to improve to 6-1. Drew Sommers pitched the eighth and ninth for Toledo, recording his third save. HOLE-IN-ONE Brad Heitkamp aced the 365-yard eighth hole at Sycamore Springs Friday. Witnesses were Mark Heitkamp, Josh Heitkamp and Casten Heitkamp. It was during the Van Buren Golf Booster outing.