Portland hangs on for back-to-back wins

With an eight-run lead heading into the eighth the Portland Rockets were looking to cruise to an easy win, but the Grand Lake Mariners had other ideas.
With a five-run eighth the Mariners put themselves in striking distance for the top of the ninth. Adding another in the top of the ninth the Mariners were poised to do some damage with bases loaded and one out.
But Connor Milligan shut the door with a strikeout before inducing a harmless pop fly to first base giving his team the 10-9 victory.
The Mariners and Rockets are no strangers to each other as they played just 24 hours prior. The Rockets took that game 8-3 with a late surge.
Big innings were the name of the game for both teams in Wednesday night’s match up.
The Rockets (3-1) busted the game open in the fifth inning plating eight runs after trailing 3-2. Dalton Tinsley and Brandon Reamon both drew walks to begin the frame. No. 3 hitter Billy Geeslin laid a bunt down the third base line, and the throw sailed over the head of Grand Lake first baseman Josh Williams leading to Tinsley scoring and Geeslin standing on second.
Mitch Waters added a two-run single as he went 3 for 3 with two RBIs. Waters was the starting pitcher for the Rockets. He got the win, going six innings and giving up four hits and two earned runs. Three base knocks in a row led to a bases-clearing triple from Tinsley, who started the inning off. Tinsley was 1-for-2 with three RBIs and two walks.
The Mariners’ (0-2) big inning came in the top of the eighth. Taking advantage of miscues by the Rockets they were able to score five in the frame and cut the lead to two.
Williams, the team’s clean-up hitter, would hit a single to score Tristan Mercadel, who led off the inning with a double. Williams was 2-for-4 with two singles and an RBI. After an error on a could be double play that would have ended the inning, catcher Robert Greenman scorched a double to left field and grabbed himself two RBIs. Greenman was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk and two RBIs.
Aside from the fifth, the Rockets only added runs in one other inning, while the Mariners only added runs in fourth and ninth. The Rockets would start off the scoring with a two-run fourth.
Waters led off the inning with a single to right field. A walk by TJ Lindstrand, and a single by catcher Chris Miller loaded the bases. Alex Delk put the first run on the board with a sacrifice fly to deep left field. Jay County High School graduate Kyle Selvey followed with a squeeze bunt down the first-base line for the second run of the inning. Selvey was 1-for-2 on the night with two RBIs.
The Mariners responded in the top of the fifth scoring three to take the lead 3-2.
“I expect us to be good every inning, and we weren’t,” said Rockets coach Randy Miller.
The Rockets committed two errors in the game, and both resulted in runs for the Mariners.
Connor Milligan pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief and got the save. He came in and recorded the last out of the five-run eighth before taking the hill in the ninth. Milligan got into a jam with bases loaded and only one out, but was able to strikeout Alec Turner for the second out of the inning.
A walk to Greenman put the pressure on as the lead shrunk to a single run. But with a full count Milligan didn’t shy away, throwing a fastball to Derek Parola. He popped up to first basemen Thomas McCowan to end the game.
“They’re a solid club, they’re not going to let us beat them,” Mariners coach Sam Slavik said of the Rockets. “We had guys on late in the game, and had a chance. That’s all you can ask for.”
The Mariners will get their chance for revenge in just four days. The Rockets and Mariners will face off at 5 p.m. Sunday in Celina, Ohio, for their third meeting in just six days.
The Rockets will host the Northeast Kekionga in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday.