Mariners 15, Copperheads 8
Grand Lake Mariners used a relentless early attack—and a steady stream of free bases—to roll past the S Ohio Copperheads, 15–8, on Friday night at Grand Lake (June 26, 2026).
Early fireworks, then a Mariners surge
S Ohio struck first when Brady Kaufman led off the scoring with a solo homer in the 1st to put the Copperheads up 1–0. The lead didn't last. Grand Lake answered immediately with a three-run bottom half, highlighted by Huston Dunn's two-run single and an RBI knock from Brandt Kendall for a 3–1 Mariners advantage.
The game's turning point came in the 3rd inning, when both teams traded big swings. The Copperheads briefly flipped the game with a two-run homer by Jayden Kennedy and an RBI single from Cole Davis, taking a 4–3 lead. Grand Lake responded with a five-run third, fueled by Dunn again and aided by defensive miscues and wildness on the mound. By the end of the inning, the Mariners had pushed ahead 8–4 and never gave the lead back.
Wild pitches and errors tilt the field
While Grand Lake collected 13 hits, the separation came from the "extra" runs created by mistakes and control issues. The Copperheads committed 3 errors, and their pitchers were charged with multiple wild pitches (Penrod, Bracken, and Diulus each had at least one; Bracken and Diulus had multiple). Several Mariners runs scored without a ball being put in play, including tallies on wild pitches and a passed ball.
Grand Lake also benefited from traffic all night: the Mariners drew 7 walks, and S Ohio's staff allowed 15 runs (12 earned) across eight innings.
Mariners' middle order does the damage
Grand Lake's offense was paced by:
- Huston Dunn: 3-for-4, 3 RBI, plus a double—the key bat in both the 1st and 3rd inning rallies.
- Solomon Harwood: 4 runs scored (2 hits, 1 walk), constantly on base and pressuring the defense.
- Matthew Aldridge: 3 runs on 2 hits.
- Brandt Kendall: 2-for-2 with an RBI, plus reached via walk and later scored twice.
- Marek Bolson: despite going hitless, drove in 2 runs and reached base with a walk and a fielder's choice.
Grand Lake put the game further out of reach with a four-run 6th, again featuring Dunn (RBI double) and more run-scoring wild pitches. The Mariners tacked on one more in the 8th on Landon Tiesing's sacrifice fly.
Copperheads show power, but can't keep up
S Ohio's offense was efficient when it connected—8 runs on 8 hits—and got long balls from:
- Brady Kaufman: 2-for-5 with a home run and double.
- Jayden Kennedy: two-run homer in the 3rd.
They also scratched back late with a two-run 8th (RBI double by Nate Silvus and a sac fly by Landon Baker), but the deficit was too large.
Pitching summary
- Win (Grand Lake): Alex Dues (4–0) — 2.2 innings of relief, limiting damage after the starter's shaky outing.
- Loss (S Ohio): Max Penrod (1–1) — tagged for 6 runs in 2 innings as Grand Lake jumped ahead early.
- Final
- Grand Lake Mariners 15, S Ohio Copperheads 8
Grand Lake improved to 13–5, while S Ohio fell to 4–15.