Mariners 4, Clippers 2

Grand Lake used patience, pressure on the bases, and a pivotal fourth inning to erase an early deficit and beat Muskegon 4–2 on Sunday afternoon, July 5, 2026.

The Clippers struck first in the top of the fourth. After Kaden Howard and Isaiah Domey reached, Dalton Dick lined a two-run single to right-center to put Muskegon ahead 2–0. It would be the Clippers' only scoring of the day, as they finished with five hits and went quiet against the Mariners' bullpen after that swing.

Grand Lake answered immediately with a three-run bottom of the fourth that flipped the game. Brandt Kendall came home on Landon Tiesing's sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2–1. The Mariners then tied it on a throwing error by catcher Brayden Turner, allowing Maalik Perkins to score. Moments later, Huston Dunn's RBI single brought home Noah Drake to give Grand Lake a 3–2 lead—an inning fueled more by traffic and mistakes than hard contact.

From there, the Mariners' pitching took over. Christian Douglass (W, 2–1) stabilized the middle innings with three scoreless frames, and Alex Dues closed the door for his fifth save with two hitless-in-spirit innings (one hit allowed, no runs). Grand Lake's staff allowed just one run total as earned, with Muskegon's two runs aided by a Mariners error.

The Mariners added an insurance run in the seventh when Matthew Hutchinson singled up the middle to score Parker Vaughn for a 4–2 cushion. Hutchinson also reached base three times (1-for-3 with two walks) and was part of a lineup that drew nine walks overall, consistently forcing Muskegon pitchers into deep counts and stressful innings.

Muskegon's turning point came on the mound in the fourth. Reliever Zane Gregg (L, 0–1) was tagged for three runs (two earned) while issuing five walks in two innings, and the Clippers as a staff walked nine. Despite allowing only six hits, the free passes and one key defensive miscue proved costly.

Huston Dunn led Grand Lake offensively with a perfect day at the plate (3-for-3) plus a walk and an RBI, while the Mariners improved to 21–5. Muskegon fell to 13–14 after being held scoreless over the final five innings.