By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
MARTIN—After letting a late lead slip away in a tough extra-inning loss, Saugatuck responded in a big way.
The Trailblazers dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Martin in eight innings in the opener of a SAC doubleheader Tuesday, but bounced back in the nightcap with a 12-9 win to earn a split.
Saugatuck’s response came after an early deficit in Game 2.
Martin jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Trailblazers chipped away before delivering the decisive blow in the fifth. Saugatuck scored seven runs in the inning — all with two outs—to take an 8-4 lead and seize control.
“We were able to take advantage of free bases in Game 2, which led to our 12-run outburst,” Saugatuck coach Jaden Grigg said.
Saugatuck continued to apply pressure from there, finishing with 12 runs on six hits.
Holden Burd led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Nolan LaLonde and Braison Jones each scored two runs. Morgan Davis, Soren Peterson and Kevin Vandam also added hits for the Trailblazers.
LaLonde also contributed on the mound in relief, continuing what has been a steady role for him this season.
“Nolan LaLonde has done a good job at stepping up in relief when needed,” Grigg said.
While the offense came through in the nightcap, Grigg pointed to overall improvement still needed defensively.
“Defensively, we need to do a better job at limiting mistakes; too many of our runs in conference play have been unearned,” he said.
The opener was a much different story.
Game 1 was a tightly played, pitcher-dominated contest that came down to the final at-bat.
Saugatuck took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when a dropped third strike allowed a run to score, and the Trailblazers carried that lead into the later innings before Martin rallied.
The Clippers tied the game on a solo home run in the fourth and took the lead in the sixth before Saugatuck answered in the seventh to even the score at 2-2.
Martin then ended the game in the bottom of the eighth with a walk-off single.
Despite the loss, Saugatuck got a strong outing from Burd, who went 7.2 innings while allowing five hits and three runs—just one earned—with eight strikeouts.
“Our pitchers did a good job at limiting free bases in both games,” Grigg said. “Holden Burd and Braison Jones have been excellent on the mound all year and continued that trend.”
Offensively, Saugatuck was limited to three hits in the opener.
“Offensively, we struggled in Game 1,” Grigg said. “Martin had a very good staff that limited the entirety of our lineup.”
Martin was led in Game 1 by Haylen Buell, who homered and delivered the walk-off hit, while Anderson Keeler, Buell and Zaiden Buell each collected two hits. Keeler also started on the mound, allowing two hits and one unearned run over five innings.
“Haylen put the team on his back the first game,” Martin coach Brad Blauvelt said. “With the home run and then he came in and closed the door.”
In Game 2, Martin finished with 10 hits, led by Jace Brinkhuis’ three-hit performance. Cody Wooten and Buell each drove in two runs, while Blake Sweeting added two hits.
“The second game we had one bad inning — they scored all seven runs while we had two outs,” Blauvelt said. “We are learning more about our team every game.”
Both teams came away with a split, but Saugatuck showed its ability to respond after a tough loss—something Grigg hopes will carry forward.
“We look to keep improving, and we will need to play much cleaner baseball if we want to make a run in the postseason,” he said.
Wednesday, May 06, 2026
