CELINA, Ohio (WLIO) — The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League championship series came down to a thrilling conclusion at Montgomery Field as the Grand Lake Mariners and Lima Locos battled through the final games of the postseason.

Entering Game 2, the Locos looked to wrap up the title with a 1-0 series lead, while the Mariners fought to keep their season alive.

Trailing 2-0 in the top of the third in Game 2, Lima’s bats came alive with two outs. Grant McGuire got the scoring started with an RBI single to right field to plate Elijah Buffaloe, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Shane Miranda followed with a game-tying RBI single to left-center that brought home Cameron Greene. Gabe Gonzalez kept the rally going, lining a base hit to left to score McGuire and give the Locos a 3-2 lead.

The crowning blow of the frame came from Russia High School graduate Braylon Cordonnier, who launched a towering three-run home run to right-center, capping off a six-run third inning and putting Lima up 6-2.

The Mariners answered right back in the bottom half. Forrest Day singled up the middle to score Parker Vaughn, making it 6-3. With the bases loaded and nobody out, an errant throw to second allowed two more Mariners to score, narrowing the gap to 6-5. Grand Lake then tied the game and took a 7-6 lead on a passed ball.

Lima pulled even in the fourth when Cameron Owens singled to right-center to drive in Tyler Vansumeren, making it 7-7. However, Grand Lake pitcher Sean Kruckeberg helped steady the Mariners, picking up a key strikeout as Grand Lake pulled away for a 13-8 victory to force a decisive Game 3.

In the winner-take-all Game 3, Grand Lake built an early 6-1 lead. Mariners pitcher Cournell Bennett McCoy threw a dominant, 1-2-3 third inning with two strikeouts. Lima countered with southpaw Montgomery O'Brien, who struck out two in the fourth to secure his third straight scoreless inning of relief.

The Locos chipped away in the fifth when Greene drew a bases-loaded walk to score Vansumeren, cutting the deficit to 6-2. Grand Lake's Kaden Plank escaped further damage, securing a strikeout to leave the bases loaded.

In the sixth, Cordonnier struck again, crushing a two-run home run to left-center to pull the Locos within two at 6-4.

The Mariners answered with their own power in the seventh. Noah Drake stepped up with two runners on and launched a no-doubter over the right-field wall for a three-run home run, extending Grand Lake's lead to 9-4.

The Mariners held on to win Game 3 by a final score of 9-6, capturing their first GLSCL championship since 2006.

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