MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Clippers’ fate this season will largely be decided on the road, now that the tam has almost finished its front-loaded home schedule.

If they play they way they did at home over the Holiday weekend, they may just be able to fight their way into first or second place in the Great Lakes League’s Northern Division and make the playoffs.

They certainly looked like a playoff team on Sunday, knocking off the Sandusky Ice Haulers 13-3 in a seven-inning mercy rule game in front of a large crowd at Marsh Field.

The Clippers pounded 16 hits, including a 10-hit fourth inning which resulted in nine of their runs. The victory gave Muskegon two wins in the three-game weekend series against Sandusky.

Muskegon’s Cooper Mills, seen here catching the ball during a play at second last week, had a three-run single in Sunday’s game.

The Clippers are now 12-13 on the season, good for a tie for fourth place in the Northern Division, but are are only a few wins out of playoff range with 13 games remaining.

The Clippers will play their next seven games on the road, and will also have an All-Star break, before playing four of their final six games at home.

Muskegon will visit the first-place Michigan Monarchs in a three-game series starting on Tuesday.

“It was a lot of fun to be out here today,” said Clippers manager Logan Fleener about the easy win on Sunday. “The guys came ready to roll, and as impressive as that fourth inning was, I was impressed by the aggressive base running. We have a system we want to run, and the guys are buying into it.”

Jacob Anderson, who knocked in the final run of Sunday’s game.

An example of the aggressive base running happened in the nine-run fourth inning when Muskegon’s Cooper Mills knocked in three runs on a weak line-drive single that dropped between the first baseman and right fielder.

“It was kind of crazy and I didn’t expect to get three runs out of that,” Mills said.  “It was fun, and the biggest thing is we have been working hard at putting pressure on the other team.”

Mills paced the Clippers offensively with the three RBIs, while A.J Miranda had three hits to lead the team, including a double.

The Clippers opened the scoring in the second inning with two runs that came in on an error.

Sandusky responded with a run in the fourth, but the Clippers countered with nine runs. Muskegon scored on a wild pitch, a bases loaded walk, the three-run single by Mills, and RBI hits from Jacob Anderson, Colin Cornwell, Miranda and Trent Nielsen.

The Clipper’s Colin Cornwell, who knocked in a run on Sunday.

The Clippers had an 11-1 lead going into the seventh inning, and were just one out away from sealing the victory in the top half of the frame, but Sandusky’s Jacob Armsey nailed a two-run home run to keep the game going.

Muskegon didn’t not let down, scoring the final two runs in its seventh inning on a Stoney Smith RBI single and a game-clinching hit from Anderson.

Daniel Gutierrez pitched the win, allowing one run on four hits while striking out seven batters in four innings.

Ben Alderson, Nick Kantzavelos and Garrett Kerr each tossed an inning of relief for Muskegon.