Locos win eighth title after 8-6 win over Joes

SIMMONS FIELD - The Lima Locos won its league-tying eighth GLSCL Championship title hanging on to beat the defending champion Hamilton Joes on Saturday night at Simmons Field.

The Locos franchise, which is the final charter member since the league's formation in 1987, is now tied with the Columbus All Americans for the most number of titles with eight. 

Lima didn't make it easy on itself struggling to finish off the Joes surrendering all six Hamilton runs in the final three innings.

Locos starting pitcher John Allen (University of Akron), who wasn't made aware that he was starting the game until about 90 minutes before first pitch, did a solid job on short notice.

Allen pitched six shutout innings scattering six hits, nothing five strikeouts while walking only one batter.

CLICK HERE to watch the postgame interview with John Allen

Lima got off to a 5-0 advantage starting with scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Back-to-back doubles by Payton Ebbing (Kent State) and Cole Crafton (University of Illinois) put the Locos on the board. Crafton came around to score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Grant McGuire (Winthrop University).

The Locos scored two more runs in the fourth inning starting again with back-to-back doubles. McGuire and Carter Schueler (Sauk Valley CC) combined for two-baggers with McGuire scoring the first run. Schueler then scored on a single to left field by Will Briggs (UMass Amherst).

McGuire added a run for the Locos on his second sacrifice fly of the game driving in Ebbing.

After Allen departed with a 5-0 lead that's when things started to get weird for the Locos.

The Joes scored two runs in the seventh inning without the benefit of a hit. With one out, Hamilton loaded the bases when three consecutive batters were hit by a pitch. Brett Denby (Wright State) grounded into a fielder's choice driving in Preston Lynch (Panola JC) from third base. The Joes reloaded the bases when Christopher Roa (Miami University) was issued a walk.

This necessitated a second pitching change as the Locos called on its closer Brady Fitzpatrick (Morehead State). Fitzpatrick was given the task of not only getting out of a bases loaded jam but also recording the final seven outs of the game.

Fitzpatrick got off to a rough start by hitting Jackson Wang (Northern Kentucky) forcing home Aidyn Coffey (Stoney Brook University) from third base. Fitzpatrick struck out Travis Yankovich (Lake Erie College) ending the threat but the damage was done.

The Locos answered by getting those runs back plus one in the bottom of the seventh inning. Schueler pulled a ball past the first basemen hugging the line and going into the right field corner for a two-run double. Schueler would later come around to score on an RBI-single by Briggs.

Hamilton closed the gap in the eight inning shaving the deficit to 8-4 on a two-run double off the bat of Jaxson Christ (Trevecca Nazarene).

Joes reliever Dylan Kaiser (Tiffin University) retired the Locos in order in the bottom of the eighth inning setting up what turned out to be a white knuckle chaotic ride in the ninth inning.

Roa lead off the inning reaching base when he was hit by a pitch. One out later, Yankovich drove in Roa on a standup triple. Yankovich scored on an error by McGuire when a routine grounder went underneath his glove. Mark Rutherford (University of Dayton) then reached on a carbon copy of the error on the previous play also made by McGuire allowing the tying run on base.

Fitzpatrick, facing the potential go-ahead run, recorded back-to-back strikeouts of Lynch and Coffey to finally secure the win and the championship.

Lima head coach Chad Ehrnsberger won his third title for the Locos and his second against the Joes. Ehrnsberger led the Locos to the league's best regular season record at 27-12.

This year's championship series was the fifth all-time and the third 2021 that the Locos and Joes met for the title. Lima won the rivalry for the second time against Hamilton joining its 2015 title team. 

ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES SUMMER COLLEGIATE LEAGUE

The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate, founded in 1987, is a wood-bat league that is certified by the NCAA and is partially funded by Major League Baseball. The GLSCL is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity that is one of 12 members of the National Alliance of Collegiate Summer Baseball (NACSB). The league currently consists of 8 active franchises in Ohio and Michigan boasting several players that have earned service time in major league baseball.