Joes Force Game Three with 7-3 win over Locos

SIMMONS FIELD - The Hamilton Joes staved off elimination with a 7-3 road win over the Lima Locos in game two of the GLSCL Championship Series. 

The Hamilton victory sets up a winner-takes-all game three of the series on Saturday night at Simmons Field.

The Joes used a four-run fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie and power its way to victory.

Marc Iozzo (Miami University), who was the winning pitcher for the Joes in its playoff win at Xenia on Monday in the South Division Series, was the Player of the Game thanks to his bat. Iozzo was 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored.

CLICK HERE to watch the postgame interview with Marc Iozzo

Hamilton got off the quick early start. Jaxson Christ (Trevecca Nazarene) lead off the game with a double and scored on and RBI-single by the next batter Brett Denby (Wright State).

The Joes scored another run in the second inning when Iozzo singled and advanced to second base on a groundout. Mark Rutherford (University of Dayton) pulled a ball into right field driving home Iozzo with the RBI-single.

Hamilton starter Brendan Mullin (Wabash Valley College) pitched well for the Joes but got himself into trouble in the second inning. 

Evan Holstein (Kennesaw State) lead off the inning with a double and then both Grant McGuire (Winthrop University) and Will Briggs were hit by pitches (Mass Amherst) loading the bases. 

Next up was Locos right fielder Luke Mottola (Central Florida) who had one of the most unusual at bats you'll even see happen. Mullin was charged with not one but two balks during Mottola's at bat allowing the Locos to tie the score 2-2. After all that, Mullin ends up striking out Mottola for the second out of the inning. Marwynn Matthews (Macomb CC) popped out ending the threat with the go ahead run stranded at third base.

Stranding base runners would be a theme for the Locos offense all night especially in the late innings.

The Joes scored four runs in the the fourth inning on back-to-back two-run hits. With the bases loaded, Christopher Roa (Miami University) dropped a parachute along the foul line in shallow left field. Three Locos fielders converged on the play with the ball dropping safely between all of the them. Iozzo and Rutherford scored on the play giving the Joes a 4-2 advantage. Jackson Wang, who just announced to that he had committed to play next season at Northern Kentucky, belted a two-run single chasing home Christ and Roa.

Hamilton secured a 6-2 lead that Mullin protected until running into trouble in the seventh inning. After allowing back-to-back walks, Mullin was relieved in favor of Dylan Kaiser (Tiffin University). Kaiser struck out Julian Jimenez (Maryland Eastern Shore) but then walked Payton Ebbing (Kent State) loading the bases.

This set up the classic confrontation of Kaiser facing one of the top home run hitters in the league Cole Crafton (University of Illinois).

Kaiser won the battle striking out Crafton resulting in the Locos leaving the bases loaded.

The Joes added a run in the top of the eighth inning when Rutherford scored on a wild pitch making it a 7-2 game.

The Locos rallied in the eighth when Hamilton brought in its closer Matty Helms (Wabash Valley College) who got himself into hot water. Helms issued a bases loaded walk to Mottola forcing home Holstein from third base making it a 7-3 game. 

Helms bounced back getting Matthews to fly out and striking out Jimenez while both were representing the go-ahead run. That was the second consecutive inning the Locos left the bases loaded.

The Locos had another chance in the ninth inning loading the bases once again starting with Crafton doubling with one out. After Crafton advanced to third base on a groundout out, McGuire was hit by a pitch and David Falloon (Mercer University) was walked.

Lima once again had the bases loaded with the potential winning run at the plate when Helms struck out Briggs for the game's final out.

The Locos left a total of 13 runners on base including leaving the bases loaded in the seventh, eight and ninth innings.

Mullin got the win after pitching six and 2/3 innings giving up two runs on two hits striking out three batters and walking two batters.

It wasn't pretty for the Joes pitching staff but the three hurlers did enough to get the job done. The Hamilton staff walked five batters and hit seven Locos batters including three guys being hit twice.

The Championship Series concludes Saturday night at Simmons Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.

The defending champions look for its sixth title in franchise history with four of them against the Locos (2016, 2021 and 2022). Lima, on the other hand will go for its eight championship and the second one against the Joes (2015).

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.