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HAMILTON, Ohio - The Hamilton Joes win its fourth GLSCL championship with an 8-3 win over the Lima Locos in the third and deciding game of the title series. Its the second year in a row the Joes beat the Locos in the finals this time at its home Foundation Field.

 

The Joes had better pitching in the end getting them over the hump after a poor performance in game one of the series.

 

Hamilton pitching gave up 15 walks, two hit batters and three wild pitches in a 13-6 debacle at Simmons Field in Lima. The Joes countered by giving up a total of four runs in the next games securing a rematch victory from last year’s finals.

 

Dawson Hall got the start for the Joes (University of Minnesota) scattered seven hits through the first four innings holding the Locos to just one run and zero walks while striking out five batters.

 

Three relievers, including Justin Boggs (University of Charleston transfer), who earned the victory, bridged the gap to the back end of the Joes bullpen.

 

Clay Brock (Northern Kentucky commit) gave up a run in the seventh and Jakob Hughes (University of Indianapolis) struck out the side in the eighth inning.

 

Chase Hopewell (University of Cincinnati) came in much to the delight of the Foundation Field fans for the ninth inning. He wasn’t a sharp as the night before giving up a ninth inning run but got the job done nonetheless. Hopewell recorded the final out of the championship series for the second season in a row.

 

The Joes got on the board first when Parker Lester (Miami University lead off the first inning with a triple scoring on an RBI-single by Stephen Stigler (Miami-Hamilton).

 

Hamilton roughed up Locos starter Anthony Kyle (University of Findlay) tagging him for five runs in the third inning. The big blow was a two-run double by Joes catcher Evan Ulrich (University of Charleston). Ulrich went 2-for-3 on the night with a double, a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored.

 

Click here to watch the postgame interview with Evan Ulrich. 

 

Dillon Masters (Ohio University) came in out of the Lima bullpen doing his best to stop the bleeding. Masters went four and 1/3 innings giving up just one earned run on three hits striking out five batters.

 

The Locos were not immune to offense racking up 11 hits but couldn’t finish off sustained rallies leaving 10 runners on base.

 

Lima finally broke the seal scoring its first run in the fourth inning. Cade Sadler (Kennesaw State) doubled coming around to score on a single by Brennan Norton (Jacksonville State).

 

Trialing 8-1 the Locos tried to come back scoring a run in the seventh inning when D.J. Jackson’s (Jacksonville State) doubled plated Ty Gill (Purdue University).

 

The Locos rallied again in the ninth when Jackson launched a sacrifice fly to center field driving in Gill from third base. It turned out to be too little too late as Hopewell bared down getting Sadler to ground out ending the game.

 

The Joes and the Locos have meet four times in the GLSCL Championship series with the Hamilton taking three of those titles in 2016, 2021 and 2022. The Locos won the first championship series in the first meeting in 2015. 

 

The Locos, who have won six titles, was making its 12th appearance in the finals with this being its sixth runner-up finish.

 

Hamilton Joes head coach manager Tyler Thamann, who became the first person in GLSCL history to win a title as a player and a head coach, has now won three cumulative championship all against the Locos.

 

The Joes broke a tie with the Grand Lake Mariners, the Licking County Settlers and the Northern Ohio Baseball Club for the third most league championship trophies with four. Lima is second with six titles with the defunct Columbus All-Americans hold the record for most crowns with eight.

 

 

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 league currently consists of 13 active franchises in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana boasting several players that have earned service time in major league baseball.