Picture credit to Will Turner IV

LIMA, Ohio - The Hamilton Joes took early control cruising to 10-4 victory over the Lima Locos in the first game of the GLSCL playoffs semi-finals.

The Joes are now one win away from a return to the championship series and dethroning the defending champions.

The two teams meet in the title series in 2021 and 2022 with the Joes winning both times. The Locos defeated the Xenia Scouts in last year’s final after the Scouts bounced Hamilton in the divisional series round.

On Friday night, Hamilton took an early lead on a solo homer off the bat Ryan Novak (Miami University). Novak was a triple short of the cycle going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored.

CLICK HERE to watch a postgame interview with Ryan Novak.

Lima bounced back in the second inning taking a 2-1 lead after a two-run homer by catcher Brice Estep (Coastal Carolina).

Hamilton scored four runs in the third inning retaking the lead 4-2. The Joes strung together three consecutive run-scoring hits. 

Novak’s RBI-double was sandwiched around RBI-singles by Brayden Fraasman (North Carolina State) and Cam Gilkerson (Wright State). Gilkerson capped the inning scoring on an RBI-groundout by Tommy Harrison (Miami University).

The Locos cut the deficit to 4-3 with Sebastian Alexander (Coastal Carolina) driving in Liam Richards (Yavapai College).

The combination of Novak and Gilkerson struck again for the Joes in the fourth inning. Novak’s RBI-single was followed by a two-run triple by Gilkerson. After the dust settled, the Joes now had a commanding 8-3 advantage.

Gilkerson was also on a “cycle watch” only needing a home run to complete the feat. He finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

The Joes knocked Locos starter Matteo Pare (Pensacola State College), who just was named the GLSCL Pitcher of the Year, out of the game after just four innings. 

The Joes were fortunate enough to benefit from a good starting pitching performance. Cooper Fiehrer (Marietta College) went six innings scattering nine hits while giving up three runs. Fiehrer struck out five batters while only issuing one walk.

The Locos had plenty of opportunities racking up 12 hits but stranded 13 runners on base. Richards was 3-for-5 while three other Locos batters had two hits apiece.

Abe Crall (Wright State) and Jared Teke (Northern Kentucky) bridged the gap to the ninth inning each throwing one shutout inning.

In the ninth inning it was more a white knuckle ride trying to get the elusive final out. Richards led off with a single and was forced across the plate after three consecutive walks.

After a few tense moments, Joes reliever Corbin Ausman (Frontier CC) recorded the final out striking out Caden Lockwood for out number three.

The series shifts south to Foundation Field where the Joes have a chance to win the best-of-three game series in front of its home crowd. The first pitch is scheduled at 7:05pm.

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 7 active franchises in Ohio and Michigan boasting several players that have earned service time in major league baseball.