CELINA – Locos outfielder Garrett Hodges admitted he was a little down after losing to Grand Lake on Sunday.
So Hodges and company delivered a bounce-back performance against Grand Lake on Sunday.
The Locos rapped out 11 hits and played errorless defense in a 7-5 victory over Grand Lake Sunday at Montgomery Field.
The Locos are 6-3, while Grand Lake is 5-3.
The game took on extra significance for the Locos after Grand Lake scored seven in the ninth to pull out an 8-1 win over Lima Saturday at Simmons Field.
“It was a huge win in my opinion,’’ Locos coach Brian Garman said. “It gives us a day off (on Monday) where we can feel really good about it.’’
Hodges said, “It was almost like revenge for us. It was tough after last night and guys were hanging their heads last night, me especially. I had a rough night at the plate. But we did a good job today of coming out here and forgetting about yesterday.’’
Locos right fielder Will Robertson (Creighton) paced the offense going 2 for 4 with a double and a home run with three RBI.
Hodges (Kennesaw State) went 4 for 5 with an RBI.
Hodges also made a diving catch in left-center field with the bases loaded to save at least two runs in the second inning. That kept the Mariners lead at 2-0.
“It was early in the ballgame, but I was like, ‘Why not sell out and go for it?’ Hodges said. “I went for it and I usually don’t make a lot of those. … Our offense is amazing and we have guys who can hit up and down the lineup, so we’re going to score runs.’’
The Locos’ Jaxxon Fagg went 2 for 5 with an RBI. Will Kilgore was 1 for 3 with three runs scored.
Locos shortstop Tyler Tolbert (Alabama-Birmingham) gobbled up seven chances, many tough plays on the second base side of the bag.
“He made play after play and many of those weren’t routine plays,” Garman said of Tolbert.
For Grand Lake, Coldwater product Malave Bettinger (Toledo) went 1 for 3 with a solo home run. Patrick Raiff went 3 for 4 with two RBI.
The Locos took the lead to stay in the seventh on an RBI single by Fagg to give Lima a 4-3 lead. Hodges followed with an RBI single to center to make it 5-3.
Lima added two in the eighth to take a 7-3 lead. Robertson had the big hit with an RBI double.
Locos reliever Isaiah Gonzales-Montoya (Alabama-Birmingham), who pitched for the Locos in 2015, came on in the fifth and retired the first nine hitters he faced until Bettinger’s home run in the eighth.
Gonzales-Montoya pounded the strike zone with his fastball and went 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked one.
“I felt great. I just wanted to throw strike after strike,” he said. “At UAB, the philosophy is go, tempo, tempo, tempo and get ahead early.’’
Added Garman, “I’m excited to have Isaiah back. And he’s changed some things in his delivery, where he is very fast paced now, where he used to be very slow and deliberate. … He was tremendous out of the pen tonight.’’
Jackson Vescelus came on for Gonzales-Montoya in the ninth with runners at first and second and no outs. The first batter hit a come-backer to the mound, which struck Vescelus in the hip, but he recovered and got the out at first.
Raiff then singled to left to get the Mariners within 7-5.
Vescelus then got Steve Fitzsimmons to hit into game-ending double play to end it.
“He (Vescelus) came in with two guys on and nobody out and he came in and did his job and it was outstanding to see that,” Garman said.
Grand Lake led 2-0 in the second. The Locos tied the game at in the third on a two-run home run to right by Robertson.
The game was tied at 3 after six.
Locos starter Cole Baker went 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, all earned, on six hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Locos notes: Cole Gordon (Mississippi State), a key member of the Locos’ championship team in 2015, will not be coming to Lima this summer as planned. His college coaches wanted Gordon to get his arm looked at and evaluated after the team lost in the super regionals to LSU. Taking his place on the roster is first baseman Josh DeBacker (Wichita State), who went 1 for 4 on Sunday.
Next up: The Locos are at Galion on Tuesday before playing Galion at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Simmons Field.
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