Lima Locos’ Anthony Kyle pitches against the Hamilton Joes during Sunday’s Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League Championship game at Foundation Field in Hamilton.
HAMILTON – Forget about the Hamilton Joes’ woeful pitching in Game 1 of the championship series.
Pitching helped carry the Joes to an 8-3 victory over the Lima Locos to win the championship in Game 3 of the best-of-3 championship series of the Great Lakes Collegiate League Sunday at Hamilton’s Foundation Field.
The Joes won the final two games of the series to win the best-of-3, 2-1, for the title.
“They (Hamilton) did a great job and they have a great team,” Locos coach Matt Furuto said. “They did a great job finishing the last two games.
“We grinded it out, but just came up short.’’
Furuto, in this third year as Locos head coach, announced he was resigning as coach after Sunday.
He took the Locos to the title in 2019 and they finished second the last two years.
“I’m going to step down,” Furuto said. “I’ve done it (played and coached summer ball) for so long, I just needed a break.’’
It’s the Joes fourth GLCL championship and second in a row.
It marked the second year in a row the Joes and Locos have met in the championship series.
Joes catcher Evan Ulrich (Charleston) led the offense, going 2 for 4 with a double, triple and three RBI.
“This is sweet to do it at home this year,” Ulrich said. “This amazing, especially playing in Hamilton this year. We finished out in Lima last year. Lima always has a good atmosphere, but being to do it at home is everything. It’s been a pleasure to play with these guys. It’s just exciting.
“We played our cards right and made sure we had enough arms for the last game.’’
The Joes took a 1-0 lead in the first. They added five in the second to take a 6-0 lead.
The Joes had an 8-2 lead after seven.
Lefty Dawson Hall (Minnesota) started for Hamilton. He worked four innings and gave up one run, earned, on six hits. He struck out five and walked none.
Justin Boggs followed Hall to the mound and threw two shutout innings, giving up one hit.
Clay Brock gave up a run in one inning of work.
Jakob Hughes threw a shutout eighth and struck out three.
Closer Chase Hopewell, who saved Game 2, came in and closed out the ninth for the Joes.
Anthony Kyle (Findlay) started for the Locos. He had a 0.90 ERA this summer in 20 innings.
Kyle threw four shutout innings of relief and got the win on Wednesday in Game 2 of the semifinals series against Michigan.
Whether it was the three-days rest or not, Kyle wasn’t his usual dominating self.
“I think they did a good job of barreling, then they got some cheap hits, as well,” Furuto said. “I think he ran into some bad breaks.’’
Parker Lester led off the home first with a slicing triple into left-field corner. Nichols Winner hit a parachute RBI single to center to provide the Joes with a 1-0 lead.
In the third for the Joes, Andrew Patrick doubled and Wimmers singled.
Stephen Sigler’s broken-bat RBI single to right pushed the Joes’ lead to 2-0.
Ulrich pounded a two-run double to left to give the Joes a 4-0 lead.
Ulrich later scored from third on a wild pitch and the Joes’ lead was 5-0.
Clay Badylak’s RBI single to right made it 6-0, Joes.
“That made it tough because they have good arms,” Furuto said. “Those big innings made it tough to come back from it.’’
The Joes started the third with six straight hits off Kyle.
“That third inning was something else,” Ulrich said. “The pitchers kept their foot on the gas after that third inning.’’
The Locos got within 6-1 in the fourth.
Cade Sadler doubled and scored on an RBI single to right by Brennen Norton to make it 6-1.
The Joes added an unearned run in the fourth off Locos reliever Dillon Masters to take a 7-1 lead.
Ulrich had an RBI double off the center-field fence to give the Joes an 8-1 lead in the sixth.
The Locos got within 8-2 in the seventh on an RBI double by D.J. Jackson.
Jackson added a sacrifice fly to center to make it 8-3, Joes in the ninth.
Kyle went 22/3 innings and gave up six runs, all earned, on 11 hits. He struck out four and walked none.
Dillon Masters came on in relief and went 3 1/3 innings and gave up two runs, on earned, on three hits. He struck out five and walked none.
The Locos were 10-13 on July 1 and rallied to reach the playoffs. On Sunday, they were knocked out in the final game of the championship game.
“They never gave up,” Furuto said. “There were a lot of times during the year when they could have, but they didn’t. They kept grinding and working hard and gave all they had into the summer and I think that will reward them in the future.’’
Locos notes: The Locos have won six GLCL titles (1993, 2004, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019).
Defending champion Hamilton has won four titles (2010, 2016, 2021, 2022).
