LIMA – The Lima Locos couldn’t find the same intensity they showed Monday night when they knocked off Grand Lake for the first time this season.
Tuesday night they were listless and lackluster in the words of coach Chad Ehrnsberger as they fell 7-1 to the visiting Hamilton Joes (14-7) in Great Lakes Collegiate League action at Simmons Field.
Things got off to a rough start in the first inning for the Locos when Hamilton scored three runs off of starting pitcher Nathan Dupree.
A bunt single by lead-off hitter Ben Spitzinger was followed by back-to-back walks to load the bases with nobody out. A pair of infield singles followed, scoring two runs for the Joes, and the third run of the inning came in on a fielders’ choice ground out.
“Unfortunately, we showed up but we didn’t show up (ready to play),” Ehrnsberger said. “Playing every day is tough but we have to make days like today few and far between. We are putting pressure on ourselves because we are having trouble scoring runs; we are a momentum team and are in trouble when we get behind.”
The Locos (15-7) managed a run in their half of the first inning when Colin Stolly led off with a walk and moved around on a single by Matt Smithwick and came in to score on a single off the bat of Jason Sullivan.
That was the only run that Lima would manage against Joes starting pitcher Ben Havel who tossed seven innings of four-hit ball. Havel retired 11 Locos in a row at one point and never was in trouble while holding Lima in check.
Hamilton, meanwhile, was getting the lead-off hitter on in four of the first five innings and while they were unable to explode for three runs like they did in the first inning, they were able to add single runs in the third, fifth, sixth, and eighth innings to slowly pull away for the victory.
Dupree went three innings and took the loss. He was followed by Tyler Anderson (Shawnee, Bowling Green State University) for three innings. Casey Mulcahy (Shawnee, Ohio Northern) then went two innings before Conner Davis pitched the ninth for the Locos.
Lima pitchers allowed nine hits in the game but were really done in by six walks, three hit batters and seven stolen bases allowed. The usually reliable Lima defense committed three errors in the game and all three errors eventually led to runs for Hamilton.
“The pitchers need to do a better job of holding runners close; they like to run and tonight they did.” Ehrnsberger said.
Sullivan, the designated hitter for Lima, paced the Locos offense with two singles two go along with his run batted in.
The first place Locos will get the chance to right the ship as they return to action tonight at 7 p. m. against the Joes at Simmons Field.
