CELINA - Grand Lake came into Friday's game riding an impressive eight-game winning streak.
But Friday night that meant next to nothing to the Lima Locos.
The Locos, powered by a three-run home run by Tom Carroll, knocked off Grand Lake 6-1 at Westview Park.
First-place Grand Lake stands 8-2 in the Great Lakes Collegiate League. The Locos (7-2) are in second place, one-half game behind Grand Lake. The Locos are 2-0 against Grand Lake this season.
"I don't know if (these are the two top teams) because July is the hard month," Locos coach Rob Livchak said. "We're up there with the best and these guys (Grand Lake) are pretty good, too. To win eight straight that says something. That says they were getting good pitching and good hitting. We just have to take care of business (today) against Licking County."
Added Carroll, "I don't know a lot about the rivalry between the two teams, but you could tell the atmosphere was a little different, a little bit more intense than the other games."
Carroll (Mercer) went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. Anthony Toth (Michigan) went 2 for 4 with a double. Tristan Moore (Wright State) went 2 for 5 with an RBI.
After a scoreless first three innings, the Locos scored four in the top of the fourth.
Ryan Bridges was hit by a pitch, went to second on a bunt and took third on a fielder's choice grounder. Bridges came home from third on a wild pitch by Cal Bowling to give the Locos a 1-0 lead. Left-handed hitting Carroll (Mercer ) launched a three-run home run on a 2-1 pitch well over the right-field fence to push the Locos' lead to 4-0 in the fourth.
"My first at-bat I got jammed on an inner-half fastball so I thought he might come back with that at some point in the second at-bat and he did. He threw exactly what I was looking for," Carroll said.
In the sixth, Carroll singled, stole second and came home on an RBI single to right by Toth. That gave the Locos a 5-0 lead.
Locos starter Derek Varnadore (Chattahoochee Valley) tossed four shutout innings and gave up one hit. He struck out two and walked two. Varnadore threw 73 pitches, 45 for strikes.
Zach Laughlin (Georgia) picked up the win in relief to go 2-0. He threw 2 2/3 shutout innings. Kolby Wood came on and threw 1 1/3 shutout innings, including getting a key groundout with two outs and the bases loaded in the seventh.
Locos notes: The Locos' team ERA of 2.61 ranks second in the league to Grand Lake's mark of 1.29. The Locos are hitting .214 as a team, which ranks tied for seventh. The Locos' fielding mark of .957 ranks fifth.
The Locos signed left-hander Scott Pollack, from Cartersville, Ga. Pollack (Berry College, Ga.) is a college teammate of Lima left-hander Chris Rearick.
The Locos will play Licking County in a 5 p.m. doubleheader today at Simmons Field. |
