Lima News Release
Adam Clark's brother is running for city council in Norwood, a city in the middle of Cincinnati.
The way Clark pitched for the Lima Locos this summer, he may want to try running for mayor of Lima.
Before most games this season, the affable Clark would greet many fans down the left-field line and around the park. He would chat and joke with anyone he recognized.
But once the left-handed reliever took the mound, all the chuckling was over. It was time for his 90 mph fastball, breaking ball and change-up.
And Clark always wanted the ball.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Clark (Eastern Illinois) came on in relief on Sunday night and tossed the final 4.2 innings of no-hit ball to pick up the 2-1 victory in Game 2 of the Great Lakes Collegiate League championship series. He retired the final 13 hitters he faced to close it out.
The Locos won the best-of-3 championship series, 2-0.
"I was dying for the ball," Clark said. "I was asking coach (Gene Stechschulte) when we got the lead, 'When do I get it?' Then, he finally gave it to me."
Clark was the most valuable player of the GLCL playoffs. It marks the Locos' third GLCL title after winning in 1993 and 2004.
In Game 2 of the semifinal series against Licking County, a 6-3 win, Clark went 4.2 innings of shutout, four-hit ball.
For the playoffs, Clark was 2-0 with two appearances over 9.1 innings. He gave up no runs on four hits. Clark struck out three and walked one.
Clark was the glue to the team's strength, the bullpen. During the team's 28-14 regular season, Clark was 3-0 with five saves and a 0.82 ERA.
The Locos' staff didn't have a clear No. 1 starter, but made up for it with plenty of depth.
"We didn't have all the arms that everybody else wanted, but we had all the arms that I wanted because they threw strikes and competed," Locos coach Gene Stechschulte said.
Clark and right-hander Zach Sterling (2.46, 5 saves), from Bath, formed a 1-2 punch at the back end of the bullpen that few teams could handle.
"With Zach and Smooth (Clark), when you have righty and lefty coming out of the bullpen with those two guys, I wouldn't trade those two guys for anybody, any year in this league," Stechschulte said.
The biggest ingredient with the championship team of 2011 is that everyone did their role, whether it was in the bullpen, getting the key hits or making the huge play in the field.
First baseman Andy Chriscaden led Game 1 of the championship series by going 2 for 4 with a double, a triple and four RBIs.
Chriscaden and his teammates greeted fans Monday at the welcome-home gathering at Simmons Field.
"I'm definitely going to keep in touch with these guys," Chriscaden said, looking at his teammates. ... "I have a whole family here."
Stechschulte said, "To see the looks on their faces after they won and to see the joy that they had, it was fun to see."
Then, there was Cesar Loiz, an outfielder, who came in mostly for defense down the stretch. Loiz entered Game 3 of the semifinal series in left field in the ninth inning and threw out a runner at third base trying to go from first to third on a single to help preserve the 3-2 win.
In Game 2 of the championship series, Loiz made a spectacular diving grab of a low liner in center field off the ball of the Copperheads' Joe Ciamacco to lead off the seventh inning.
Loiz, who played for Wabash Valley last spring, is headed to UNOH in this fall.
Every player on the roster contributed. And every player will remember celebrating on the back of the mound after the final out.
"That's my first dog pile," Chriscaden said with a laugh.
