Play ball

Hamilton, OH - Sports and arts go hand in hand.

Think John Fogarty's "Centerfield" or Joe Burrow on a recent Sports Illustrated cover celebrating his love of fabric art (aka fashion).

No surprise then that the Fitton Center for Creative Arts partners with the Hamilton Joes baseball team in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League every season.

Fitton Center Night wrapped up the regular season for the Joes at Foundation Field Saturday, July 27.

The Joes posted a 10-8 win against the Xenia Scouts to finish the season 23-18, good for second place in the South Division, just a half game behind the Scouts, who finished 24-18.

Before the game, the Rosie Reds Singers - fresh off an appearance at the Florence Y'alls the week before and in advance of a return to Great American Ballpark in September - sang the National Anthem.

Trent Geise of Edgwood High School threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The Scouts got on the board quickly with a run in the first, but the Joes batted around on the way to a five-run second to go up 5-1. Xenia scored again in the third, cut the lead to 5-4 in the fifth and went ahead 6-5 in the sixth, but the lead didn't last long.

The Joes went up 7-6 in the seventh and added three more in the eighth. Xenia made it interesting, plating a pair in the ninth inning, before Diego DiCello came in to earn the save for winning pitcher Jordan Taylor. Right fielder Christopher Roa Colcano paced the offense with a 3-for-4 night at the plate, including a triple and a pair of runs batted in.

The Joes start their playoff run with a best-of-three series against the Scouts beginning at 7:05 p.m. Monday, July 28, at Grady’s Field in Xenia. Game 2 will be back at Foundation Field at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, July 29.

Good luck to the Joes in the playoffs. Take a look at some of the pregame and action on the field in the photo gallery below.