Sluggers Stunned by Joes' Late Surges in Tough Twin Bill Defeats
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
FINDLAY, OH — The Flag City Sluggers suffered a difficult holiday weekend at Marathon Diamonds, dropping both ends of a two-game set to the Hamilton Joes. The back-to-back defeats wrap up a tough stretch for the Sluggers, whose overall record slips to 14-12 on the summer.
Here is how both contests unfolded:
Game 1: Joes 7, Sluggers 6
The opener was a heartbreaker for Flag City, who rode a massive six-run sixth inning to take a 6-1 lead, only to watch the Joes storm back in the final frames.
Sluggers starter Leo McEnulty was masterful early, yielding just one unearned run and a single hit while striking out six across 5.0 dominant innings. His efforts paved the way for the sixth-inning explosion, where Gino Williams delivered a clutch two-run single to highlight a six-run frames entirely manufactured off Joes reliever Connor Schwalbach.
However, the Hamilton bats woke up late. The Joes chipped away with three runs in the eighth off Braylon Sheefel before plating three more unearned runs in the top of the ninth against Aidan Murphy (4-1) to pull off the shock 7-6 comeback.
Game 2: Joes 10, Sluggers 8 (7 Innings)
The nightcap featured plenty of fireworks and a near-miraculous comeback by the Sluggers, but an early deficit proved too much to overcome in a 10-8 defeat.
Hamilton (13-10) jumped all over Flag City starter Julius Robichaud (1-1) in the second inning, stringing together five runs. The Joes extended their lead to 10-3 by the middle of the sixth, capitalizing on a tough night for Sluggers pitchers, who hit six Hamilton batters over the course of the seven-inning game.
Down to their final three outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Sluggers showed incredible fight against Hamilton reliever Kyle Binder. Trailing 10-3, Flag City batted around and mounted a furious five-run rally, punctuated by a grand slam or a massive four-RBI double from Jimmy LaForce to cut the deficit to 10-8.
The Sluggers brought the tying run to the plate, but the Joes managed to record the final out to halt the comeback and secure the twin-bill sweep.
Key Series Stats
Flag City Sluggers
Jimmy LaForce (DH): 2-for-3, 4 RBI, R, BB (Game 2)
Atticus Huffstutler (1B/DH): 3-for-7, 2B, RBI, 2 R over both games
Gino Williams (1B): 1-for-4, 2 RBI (Game 1)
Leo McEnulty (P): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO (Game 1)
Hamilton Joes
Owen McKoon (1B): 2-for-7, 4 RBI, 3 R over both games
Brady Bowen (2B/CF): 3-for-7, 2B, 3 RBI, R, Save (Game 1)
Gavin Brewer (C/RF): 3-for-6, RBI, 2 R over both games
