Pitching Gem and 18-Run Outburst Power Sluggers to Doubleheader Sweep of Copperheads

Jun 18

GAME 1

ATHENS, OH — For the second time in three days, the Flag City Sluggers pitching staff completely stymied the Southern Ohio Copperheads, combining for a brilliant one-hitter to claim a 1-0 victory in the opening game of Thursday's doubleheader at Bob Wren Stadium.

Just 48 hours after teammate Leo McEnulty flirted with a no-hitter on the same mound, Dominic Elia and Aidan Murphy replicated the magic. The duo kept the Copperheads (2-9) off-balance all evening, allowing the Sluggers (6-5) to squeeze out a victory in a swift, seven-inning pitcher's duel.

Flag City manufactured the game’s lone run in the very first frame. Timothy Leark drew a lead-off walk, promptly stole second, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Trenten Smith. Mickey Anderson then drove him home with a sacrifice fly to deep center field, putting the Sluggers on top 1-0 before a single defensive out was recorded in the infield.

That single run was all the insurance Elia (1-0) required. The right-hander cruised through 5.1 dominant innings, surrendering just a lone single to Joshua Caudill while striking out four.

When Elia walked a batter with one out in the sixth, the Sluggers turned to closer Aidan Murphy. Murphy shut down the brief threat and threw 1.2 perfect innings of relief, striking out the final batter of the game to secure his fourth save of the summer and complete the one-hit shutout.

Key Stats

Flag City Sluggers

Dominic Elia (P): 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO (Win)
Aidan Murphy (P): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 SO (Save)
Mickey Anderson (CF): 0-for-1, RBI, SF, Sac
Timothy Leark (LF): 1-for-3, R, BB, SB

Southern Ohio Copperheads

Joshua Caudill (C): 1-for-3 (Only team hit)
Brody Mann (P): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 5 SO (Loss)

GAME 2

ATHENS, OH — The Flag City Sluggers completed a doubleheader sweep of the Southern Ohio Copperheads in jaw-dropping fashion on Thursday night, unleashing an absolute offensive avalanche to win Game 2, 18-3, at Bob Wren Stadium.

After scraping by with a 1-0 victory in the first game, the Sluggers (7-5) completely broke out the bats in the nightcap, riding two separate massive innings and a historic individual performance from catcher Atticus Huffstutler to bury the Copperheads (2-10).

Southern Ohio actually held a brief 2-1 lead after the first inning, but Flag City flipped the script entirely in the top of the fifth. Trailing 2-1, the Sluggers sent 14 batters to the plate. Highlighting the explosive nine-run frame was Huffstutler, who cracked a bases-clearing double to drive in three of his game-high six RBIs, rocketing Flag City out to a 10-2 lead.

The offense wasn't done yet. In the top of the seventh, the Sluggers piled on seven more runs to put the game completely out of reach. Cameron Spezia laced a two-run double, and Huffstutler added another two-RBI single to cap off his spectacular 5-for-6 night at the plate.

Meanwhile, Flag City starter Jackson Urenovitch (2-1) cruise control on the mound. He bounced back beautifully after a shaky first inning, finishing with six strikeouts and allowing just one hit over 4.2 dominant frames to earn the win before handing things off to the bullpen to seal the sweep.

The Sluggers travel to Grand Lake on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm.