Williams Drives in Four but Sluggers Fall to Joes' 17-Hit Attack
FINDLAY, OH — A massive nine-run fourth inning by the Hamilton Joes proved too much to overcome as the Flag City Sluggers dropped a 15-4 decision on Saturday evening at Marathon Field.
The Joes (3-4) unleashed a 17-hit barrage, clicking on all cylinders to split the home-and-home series and push the Sluggers' record to 3-4 on the summer.
Flag City actually held the upper hand early on. Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second, the Sluggers rallied with two outs. Miles Mitchell and Mason Jacob drew consecutive walks, and Braden Sprague singled to load the bases. First baseman Gino Williams then came through with a clutch bases-clearing double, driving in all three runners to give Flag City a 3-1 lead.
Everything shifted in the top of the fourth. The Joes sent 14 batters to the plate against Sluggers starter Parker Faris (0-2) and reliever Braylon Sheefel. The blowout frame featured a two-run home run by Preston Zumwalt and a two-run double by Alex Koelling, flipping the game entirely into a 10-3 Hamilton lead.
Hamilton added another run in the sixth and poured on four more in the seventh, highlighted by an Owen McKoon solo home run. Williams drove in his fourth run of the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth, but Hamilton's pitching staff kept the rest of the Flag City lineup at bay to wrap up the run-ruled contest in seven innings.
The Sluggers travel to Hamilton on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.
Key Stats
Flag City Sluggers
Gino Williams (1B): 3-for-3, two 2Bs, 4 RBI
Braden Sprague (DH): 1-for-2, 2 R, BB
Cameron Spezia (RF): 1-for-3
Hamilton Joes
Owen McKoon (RF): 4-for-5, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R
AJ Gundler (LF): 4-for-4, 2B, RBI, 3 R, 2 SB
Dale Ellis (P): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 6 SO (Win)
