Joes Comeback and Sweep the Sluggers, 9-8
Joes Sweep the Sluggers in Walk-Off Fashion
The Flag City Sluggers came to play the Hamilton Joes at Foundation Field for the final game of the set on this patriotic weekend.
Joes would strike in the bottom of the first with a base hit to left field from Owen McKoon, scoring Parker Falkenstein. Alex Koelling would ground out to third next, but it would score another run, getting the Joes out in front 2-0.
Flag City would respond with two runs of their own in the top of the second with Kaden Ford stealing third on a passed ball and scoring on that same play because nobody was covering home. Aiden Booth would punch a double down the right field line to plate another and tie the game at two.
Both starting pitchers would settle in for a couple of innings with Tate Martino of the Sluggers and Dean Brown of the Joes getting through at least four innings each. Dean Brown would come back out into the fifth and finish the inning, but not before the Sluggers knocked him around a little bit, with Braden Sprague scoring on a wild pitch, Draydon Wardrop scoring from a groundout, and an RBI double from Atticus Huffstutler.
Joes would respond with an RBI single from AJ Beggs and a sacrifice fly from Ryder Kirtley. The sluggers would still lead 5-4 and would add to their lead in the top of the sixth with a two-run single from Trenton Smith and an RBI single from Huffstutler. Joes would trail 8-4, but they were still fighting. Noah Wagster would score on a groundout from Brady Bowen, decreasing the lead by one.
Bottom of the seventh, Beggs and Koelling would both reach to start the inning. They would perform a double steal, and the catcher for the Sluggers threw to second, and the ball would go to the outfield. Koelling would be able to score, and Beggs would advance to third. Ryder Kirtley would knock in Beggs to bring the score to 8-7. Bowen would come up later in the inning and draw a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. In the bottom of the eighth, the Joes would load the bases with one out in the inning. Alec Halter would come to the plate, and he would try to lay down a bunt. He wasn’t able to make contact, and Beggs was too far off the bag at third, and he got into a rundown. He would eventually be tagged out, but Zumwalt was also too far from first, and then he got into a rundown and was tagged out to end the inning.
The score remained tied going into the bottom of the ninth. Alec Halter and Wagner would walk to start the inning with runners on first and second. A wild pitch would advance the runners forward, which forced the Sluggers to walk Bowen to load the bases with one out. Owen McKoon would step up to the plate and hit a line drive into left field to score the game-winning run to complete the comeback and the sweep.
Joes will have a day off and then travel to Lima for day one of doubleheaders against the Locos. Joes will have day two of the doubleheaders at Foundation Field on Wednesday to complete the series with four games in two days.
