Joes Win First Home Game of the Season but Settle for Doubleheader Split
By Eli Halverson | June 14, 2025
Game One
After an excruciating 11-inning, tiebreaker loss in the series opener against the Michigan Monarchs, the Joes returned to Foundation Field on Saturday afternoon with a chance to bounce back in a doubleheader—and they delivered in game one.
In a season where consistent pitching has been hard to come by at times, starter Michael Bilo turned in the best performance by a Joes pitcher so far this year. Bilo threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits, walking none, and striking out four over seven dominant innings.
The Joes also gave Bilo plenty of run support with yet another first inning full of scoring, spurred by an RBI groundout from Jackson Wang and an RBI single from Miguel Correa.
The Joes’ offense gave him early support, continuing their trend of first-inning scoring. Jackson Wang drove in the opening run with a groundout, and Miguel Correa followed with an RBI single to make it 2–0. Hamilton added three more runs throughout the game to cap off a 5–0 win—their first home victory of the season.
Bilo was the clear player of the game, and now boasts a season ERA of just 0.77 through 11.2 innings. At the plate, Jordan Malott (2-for-3, HR, 2B, RBI) and Diego DeCello (1-for-2, 2B, BB, RBI) helped pace the offense.
Game Two
Game two flipped the script. After shutting out the Monarchs in the opener, the Joes were blanked themselves in the nightcap.
A gem of a pitching performance from both Owen Elsey (4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 K) and Matthew Hubbard (2.2 IP, 1 H, 3 K) completely shut down the Joes at the plate, giving up just three baserunners on the night.
The Joes got another strong outing on the mound from Dean Brown, who took a tough-luck loss. Brown tossed six innings and gave up just one unearned run on five hits, but it proved to be enough for the Monarchs to take a 1–0 win and earn the doubleheader split.
Despite the split, the Joes’ pitching staff delivered one of its best overall days of the season—14 total innings, zero earned runs, and just seven hits allowed across both games.
Hamilton will now get two much-needed days off before heading on the road to face the Lima Locos on Tuesday night. First pitch from Simmons Field is scheduled for 7:05 PM.
