Sluggers' Bullpen Silences Joes in 7-2 Loss
By Eli Halverson | June 20, 2025
Following a huge series sweep of the Lima Locos, the Joes hit the road to take on the Flag City Sluggers, looking to keep their winning streak alive.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, it was one of those nights where they just couldn’t get the bats going. The Sluggers went with a bullpen game, using seven different pitchers—none besides starter Ben Best throwing more than one inning. The constant rotation kept the Joes off-balance, as Hamilton managed just two runs on three hits and struggled to find any rhythm at the plate.
Michael Bilo took the mound for the Joes, looking to build on his dominant outing last weekend. While he didn’t have his sharpest stuff, it was still a serviceable start—three innings pitched, two hits, three runs allowed (one unearned).
Brendan Mullin came on in relief and turned in a strong performance, tossing two scoreless innings to keep the Joes in the game, and the offense would take advantage. Jackson Wang stayed hot with an RBI single in the sixth, and Brett Denby followed with an RBI single in the seventh to cut the deficit to one.
But things unraveled in the eighth. A flurry of extra-base hits from the Sluggers—capped off by a two-run homer from Charlie Smith—broke the game open and put it out of reach. The Joes couldn’t respond, falling 7–2 in game one of the series.
Hamilton will look to bounce back Saturday night in game two, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM.
