By Eli Halverson | July 2, 2025

After a morale-boosting 13-12, walk-off victory in game one of the series at home, the Joes hit the road for game two, looking to continue the strong momentum. 

Hamilton got going once again in the first, beginning with a two-out double from MVP candidate Jackson Wang.  Travis Yankovich followed it up with a single to center, scoring Wang and giving the Joes an early 1-0 lead. 

Grand Lake responded with a run of their own, spurred by a Joes error, tying the game at one.  

Dale Ellis got the start and put in a solid outing. He tossed five innings, allowing six hits and three runs (one unearned) while striking out five. It wasn’t his sharpest showing of the season, but Ellis kept the Joes in the game and gave them a chance.

The Joes needed every bit of that stability, as the bats went cold after the first inning. Despite getting multiple runners on base in the early and middle innings, Hamilton couldn’t push any runs across—until the eighth.

Prior to the eighth, the Mariners had gotten a few more across on RBI base hits and they were protecting a seemingly safe 5-1 lead.  However, the Joes absolutely ambushed them in the eighth. 

A hit batter and error from the Grand Lake outfield set the Joes up with runners on first and second with nobody out and the rest of the lineup delivered.  The runs began pouring in with five consecutive base hits scoring a total of six runs, all before the Mariners could get even a single out.  After a couple of putouts, Miguel Correa put his finishing touch on the massive eighth inning with a two-run single that stretched the Hamilton lead to 9-5.   

However, the Mariners continued to battle.  Grand Lake got some crucial runs back with three singles and an RBI fielder’s choice, getting two across and cutting the lead in half in the bottom half.  

Then came the chaos in the ninth. Grand Lake opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases.  Following that, the free passes struck again, with a walk and a hit batter tying the game and keeping the bases loaded, giving the Mariners a golden opportunity to notch a walk-off of their own.  But Brendan Mullin held his nerve and came through with two huge strikeouts to escape the jam and send the game to extras.

Both teams would go relatively quietly in the tenth, meaning we were heading to a tiebreaker eleventh inning.  

The Mariners took the offensive side, meaning Joes pitcher Matty Helms found himself in a crucial spot after already pitching a scoreless tenth. Helms absolutely delivered in arguably his biggest moment of the season—getting the first two outs and, after an intentional walk to Aaron Klubeck (who went 3-for-5 on the night), finishing off the game and sealing a second straight Joes victory.

After a full week of brutally close losses, it seems the tide is finally turning in Hamilton’s direction. This marks back-to-back one-run (or in this case, tiebreaker) wins and gets the Joes back over .500 at 12-11. When looking at the players of the game, you have to start with Matty Helms. With the absence of Carson Brower in the bullpen, someone needed to step up and fill the void—and Helms made his case tonight, tossing two critical scoreless innings in extra time.

Christopher Roa also continued his hot streak with a 3-for-6 day in the leadoff spot, and Jackson Wang kept mashing with two hits, including a double.

The Joes return home to Foundation Field tomorrow looking to finish off a series sweep over the Mariners. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.