The Southern Ohio Copperheads gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about on Family Night, delivering a 10-6 win over the Hamilton Joes on Sunday, July 6 at Bob Wren Stadium. A big second and third inning gave the Copperheads a lead they never gave up, despite a late push from the Joes.

The Joes jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first, capitalizing on walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a wild pitch that allowed a runner to steal home. Miguel Correa Jr. capped off the inning with a two-RBI single into right field. But the Copperheads responded quickly and decisively.

In the bottom of the second, Logan Martin launched a two-run homer after a base hit from Frankie Clark, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Alex Taylor and starting pitcher Charlie Griffith followed with back-to-back hits, and Tylan Graves delivered a clutch two-RBI single to flip the game in Southern Ohio’s favor, 4-3.

The momentum carried into the third, where Jack Ferguson stole home on a wild pitch and Ronnie Rowley added two more runs with a hard-hit triple, thanks to a misplayed ball in the outfield. By the end of the frame, the Copperheads had surged ahead 8-3.

Griffith settled in on the mound after the rocky first inning, holding the Joes scoreless through the third before handing things off to the bullpen. Zane Loveday and Thomas Adair combined for solid relief work, with Loveday fending off a brief Hamilton comeback effort after Jackson Wang’s two-run homer in the sixth inning made the score 8-5.

The Copperheads kept the pressure on in the bottom of the seventh with more timely hitting. Ferguson reached on an infield single to score Haruta Endo, and Brendan Willadsen roped a double to left to bring Ferguson around. The insurance runs pushed the lead to 10-5.

Despite a final-inning rally attempt from the Joes that brought one more run across the plate, Ferguson, now pitching, shut the door to seal the win. Rowley, Clark, and Endo all recorded multi-hit performances, while Martin’s early home run and Rowley’s batting helped drive in crucial runs.

The Copperheads look ahead to their next home game: the annual Turn It Gold With Passion Night this Wednesday, July 9, against the Grand Lake Mariners. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. at Bob Wren Stadium.

By: Maggie Malone