By Eli Halverson | July 11, 2025

After a tough series defeat at the hands of the Michigan Monarchs, the Joes returned home to Foundation Field for a crucial series against the league-best Lima Locos.

Unfortunately, the game could not have started worse for Hamilton. Five walks and a baffling dead-ball error from the pitcher allowed three runs to come across in the first inning—despite the Locos not recording a single base hit.

After an early pitching change, Joes reliever Evan Scott came in and delivered a big-time outing. While he only threw three innings, all three were stellar: zero runs, zero hits, and one strikeout. Scott kept the Joes in the game, which was critical as the offense struggled to sustain momentum.

While consistent success was tough to find on the night, the Joes did show flashes of life in the early innings.  In the second, Miguel Correa led off with a frozen rope into the gap, ending up on second with a double. After a Brett Denby single and Travis Yankovich walk, the Joes had the bases loaded with nobody out. But a deflating double play sapped the momentum, and although one run scored, it was all they could manage.

The third inning brought more opportunity. Two walks to open the frame again gave Hamilton a chance to make a serious dent in the Locos’ lead. Yet again, a flyout, groundout, and popout stalled the rally. One run crossed, but the Joes still trailed 3–2.

And that theme would hold for the rest of the night.

In the fourth, a leadoff single and a walk put two more on with nobody out—but the next three batters went down in order. In the fifth, Lima responded with an RBI double to stretch the lead to 4–2. In the bottom half, Christopher Roa led off with a double, but was stranded at second.

The sixth saw the Locos capitalize again—this time on a pitch clock violation that resulted in a walk, followed by a wild pitch that allowed a run to score, pushing the lead to three.

In the seventh, the Joes again created a spark with a Jackson Wang leadoff single, but Wang was caught trying to steal second. Two more singles with two outs created another window, but a groundout ended the inning and left both runners stranded.

Lima continued to capitalize on Joes miscues. A leadoff double in the eighth was followed by Hamilton’s fourth error of the game, allowing another run to score and making it 6–2 heading into the bottom half.

With two outs in the eighth, a walk and single set up runners on the corners for Jackson Wang, the Joes’ best hitter. But the story remained the same—Wang struck out swinging to end the inning.

The score would hold from there. In the ninth, Roa was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a first-to-third advance, ending the game with a 6–2 final.

There were some bright spots at the plate: Roa, Denby, and Correa all notched multi-hit games, and the bullpen gave up just two runs after the disastrous first. But the story of the night was missed opportunities—11 runners left on base—and the backbreaking first inning. Eliminate that, and this game might have flipped in the Joes' favor.

Hamilton will look to bounce back tomorrow night at Foundation Field in game two. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.