By Eli Halverson | July 18, 2025

The Joes lost a tough one Friday night, rallying but ultimately coming up short, 5-4. Fortunately, they got a chance to bounce back immediately with a Saturday afternoon doubleheader—and they took full advantage.

Game One

The Clippers struck first in the opening frame. A couple of hit batters created early trouble, and a single followed by an error allowed a run to score, giving the Clippers the early lead.

The Joes responded right away. Jackson Wang led off the bottom of the first with a double, and Travis Yankovich brought him home with a sacrifice fly. The scoring wouldn’t stop there.

In the third, Muskingum threatened again—loading the bases with no outs after a single, an error, and another single. A sacrifice fly brought in one, and another single plated a second. But a huge 5-4-3 double play stopped the bleeding and kept the damage to just two runs.

Then the Joes struck. Despite two quick outs to start the inning, the rally was on. Brett Denby singled, Christopher Roa walked, and then Jackson Wang laced an RBI single. Yankovich followed with another RBI single to tie the game at three. Aidyn Coffey stepped up in a huge spot and ripped a two-run triple into the gap, giving the Joes a 5-3 lead after three innings.

Hamilton kept it rolling in the fourth with a Jaxson Christ RBI double. The Clippers clawed back with one run in the fifth and another in the sixth to trim the lead to 6-5.

But the Joes responded immediately in the bottom of the sixth. Singles by Mark Nowak and Marc Iozzo and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. Denby came through again, driving in two more with a base hit. Wang then smashed a two-run double, giving the Joes a commanding 10-5 lead.

Muskingum would add one more, but that was it. The Joes took game one by a final score of 10-6.

Wang led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Matty Helms and Dylan Kaiser also turned in strong relief outings to help secure the win.

Game Two

The Clippers again jumped ahead in the first, putting two on with no outs. A double play scored one, but killed their momentum—limiting them to a single run.

The next couple of innings were scoreless until the third, when Jaxson Christ unloaded on a pitch for a solo homer—his third of the year—to tie the game at one.

After more strong pitching, the Joes broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases with no outs. Wang, once again clutch, drove in two with a single. Yankovich walked to reload the bases, and Mark Rutherford added a sac fly before Marc Iozzo’s RBI groundout made it 5-1.

Muskingum added one in the sixth after a pair of baserunners, but another timely double play ended the threat. Hamilton tacked on some insurance before Jack Cecil closed out a strong outing (4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 K) with a scoreless seventh to seal the 7-2 win.

The story of the day was defense. Hamilton turned seven double plays across both games, constantly escaping jams and powering their way to a much-needed sweep of the Clippers.

The Joes now head into the All-Star break at 20-18. They'll return to action next weekend with a home series against the Xenia Scouts. Game one is scheduled for Friday, July 25 at 7:05 PM from Foundation Field.