By Eli Halverson | July 29, 2025

After a dominant shutout win in game one, the Joes returned to Foundation Field on Tuesday night looking to sweep the series against the Xenia Scouts—and they delivered once again.

Michael Murphy got the start for Hamilton and followed up Marc Iozzo’s stellar performance from the night before with a gem of his own. Murphy was nearly perfect, tossing 4.2 no-hit innings with five strikeouts, allowing just two baserunners all night.

With a runner on third and two outs in the fifth, Murphy reached his pitch limit. Dean Brown entered in relief and stranded the runner, sealing five no-hit innings for the Joes’ pitching staff.

Much like the night before, the Joes’ offense took some time to get going. But in the third, they finally broke through. Mark Nowak laced a double for Hamilton’s first hit of the night. After a walk and a hit batter, the bases were loaded for Jackson Wang. Wang worked a full count and drew a walk, bringing in the game’s first run and giving Hamilton a 1-0 lead.

The fifth inning brought more trouble for Xenia. The Joes loaded the bases again, and Marc Iozzo—who’d shined on the mound the night before—drew the team’s second RBI walk of the game to make it 2-0.

In the sixth, Nowak stayed hot with a single. A wild pitch and a Scouts error helped him come all the way around to score, extending the Joes’ lead to 3-0.

Meanwhile, Brown was in complete control on the mound. He retired Xenia with ease through the seventh before facing his first real test in the eighth. After allowing just one hit over 2.1 innings, Brown gave up a leadoff single that advanced to second on a throwing error. A walk put another runner aboard with two outs. But after a quick mound visit, Brown needed just one pitch to induce a weak grounder to short, ending the threat.

The Joes then put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth—without recording a single hit. Seven free passes—via walks and hit batters—plated four more runs, blowing the game open at 7-0.

Matty Helms came in to close it out in the ninth, securing back-to-back shutouts and completing the series sweep over the Scouts.

This was complete domination. Not only did the Joes outscore Xenia 14-0 over the two-game playoff series, but they’ve now won five straight against the Scouts dating back to the regular season.

With the win, the Joes advance to the League Championship Series. While the site of the game is still to be determined, Hamilton will face the winner of the Michigan Monarchs vs. Lima Locos series.