ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Louisville Bats (3-5) dropped their third straight game to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 7-6. The Bats have dropped the first three games of the series despite leading early in each of the contests.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Louisville Bats (3-5) dropped their third straight game to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 7-6. The Bats have dropped the first three games of the series despite leading early in each of the contests.
Louisville took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning with a Steve Selsky solo home run, his second in as many days, and a two-run double off the bat of starting pitcher Domingo Tapia, who helped his cause with the extra-base hit. The right-hander (0-1, 5.68) lasted 3.1 innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits and a home run, recording no walks and one strikeout.
The Bats used a season-high six pitchers in tonight's ballgame, with relievers Rafael De Paula, Ben Rowen, Kyle Crockett, Tanner Rainey and Evan Mitchell combining for 4.2 innings of work out of the bullpen. For De Paula, it was his first game pitching in a Louisville uniform this season. Rainey returned to the Bats tonight after pitching two games for Louisville early in the season before a call-up to Cincinnati where he made his Major League debut.
Ranfi Casimiro (1-0, 1.80) got the win for the IronPigs, tossing 2.0 innings in relief of Lehigh Valley starting pitcher Cole Irvin, who got the no-decision.
Nick Senzel, ranked as the #7 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, hit his first career Triple-A home run in the top of the ninth inning. Senzel is batting .231 (9-for-39) through his first nine career games in a Louisville Bats uniform.
Rosell Herrera continued to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-5 and registering two extra-base hits, now leading the International League with seven. His ninth inning triple was the first Bats' triple this season.
The fourth and final game of the series between the Bats and Pigs is set for tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. Left-hander Justin Nicolino (1-0, 1.80) will go for the Bats and right-hander Enyel De Los Santos (0-0, 1.80) will go for Lehigh Valley as they look to sweep the Bats in four games for the second straight season at Coca-Cola Park.
