Bats Set New Franchise Record In 18-4 Win

The Louisville Bats hit a franchise record seven home runs in a dominant 18-4 win over the Toledo Mud Hens at Louisville Slugger Field on Tuesday evening in the opener of a six-game series.

Davis Daniel made his fourth start of the season after his best outing as a Bat last week in Indianapolis. Beyond a lone single by top Detroit Tigers prospect Max Clark, Daniel worked a smooth first inning.

Opposed by Mud Hens starter Sawyer Gipson-Long, Blake Dunn got the offense going early with a leadoff double down the left field line. Two straight fly outs to center field got Dunn over and in for the first run of the game, a 1-0 Bats lead on Hector Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly.

To open the second, the Bats combined to hit 902 feet worth of home runs between JJ Bleday’s 460-foot shot and Michael Toglia’s 442-foot encore, landing in nearly identical locations in right-center field. The duo gave the Bats their first back-to-back home runs of the season, and a 3-0 lead into the third. For Bleday, it extended his on-base streak to 14 games and gave him a home run in two straight contests.

The Bats’ scoring ways continued into the third, beginning with singles from Edwin Arroyo and Rodriguez, the latter having reached base in all 16 games this season. Bleday stayed hot by driving in two runs with a single of his own, and a Toglia double play scored the sixth Bats run.

For a moment, it appeared the Bats might go quietly in the fourth, until an error by the Mud Hens pitcher allowed a runner to reach second. Arroyo made it count by sending his third home run of the season to the berm in left-center field, lengthening the Louisville lead to 8-1.

Francisco Urbaez recorded his first triple of the season to open the next inning. Will Banfield quickly drove in Urbaez with a single, followed by a walk. One batter later, Arroyo recorded his third RBI of the night on a sacrifice fly. Another single by Rodriguez brought Michael Chavis to the plate, and he promptly deposited his team-leading sixth home run into the seats in left field.

In the sixth, with the game very much in hand, Ivan Johnson stepped to the plate representing the only Bats hitter without a hit on the night. He jumped on a fastball and notched the team’s fifth home run of the game. It was, coincidentally, also his first hit of the season, extending the lead to 16-2.

The show would go on in the eighth when Toledo sent a position player to the mound. Johnson hit his second homer of the night, and Dunn hit the second set of back-to-back blasts, his first homer of the season.

For the Bats, it is their first time scoring 18 or more runs since scoring 19 on June 25, 2023, at Charlotte. Their new franchise record of seven home runs breaks the previous record of six, which occurred four times, most recently on May 4, 2023, at Omaha. Every Bats starter recorded a hit and a run, and all but one recorded at least one RBI.

Johnson led the way with two home runs and four RBI, while Arroyo, Chavis, and Bleday provided three RBI and one home run each. Daniel (W, 2-1) earned the win for the Bats, throwing 5.2 innings, two earned runs, and six strikeouts in his second straight victory.

The Bats (9-7) continue their series against the Mud Hens (7-9) on Wednesday morning. First pitch is set for 11:05 a.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Talk Radio 1080-AM.