Bats Refuse To Lose, Staging A Late Comeback To Remain Unbeaten

Down to their last three outs, the Louisville Bats homered their way to a stunning 8-7 victory over the Iowa Cubs, capped by Rece Hinds’ walk-off home run to keep the bats undefeated.

The Bats sent left-hander Brandon Leibrandt to the mound for the first of six games against the Cubs. It didn’t take long for Iowa to make noise, with leadoff hitter Justin Dean taking the second pitch of the game to right field for a home run. The Cubs followed with a single that was quickly erased by a Bats double play. But the inning wasn’t over yet, as cleanup hitter Kevin Alcantara added an additional run with the inning’s second solo homer. Leibrandt evaded any further damage with his first strikeout of the game.

Blake Dunn began the bottom half of the first with a leadoff double, extending his hitting streak to 16 games and on-base streak to 33 games dating back to last season. The double would be the only offense of the frame, as the Bats failed to push across a first inning run for the first time in the 2026 campaign.

In the home half of the second, JJ Bleday got the Bats on the board with a leadoff home run -- his first as a member of the Reds organization. Christian Encarnacion-Strand followed with a double to threaten the Cubs 2-1 lead. A strikeout, fly out, and walk brought Dunn back to the plate with runners on the corners, but his fly out ended the inning.

Leibrandt worked his first clean inning of the game in the third by recording a fly out and back-to-back strikeouts.

In the top of the fourth, the Bats pieced together a textbook relay from right field to throw out a Cubs runner attempting to score from first base. An additional run would still come across to score on a Chas McCormick single, making it 3-1 Cubs.

A half-inning later, Michael Toglia blasted a no-doubt solo home run, his first with the Bats, again reducing the Cubs’ lead to a single run.

With one out in the top of the fifth and Leibrandt still on the mound, Cubs nine-hitter Hayden Cantrelle singled and stole two bases amidst a 10-pitch at-bat for Dean that ended in a walk. The free pass would signal the end of Leibrandt’s night, as the Bats brought on reliever Sam Benschoter. Iowa pushed across their fourth run of the game on a fielder’s choice before the inning concluded with a called third strike upheld by ABS.

The Bats rallied in the home half of the fifth. Following a hit batsman and walk afforded by Cubs’ reliever Vince Velazquez, Rece Hinds delivered a two-run triple to tie the game. Velazquez then walked Bleday putting runners on the corners with two outs. Bleday stole second base, forcing an errant throw by the Cubs’ catcher, allowing Hinds to score and give the Bats their first lead of the game, 5-4.

In the top of the sixth, Benschoter worked around a walk for a shutdown inning. He would be replaced by reliever Kyle Nicolas, making his Bats debut to begin the seventh. Following a pop out, the Cubs’ Bethancourt doubled off the right field wall and came across to score soon after on another double inside the first base bag by Hayden Cantrelle. Nicolas escaped further damage with a strikeout and fly out.

Both offenses went quiet the next few frames until, with the score tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth, Bats reliever Zach Maxwell allowed a two-run home run to Cubs Cantrelle that put the Cubs back on top.

Down but not out, the Bats rallied once more in the bottom of the ninth with a Dunn double and clutch game tying blast by Edwin Arroyo -- his first Triple-A home run -- tying the score at seven apiece. Two batters later, Rece Hinds ended the game by sending a walk off home run into the Louisville night. It was Hinds’ second walk off in four games.

Hinds led the way with a triple and a home run along with three RBI. The 4-0 start for the Bats is their first since 2001, when they ended the season with an International League title.

The Bats (4-0) continue their season opening homestand against the I-Cubs (1-3) on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Jim Kelch will be on the call for Talk Radio 1080-AM.