Eight-Run Third Too Much For Bats In 11-3 Loss 

The Louisville Bats couldn’t escape a disastrous bottom of the third inning, falling behind and eventually suffering a 11-3 loss to the Iowa Cubs in the finale of their six-game series on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park.

Louisville quickly put runners on the corners with one out in the top of the first. However, the visitors couldn’t capitalize as Thomas Pannone induced a pop up from P.J. Higgins and a strikeout of Conner Capel to end the inning.

Iowa quickly got the scoring started during their turn in the first when Matt Mervis connected on a solo homer to right, his fifth of the season. Two innings later, the I-Cubs broke through with a big inning that would ultimately hand Bats starter Brett Kennedy the loss.

Following a leadoff single in the third, Jake Slaughter added to the Iowa lead with a two-run homer, his second of the year. Doubles from Miles Mastrobuoni and Owen Caissie, followed by a single from B.J. Murray Jr., increased the lead to 5-0. Darius Hill hit a double of his own to score two more and bring an end to Kennedy’s afternoon. Randy Wynne struggle to get out of the inning, only doing so after two more Iowa runs scored as the lead ballooned to 9-0.

Kennedy (L, 0-2) was saddled with the loss after allowing nine runs on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout over 2.1 innings.

The Bats got on the board in the fourth when P.J. Higgins doubled and scored on an RBI single from Austin Wynns. Hernan Perez followed with a double off the wall in left to plate Wynns and Michael Trautwein, who walked earlier in the inning.

The Louisville offense was stymied from there. Pannone (W, 3-0) earned the victory for the Cubs after pitching five innings with three runs against. Edwin Escobar, Porter Hodge, and Jose Cuas combined to pitch the final four innings.

From the Bats bullpen, Wynne pitched 2.2 innings with three strikeouts. Brooks Kriske fired a scoreless bottom of the sixth. Evan Kravetz gave up two unearned runs while getting two outs in the seventh. Stevie Branche got the final out in the seventh and Yosver Zulueta tossed a clean eighth.

Perez drove in two of the three Bats runs in the loss while Higgins and Wynns each recorded a pair of hits. In his Bats debut, Livan Soto went 1-for-4 with a bunt single from the leadoff spot. The defeat laves the Bats winless in two road series, dropping four of six in each of their road trips to start the 2024 season.

The Bats (9-12) return home to Louisville Slugger Field to begin a six-game series against the Nashville Sounds on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.