MOOSIC, Pa. - The Louisville Bats (38-60) defeated the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (56-42) with an incredible comeback, winning by an 8-6 final. The Bats trailed 6-0 heading into the ninth inning, sending it into extras and earning their third consecutive victory.
MOOSIC, Pa. - The Louisville Bats (38-60) defeated the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (56-42) with an incredible comeback, winning by an 8-6 final. The Bats trailed 6-0 heading into the ninth inning, sending it into extras and earning their third consecutive victory.
Louisville starting pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez (2-8, 6.80) got a no-decision in his quality start, allowing just one earned run on three hits and one home run over 6.0 innings, walking two and striking out four on 83 pitches, 53 strikes. The lone run he surrendered was a Trey Amburgey solo homer in the second inning.
The RailRiders extended their lead against Louisville relievers Eric Stout and Justin Grimm, with Grimm making his Bats debut after being traded to the Reds from the Dodgers on Wednesday. The right-hander came in with the bases loaded and allowed a Zack Zehner home run right off the bat, finishing his Louisville debut going 1.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit, walking two and striking out three.
Scranton starting pitcher Brody Koerner (3-1, 3.75) was the tough recipient of a no-decision, throwing 7.2 scoreless innings with just five hits and one walk surrendered, striking out eight. Louisville's offense was held without a run until a ninth inning that would etch its place in the history books.
Reliever Dan Jennings came into the game for the RailRiders in the ninth inning, trying to win preserve the shutout win for Koerner. Aristides Aquino had other ideas, smashing a solo home run to lead off the frame for his 23rd of the season. After retiring Nick Longhi, Jennings was the victim of another Louisville solo shot, with Alex Blandino taking him deep.
Sherman Johnson followed that up with a double, and Blake Trahan singled with still just one out in the inning. Bats manager Jody Davis chose to pinch hit for Stuart Turner with Chadwick Tromp, who homered in his first game with the Bats this season on Thursday night in Pawtucket. The belief in Tromp paid off, hammering a three-run homer down the left field line to make it a one-run game, 6-5.
Tromp's homer, the Bats' third home run of the inning, drove Jennings out of the game, with Scranton replacing him with J.P. Feyereisen. The first batter he faced, the red-hot Narciso Crook, did the unthinkable and homered to tie up the game, 6-6. Louisville not only overcame a six-run deficit in the ninth inning, but also tied a franchise record with four home runs in one inning, done only once before tonight, on June 16, 2000 by the RiverBats at Ottawa.
Right-hander R.J. Alaniz (1-0, 2.00) kept the RailRiders in check in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. After starting the inning with back-to-back outs, Blandino and Johnson drew back-to-back walks before Blake Trahan capped off what was an already incredible night with a clutch moment. Trahan snuck a grounder inside the right field line, plating two runs to give Louisville an 8-6 lead.
Alaniz hit the first batter he faced in the 10th, his second inning of work, before striking out Tyler Wade and proceeding to induce a 4-3 groundout double play to secure the Bats' most impressive victory of the 2019 season.
Louisville will go for a new season-high winning streak tomorrow, with right-hander Tejay Antone (2-3, 4.44) set to start for the Bats. The RailRiders will counter with right-hander Deivi Garcia (1-0, 5.40), with a 6:35 first pitch set for Saturday night at PNC Field.
