Bats Left Out at Sea in 10-0 Shutout by Clips

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bobby Bradley and Ryan Lavarnway homered, five pitchers combined for nine shutout innings and the Columbus Clippers (3-1) proved turnabout is fair play to blank the Louisville Bats (1-3) 10-0 Friday night at Louisville Slugger Field.

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Just one night after routing the Clippers in a shutout, 9-0, the Bats suffered an identical fate via Friday's defeat.

Louisville starter Riley O’Brien made his Triple-A debut and initially continued the recent trend of strong Bats starting pitching. O’Brien worked out of trouble in the second and pushed the rotation’s streak of no earned runs to 14 consecutive innings with his first four scoreless frames.

Columbus took command in the fifth, however, coaxing three consecutive walks to load the bases and set the stage for a six-run uprising Oscar Mercado brought home two runners with a single and Bradley went deep on a three-run blast that capped the frame with the Clippers up 6-0.

Former Louisville backstop Lavarnway then burned his former team with a three-run homer in the seventh. Lavarnway, who suited up with the Bats during part of the 2019 season, is 5-for-11 with two home runs through his three appearances in the series.

Louisville outfielder Mark Payton reached base safely three times with a base knock and pair of walks. He now owns the team’s longest on-base streak of 2021 after reaching safely in each of the first four contests of 2021.

The Bats and Clippers will square off again Saturday at 7 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Louisville RHP Bo Takahashi is expected to take the mound against Columbus RHP Eli Morgan.