LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Bats (34-57) outlasted the Toledo Mud Hens (41-50) by a score of 7-6 in the second game of the four-game series at Louisville Slugger Field. Four players registered multi-hit games for the Bats in the win, evening up the series.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Bats (34-57) outlasted the Toledo Mud Hens (41-50) by a score of 7-6 in the second game of the four-game series at Louisville Slugger Field. Four players registered multi-hit games for the Bats in the win, evening up the series.
The scoring for both teams began in the second inning. Toledo plated two runs in the top of the frame, but Louisville responded in the bottom half with five runs, four of which came on RBI-singles by Nick Longhi, Stuart Turner, Blake Trahan, and Alex Blandino. With the base hit, Longhi extended his season long hitting streak to ten games. Trahan would also go 3-4 on the night with two doubles.
MLB All-Star Alex Wood (0-1, 8.10) appeared in the second start of his rehab stint with the Bats. He pitched 2.0 innings, surrendering two earned runs on four hits and two strikeouts. He left the game after throwing 51 pitches, a 20-pitch improvement on his first outing. Toledo would scratch across two runs in the third off Wood and his replacement Jesús Reyes to reduce the Bats lead to one.
Louisville would continue the scoring in the fourth, using small ball to score two runs; out of the four hits in the inning, only one was for extra-bases. For the game, only three of the Bats' 13 hits were for extra bases, all three of which were doubles. Christian Colón contributed an RBI-single in the inning, which made him the first Bats hitter to reach 100 hits this season.
Louisville pitcher Sal Romano (3-7, 4.97) kept his string of quality outings going, logging 4.0 innings and only allowing two runs on two solo homeruns. The Bats hitters went cold after the fourth, but the pitching was enough to keep Louisville in the lead heading into the ninth inning. Toledo loaded the bases with one out in the top of the final frame, but Joel Kuhnel (1) shut the door to seal the 7-6 victory for the Bats. Romano picked up the win and former Louisville Cardinal Kyle Funkhouser (1-5, 9.00) got the loss for Toledo.
The Bats play game three of the four-game series against Toledo on Saturday. Louisville right hander Lucas Sims (5-0, 4.74) will look to continue his perfect record this season. He will face off against Toledo righty Drew VerHagen (4-2, 3.40). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
