Bats light up scoreboard in 10-2 win
TOLEDO, OH - The Louisville Bats used an offensive explosion of 17 hits and a stellar pitching outing from recently promoted starter Jon Moscot on Sunday evening to handily defeat the Toledo Mud Hens 10-2 at Fifth Third Field.
After using five straight singles in the third inning to score four runs and build a 5-0 lead, the Bats plated four more in the sixth, allowing Moscot (W, 1-0) to cruise to his first career triple-A win, and Louisville to match their largest margin of victory this season. In his second start with the Bats, Moscot went seven strong innings, giving up four hits, a pair of runs, and just one walk to go with four strikeouts. In Moscot's first start with Louisville last week in Indianapolis, he got a no-decision after allowing two runs in five-and-two-thirds innings.
Louisville, whose 10 runs was their highest offensive output in over two months, started the onslaught in the opening frame, when they got three hits to take a quick 1-0 lead. It was the first of four different innings in which the Bats crossed the plate, as eight of the nine Louisville players in tonight's lineup recorded a hit.
Ruben Gotay's single started the Bats' five-hit, four run rally in the third, which culminated with Rey Navarro's two-run single and an RBI groundout from Jake Elmore. Felix Perez, Neftali Soto, and Donald Lutz also recorded base knocks as Louisville built an early lead they would not come close to relinquishing.
Entering the sixth with a 5-1 lead, Louisville blew the game wide open, batting around and loading the bases twice en route to their second four-run inning of the night. After a Perez RBI single with the sacks packed started the scoring, Soto followed by clearing the bases with a double to left. The pivotal bases loaded hit, Soto's fourth of the night, pushed the Bats lead to eight. Soto's four hits and four RBI were both season highs.
Gotay's third hit of the night came in the seventh inning, a single that plated the Bats final run in the form of Tucker Barnhart. Barnhart was one of four different players to register two hits in the game, joining Perez, Navarro, and Hernan Iribarren.
Toledo used six different pitchers on the night, and starter Shawn Hill (L, 6-6) was dealt the loss after not being able to get out of the sixth. The right-hander allowed 12 hits, seven earned runs, and one walk while striking out three.
Both of Toledo's runs came in the form of solo home runs from Mike Hessman, who lifted his 27th and 28th big flies of the season in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively. Tim Crabbe and Nick Christiani both pitched an inning of scoreless relief for the Bats.
Louisville will play one more tomorrow in Toledo before coming home to Louisville Slugger Field to face these same Mud Hens on Tuesday and Wednesday. In tomorrow's road finale at 6:30PM, LHP Scott Diamond (1-4, 6.45) will be on the mound for the Bats, countered by Toledo's LHP Kyle Ryan (2-0, 2.00).