Bats Drop Opener In St. Paul 3-1

The Louisville Bats looked a little rusty in their return to action after the All-Star Break, dropping their first game 3-1 against the St. Paul Saints at CHS Field Friday night.

One man who did not seem rusty at the start Bats starter Jose Franco (L, 2-3). The right hander was torching the Saints early, striking out four batters in the first two innings of play.

Even a little pressure for Franco did not deter him. St. Paul had runners on first and second with one out, and somehow the Bats escaped the inning with no runs allowed after P.J. Higgins caught a runner sleeping on the base paths in the third. Franco followed that up with a pop out to catcher Will Benson, before striking another man out to end the inning.

Saints starter Jack Anderson exited the game after going just 3.0 innings, where he allowed no runs on two hits.

St. Paul managed to light the offensive spark quicker than Louisville, as the first run of the contest came by way of a Cody Morrissette home run. With one out recorded after that, Noah Cardenas and Walker Jenkins went back-to-back to cap off an explosive fifth inning, leading the Bats 3-0. Franco was taken out of the game after 4.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits; he also struck out six.

The Bats found themselves in more trouble during the sixth, where the bases were loaded with nobody out. However, Zack McCambley shut the door, coming in and striking out three batters in a row to escape the sixth and keeping Louisville within striking distance.

Michael Chavis rewarded McCambley’s effort by blasting a leadoff solo shot that left the yard in a hurry, finally getting the visitors on the board and ending the scoring drought, putting the Bats in a better position to attempt a late comeback, 3-1.

Unfortunately for Louisville, there would be no comeback despite getting the tying run up to the plate many times in the effort to claw back into the game. The Bats drop their first game back from the All-Star break, 3-1.

Michael Toglia returned for the first time since June 26, drawing a walk and doubling. All runs were scored by way of the long ball in the contest, with the back-to-back shots by St. Paul in the fifth being the deciding factor.

Cole Sands (W, 1-0) picked up the win for St. Paul, and Cody Laweryson (SV, 1) picked up the save for shutting things down in the ninth.

The Bats (47-44) continue their series with the Saints (51-41) in a doubleheader Saturday night. First pitch is set for 5:37 p.m. EST on Tuesday at CHS Field. Nick Curran will be on the call on Sports Talk 790.