Okey Double Pulls Bats Close, but Clips Sail Away Late
COLUMBUS, OH – Chris Okey doubled home a pair of runs to pull the Louisville Bats within one run in the sixth inning, but the Columbus Clippers erupted for five runs in the home half of the frame to pull away and secure a 10-3 win over the Louisville Bats
COLUMBUS, OH – Chris Okey doubled home a pair of runs to pull the Louisville Bats within one run in the sixth inning, but the Columbus Clippers erupted for five runs in the home half of the frame to pull away and secure a 10-3 win over the Louisville Bats Saturday night at Huntington Park.
For the 15th time in the last 16 games of the series, the team that scored first won the game as Columbus plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the second on a double from Andruw Monasterio.
Daniel Johnson hit a solo homer in the third and Trenton Brooks brought a run plateward on a groundout in the fourth to boost the ClipShow’s lead to 4-0.
Louisville rallied in the sixth as Brian Rey coaxed a bases-loaded walk to notch the first Bats run and make it 4-1. One batter later and with the bases loaded, Okey scorched a double over the center fielder’s head to score Narciso Crook and Michael De Leon and cut the deficit to just 4-3.
Columbus put the game out of reach in the bottom of the inning, however, sparked by a solo homer from Will Benson and RBI double from Trenton Brooks that paced the five-run frame.
Kirk McCarty earned the win for the Clips with three runs in 5.1 innings.
The two teams will conclude both their series and 2021 season Sunday at 2:05 p.m. at Huntington Park. LHP Jacques Pucheu (0-1, 45.00) makes the start in the finale for the Bats against RHP Cody Morris (2-2, 1.72).