A day of two very different games

The Toledo Mud Hens and Iowa Cubs played two games today, splitting the doubleheader. It was an intense day of baseball filled with back-and-forth action and high emotions.

Game 1

Toledo picked up in the 1st inning right where they left off the night before. Batting second in the lineup, Max Anderson lined a single into right field. Gage Workman followed by reaching first after a fielder’s choice out at second, becoming the lone baserunner. That didn't slow the Hens down for long, as Hao-Yu Lee ripped a ball just inside the right-field foul pole for a two-run home run. Toledo jumped ahead 2–0 after the top of the 1st.

Iowa answered immediately in its half of the inning. Brett Bateman singled on a line drive to right field and then stole second base. Matt Shaw joined him on the bases after drawing a walk. With runners on first and second, Owen Miller hit a sharp ground ball to third baseman Max Anderson that ricocheted away for a base hit, loading the bases. James Triantos then lined a single into center field, scoring both Bateman and Shaw to tie the game at 2–2. Miller was later picked off at second after taking too large of a lead, and a foul popout ended the inning with the score still even.

In the top of the 2nd, Tyler Gentry put the Hens back in front with a solo home run that sailed beyond the center-field wall. Toledo led 3–2.

Iowa responded again in the bottom half of the inning. After recording two quick outs, the Hens struggled to find the third. Justin Dean singled to center field before Brett Bateman followed with a single of his own. Dean raced all the way to third on the play. Matt Shaw then delivered a double to left field, scoring Dean and tying the game once again. After two innings, the score sat at 3–3.

The I-Cubs created some separation in the bottom of the 3rd. James Triantos started the rally with a double to right field. With two outs, Ben Cowles lined a single into center field to score Triantos and give Iowa a 4–3 lead. Scott Kingery followed with a single to right, moving Cowles to third. Justin Dean then doubled to dead center field, driving in both runners and extending the advantage to 6–3. Iowa added one more run when Brett Bateman doubled to left field, bringing Dean home. After three innings, the I-Cubs led 7–3.

Toledo answered in the top of the 4th. Eduardo Valencia launched his 12th home run of the season, a line drive that just cleared the left-field wall, trimming the deficit to three runs at 7–4.

The Hens continued to chip away in the top of the 5th. With two outs, Gage Workman hammered a double into center field. Hao-Yu Lee followed with a ground ball single up the middle, allowing Workman to score easily while Lee slid safely into second on the throw. The deficit was cut to 7–5.

The Hens simply ran out of innings to complete the comeback. The score remained 7–5 through the final out, and Iowa took Game One of the doubleheader.

Game 2

Game 2 got off to a quick start as well and never really slowed down. Emotions ran high throughout the night as both teams played with plenty of intensity.

In the bottom of the 1st, Justin Dean led off with a single that skipped off the glove of a diving Gage Workman at shortstop. He then stole second base before Jonathon Long singled to right field, advancing Dean to third. BJ Murray followed with a walk to load the bases. Iowa scratched across the game's first run on an Owen Miller groundout that scored Dean. Toledo limited the damage, however, by turning a double play to end the inning and keep the deficit at just one run.

The Hens didn't stay down for long. Hao-Yu Lee opened the top of the 2nd with a hard-fought walk before advancing to second on a groundout by Trei Cruz. Jace Jung then lined an RBI double into the left-center field gap, scoring Lee and tying the game at 1–1.

Toledo put its head down and went back to work in the 5th. Cal Stevenson roped a ball down the right-field line and hustled his way into third for a leadoff triple. Max Clark followed with a single to right field, bringing Stevenson home and giving the Hens a 2–1 lead.

The 6th inning belonged entirely to Toledo's offense. It began with back-to-back home runs from Gage Workman and Hao-Yu Lee, with Workman's blast landing in right-center and Lee's clearing the wall in right field. The score quickly moved to 4–1. Jace Jung then drew a walk, and Tyler Gentry followed by launching a two-run home run that scored both himself and Jung. Suddenly it was 6–1. The inning still wasn't over, as Tomás Nido added a fourth homer of the frame to push the lead to 7–1 after the top half of the inning.

Toledo added one final insurance run in the 7th. Gage Workman continued his strong day with a double off the left-field wall. Hao-Yu Lee followed with a line-drive single to center field, moving Workman to third. Trei Cruz then delivered the final run of the night with a sacrifice fly to left field that allowed Workman to score.

Iowa was unable to mount a response in its final at-bat, and Toledo closed out an 8–1 victory.

After a long day at the ballpark that featured two games, one player ejection, and three coach ejections, the teams split the doubleheader and each walked away with a win. Toledo and Iowa will meet one final time tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 2:08 p.m.

Notables:

     Hitting:
                        
                        

Hao-Yu Lee

2-2 (HR, HBP, RBI, 2 R)

Gage Workman

2-4 (HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R)

     Pitching:
                        
                        

Carl Edwards Jr.

W, 3.1 IP (3 H, 0 ER, 7 SO)