Bats Show Off Persistence In 9-5 Win Over Toledo

The Toledo Mud Hens phoned in first, but the Louisville Bats answered the call and picked up their second win of the series with a 9-5 win over Toledo at Louisville Slugger Field on Wednesday morning.

Sam Benschoter was named as a late replacement for the Bats, making his first start of the season and seventh in his Bats career. After retiring five of his first six batters, Corey Julks rocketed the first score of the game with a solo home run to left field, putting the Mud Hens up 1-0 in the second.

Hector Rodriguez extended his on-base streak to 17 games, which has stayed strong since the first game of the season. The Bats showed some promise in the first two innings by placing runners into scoring position, but both efforts came up empty.

Benschoter got into some trouble in the fourth inning, walking the first two batters he faced. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, and a two-RBI double by Tyler Gentry would increase the tally to 3-0. Benschoter was relieved by Lyon Richardson, finishing his day with 3.1 innings and giving up three runs on three hits and two walks.

Toledo starter Bryan Sammons (L, 0-2) continued his strong outing against the Bats offense into the fourth, retiring both Rodriguez and JJ Bleday by strikeout in a clean inning. Richardson also retired three straight in the top of the fifth for the Bats.

Although Sammons had looked untouchable, the Bats finally got their shot in the fifth.

Noelvi Marte recorded his first hit back with the Bats, lining a double out to left field to lead off the inning. With one out, Will Banfield plated the first run for Louisville, lining a double to right-center to score Marte from second. The offense continued to put pressure on as Edwin Arroyo plated Banfield on a sacrifice fly with bases loaded. With two runners still on, it was Rodriguez to put the Bats ahead 5-3 with a three-run homer out to left field for his third of the year.

Tejay Antone relieved Richardson in the seventh, finishing his day with 2.2 innings tossed and a strikeout. Antone allowed a walk to his first batter, but retired the next three to continue his streak of not allowing a hit or run through his first 6.2 innings of the season.

The Bats added some insurance in the seventh with Arroyo plating Ivan Johnson in a single up the middle. Michael Chavis followed suit with his own three-run home run to take a 9-3 lead heading into the eighth. With the home run, Chavis increased his total to seven on the year and also furthered his current hitting streak to eight games.

Luis Mey had a slow start in relief for Antone, allowing a single and a home run consecutively to the top of Toledo’s lineup to begin the eighth. He settled in afterwards, retiring the next three batters to keep the score at 9-5. Trevor Kuncl finished the job in the ninth, recording two strikeouts and forcing a fly out to end the game.

Both Johnson and Blake Dunn were consistent parts of the Bats' offense as they both reached in four of their plate appearances. All but one Louisville starter recorded a hit, while only totaling five strikeouts as a team. Richardson (W, 1-0) earned his first win since August of 2025.

The Bats (10-7) play game three of their six-game series against the Mud Hens (7-10) on Thursday night, with the first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at Louisville Slugger Field. Nick Curran will have the call on Sports Talk 790 AM.