Bats Drop Finale In Gwinnett 8-2

The Louisville Bats ended their first road trip of the 2024 season with an 8-2 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers on Sunday afternoon at Coolray Field. With the win, Gwinnett takes the series victory with four wins in six games.

Making his second rehab start for the Bats, Nick Lodolo worked around a leadoff double in the bottom of the first to pitch a scoreless frame.

The Bats were able to strike first in the top of the second. Mike Ford began the inning with a double of his own off Stripers southpaw Brian Moran. Two hitters later, Alex McGarry lined single through the left side of the infield, bringing Ford home for an early Bats lead.

Although Lodolo quickly got through the second, the game unraveled for him in the third. With runners on the corners and one out, David Fletcher doubled down the left field line to score a pair and put Gwinnett up 2-1. Eli White followed with a double of his own to make it 3-1. Alejo Lopez was hit by a pitch. Later in the inning, the Stripers executed a double steal, with White coming home for the fourth run of the inning.

Lodolo (L, 0-2) was pulled after 2.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts to take his second straight loss. Stevie Branche was first out of the Louisville bullpen and struggled, giving up three runs while getting just two outs as the Stripers pulled ahead 7-1.

Brooks Kriske entered for the Bats in the bottom of the third and was solid over 2.1 innings, allowing just one run while striking out three.

Moran allowed one run over three innings for the Stripers in the spot start. Grant Holmes (W, 1-0) kept the Bats off the board for two innings and Ken Giles did the same in the sixth.

Ford got the Bats a little closer in the top of the seventh with a 390-foot solo home run to right, his second home run of the series, to make it 8-2 Gwinnett. Pitching for the second consecutive day, Sam Moll threw a scoreless bottom of the seventh in his fifth rehab outing for the Bats. Yosver Zulueta ended the game on the mound for the Bats and struck out a pair in a scoreless eighth.

The Bats were held to just four hits in the loss, with Ford’s double and home run accounting for half of them as well as both runs. Conner Capel extended his season-opening on-base streak to nine games when he was hit by a pitch in the third inning.

The Bats (4-5) return home on Tuesday night to begin a six-game series against the Columbus Clippers (3-5). First pitch at Louisville Slugger Field is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.