Bats' Comeback Thwarted By Saints In 5-4 Loss
The Louisville Bats fell 5-4 against the St. Paul Saints after a late-inning comeback attempt at CHS Field Thursday night. The Bats were in business early on, scoring the first runs of the game in the top of the opening inning. A single by Will Benson scored Francisco Urbaez, and
The Louisville Bats fell 5-4 against the St. Paul Saints after a late-inning comeback attempt at CHS Field Thursday night.
The Bats were in business early on, scoring the first runs of the game in the top of the opening inning. A single by Will Benson scored Francisco Urbaez, and Michael Toglia tagged up on a sacrifice fly by Michael Chavis to put Louisville out in front 2-0 early.
St. Paul fired right back with a long ball by Walker Jenkins. The lefty took starter Brandon Williamson (L, 0-1) deep, and then a couple of walks allowed Ben Ross to drive in the tying run. A balk allowed another run to plate, and the Saints took a 3-2 lead in the first.
Pat Kelly made a switch on the bump, wanting to avoid overworking the Reds' rehab man, opting to put in Cam Cotter.
That move allowed another run to come across, putting St. Paul in front 4-2. Williamson finished with a line of 0.2 innings, allowing four runs on three hits, striking out one and walking two.
Jenkins continued to punish Bats' pitching with his second homer of the day, extending the Saints' lead to 5-2 in the fourth.
There were many different chances for the Bats to drive in some runs during the middle innings, but the St. Paul defense turned multiple double plays to keep Louisville from doing any damage.
Toglia drove in the first run for the Bats since the first inning with a scorching single through the left side in the eighth, scoring Edwin Arroyo.
In the ninth, Will Banfield knocked his 10th homer of the season to cut the lead down to one. Banfield sparked the lineup to flip back to the top, where Urbaez represented the tying run on first after a single. However, an Arroyo strikeout ended the Bats' late comeback bid, 5-4.
Jose Acuna carried the bulk of the workload for the Bats' bullpen, hurling 4.2 innings and allowing one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked six. It is the seventh win in a row for the Saints against the Bats. Although each team had nine hits, walks made the difference, with St. Paul having three compared to Louisville’s 10. Matt Bowman (W, 3-4) picked up the win for the Saints after going 3.0 innings, allowing only one hit.
The Bats (50-59, 11-25 second half) continue their series with the Indians (64-46, 22-14 second half) Friday night. First pitch is set for 7:37 p.m. EST at CHS Field. Nick Curran will be on the call on Sports Talk 790.