Bats drop middle game to Stripers, 6-1

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Bats (40-62) fell to the Gwinnett Stripers (60-42) by a score of 6-1 in the second game of the three-game series at Louisville Slugger Field. The teams will face off in the series decider on Thursday.

Gwinnett was on the verge of scoring in the first inning, loading the bases with only one out. However, a timely double-play allowed Bats starter Vladimir Gutierrez (2-9, 6.96) to escape the inning unscathed. Louisville took advantage of the missed opportunity by the Stripers, taking the lead in the bottom of the inning with an RBI-single by Nick Longhi. Gutierrez would not get so lucky in the second, surrendering three runs to the Stripers before being replaced by Jackson Stephens.
The floodgates were open for the Stripers after the second inning, tagging on three more runs in the next two innings to take a 6-1 lead. Louisville native and former Bat Adam Duvall launched a solo shot in the fourth which traveled an estimated 490 feet, tying the record for the longest homerun in Louisville Slugger Field history.
Bats pitching would settle down in the fifth, as Joe Mantiply, Alex Powers, and Matt Bowman would combine to allow just three hits and no runs in the final 5.2 innings. But it would not be enough, as the Louisville hitters were shut down for the rest of the game by Gwinnett pitching. MLB All-Star Mike Foltynewicz (5-1, 4.10) got the win, throwing 101 pitches in 7.0 innings. 
The Bats finish off the three-game series with Gwinnett on Thursday. It will be a righty-righty matchup as Louisville pitcher Tejay Antone (2-4, 5.52) will face off against Gwinnett's Kyle Wright (7-4, 4.86). First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m.