TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo Mud Hens got back in the win column and regained sole possession of the International League's best record with a 6-1 victory over the Durham Bulls on Sunday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo Mud Hens got back in the win column and regained sole possession of the International League's best record with a 6-1 victory over the Durham Bulls on Sunday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
Mikie Mahtook belted his third home run in five games for the Mud Hens (17-11), going 2-for-4 with a three-run shot, a single, and two runs scored. Edwin Espinal finished 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, and a run scored, while Ronny Rodríguez went 2-for-4 with a double, a single, and a run scored. Durham (16-12) recorded 10 hits in the series finale, but seldom moved runners into scoring position.
Artie Lewicki matched a season-high with six innings of work, allowing one earned run on seven hits while striking out four for his third win of the campaign. Paul Voelker, Chad Bell, and Zac Reininger each tossed one shutout inning in relief.
The Mud Hens jumped out to an early lead, tallying two runs on three hits in the opening stanza. Mahtook was hit by a pitch to begin the contest, and advanced to second on a Jason Krizan groundout. After Dawel Lugo singled to center to put runners on the corners, Christin Stewart grounded a base hit into right to plate Mahtook and give Toledo a 1-0 edge.
Toledo looked to add to its lead in the first frame, as Chad Huffman walked to load the bases with one down. Jim Adduci then extended his hitting streak to a league-best 14 consecutive games with a sharp single into left that drove in Espinal and doubled the Mud Hens' advantage. The base knock also marks the 21st straight contest in which Adduci has reached base safely.
Still ahead by a pair entering the fourth inning, the Mud Hens used a four-spot to grab a commanding 6-0 lead. Espinal grounded a base hit through the right side before Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to center to put runners on first and second with one out. Rodriguez followed up with a double to deep left to drive in Espinal and extend the Mud Hens' lead to 3-0.
The game was put out of reach with one more swing of the bat, as Mahtook gave the Mud Hens a six-run cushion when he whacked a three-run blast over the wall in right-center for his second home run of the four-game set.
Durham responded with a run on four hits in the bottom of the same inning. Joe McCarthy doubled into left, and scored when Christian Arroyo singled into center to trim the deficit to 6-1. However, this was as close as the Bulls would get as Toledo avoided its first sweep of the year with a comfortable five-run victory.
The Mud Hens return to Fifth Third Field on Monday to start a four-game series against the Columbus Clippers. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
