Hens score 3 in the ninth, beat Syracuse 3-2 on balk

A cold day looked to end even colder and gloomier for the Mud Hens Thursday night against Syracuse.

But in baseball, everybody knows anything can happen.

Trailing 2-0 Toledo scored three times in the bottom of the ninth, the game-winner a walk-off balk, to shock the Chiefs 3-2 at Fifth Third Field.

The Hens tallied three of their 10 hits in the final frame, guaranteeing at least a split of the four-game set with Syracuse.

Mike Hessman singled to start the to-be rally, and he scored shortly after when Jordan Lennerton tripled off the top of the wall in right field. Troy Hanzawa, who replaced Lennerton as a pinch runner, later scored when Wade Gaynor doubled to deep center field. Gaynor was promoted to Toledo Wednesday night when Daniel Fields was placed on the disabled list. Gaynor's doubled moved Ben Guez to third base after Guez was hit by the pitch in the previous at-bat.

What ensued is typically only heard about, not seen.

Syracuse pitcher Daniel Stange was ruled by the home plate umpire to have started and then stopped his motion before delivering the pitch, thus creating the balk, which scored Guez from third. It was Toledo's third walk-off win this season.

Overshadowed by the quirkiness of the game was the effort out of Toledo's pitchers.

Starting pitcher Drew VerHagen turned in a quality start as he allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out two in six innings of work. The Hens' relievers followed with three shutout innings and allowed just one hit.

Syracuse's two runs in the sixth inning were aided by three infield hits. Those hits were the only Chiefs hits of the inning as they scored on a sacrifice fly and an infield hit off the glove of a diving Brandon Douglas.

Reliever Corey Knebel followed VerHagen and struck out four batters over the seventh and eighth innings as he allowed just one hit and one walk in the two frames. Kevin Whelan tossed a perfect ninth inning where he struck out two Syracuse batters.

Toledo (19-22) and Syracuse (20-20) wrap up their four-game set Friday at 7 p.m.