Pigs Fall 7-4 After Bats Score Seven Straight

LOUISVILLE, KY - The Louisville Bats scored seven unanswered runs after falling behind 4-0 to take game three from the IronPigs, 7-4.

The IronPigs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, knocking three consecutive singles to lead off the game against RHP Chien-Ming Wang. OF Leandro Castro led-off the game with his first of three hits, and after 2B Tyler Henson singled, OF Darin Ruf drove in Castro to give the Pigs the lead.

Lehigh Valley added to their advantage in the fifth inning on Henson's sixth homerun of the season. The two-run blast was the first longball for the IronPigs second baseman since the last series against Louisville, when he homered off RHP Mat Latos in a June 4th matchup, a span of 111 at-bats.

The Pigs lead was stretched to 4-0 in the sixth inning, when 3B Russ Canzler singled and later scored on an RBI-single by C Lars Davis. The lead seemed safe behind Lehigh Valley starter LHP Greg Smith who had been dealing through five innings.

Through five innings, Smith struck out six batters and allowed only one hit, a lead-off single by 2B Herrnan Iribarren in the first inning. The veteran lefty retired fifteen straight batters before Louisville started their rally in the six inning with back-to-back doubles to start the inning. Smith then retired the next two batters, but a two-out RBI-single by OF Thomas Neal would cut the Pigs lead to 4-2. A OF Felix Perez single then got past Castro in centerfield, allowing Neal to score before a OF Steve Selsky single scored Perez to tie the ballgame.

LHP Cesar Jimenez relieved Smith with two outs and a man on second base, retiring the only batter he faced to strand the go-ahead run in scoring position.

RHP Tyler Knigge replaced Jimenez to start the seventh inning, and after back-to-back walks the 25-year-old righty retired the next three batters he faced to escape the inning with the game still tied. Knigge was not as fortunate in the eighth inning as he allowed a walk, two singles and a double without recording an out before being replaced by RHP Hector Neris. Three runs would score in the inning, giving the Bats their 7-4 advantage.

The IronPigs will attempt to salvage a series split on Sunday, before entering the All-Star Break. RHP Jason Marquis will make his fourth start in an IronPigs uniform, still in search of his first win, despite allowing only one run in 18.0 innings.