Bats lose 6-5 in longest game ever

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Bats fell to the Rochester Red Wings 6-5 in the longest game in terms of time in franchise history Sunday night at Louisville Slugger Field.

In the fifteenth inning, Pedro Florimon tripled to score Doug Bernier to put the Red Wings up by one. The Bats couldn't battle back in the bottom half of the inning and after five hours and thirty-four minutes of play they suffered the loss.

Louisville got off to a rough start in the first inning, recording two errors. Eric Farris scored on one of those errors, credited to Rey Navarro, to give them the early 1-0 lead.

Rochester extended their lead in the fourth inning when a Reynaldo Rodriguez double plated Daniel Ortiz and a Chris Rahl sacrifice fly brought in Rodriguez. They made it a 4-0 ballgame in the sixth inning when Rahl's second RBI of the game scored Ortiz.

Thomas Neal finally put Louisville on the board in a big way in the sixth inning, driving in Jason Bourgeois, Felix Perez and Rey Navarro with his two-out double to put the Bats just one behind the Red Wings.

Louisville's offense exploded in the eighth inning when Neftali Soto, Navarro, Neal and Tucker Barnhart each recorded consecutive singles. Barnhart brought home Jake Elmore, pinch running for Soto, to tie the game up at four apiece. Bryan Anderson then came in to pinch hit for Steve Selsky and plated Navarro with a sacrifice fly to put the Bats up 5-4.

Curtis Partch blew the Bats lead in the top of the ninth after giving up a run on three hits in a third of an inning pitched to knot the game up at five and cause the game to go into extra innings.

Former Kentucky Wildcat, righty Alex Meyer, was dealing for the Red Wings, throwing a two-hitter in five and two-third innings pitched. He allowed two runs on those two hits, with three walks and eight strikeouts. Lester Oliveros (1-1, 3.44) earned the win.

Josh Smith made his nineteenth start for Louisville, allowing four runs, 3 earned, on eight hits with four strikeouts in six innings pitched. Elvin Ramirez (2-4, 6.05) suffered the loss for Louisville.

The Bats left the bases loaded in the ninth, tenth and thirteenth inning yet weren't able to capitalize on any of those opportunities.

Louisville will send left-hander Scott Diamond (0-1, 4.12) to the mound tomorrow to face Rochester's righty Trevor May (8-5, 2.72) at 7:05 p.m. for game three of the four game series.