Bats Wrap Up First Half With 10-1 Loss At Gwinnett

The Louisville Bats ended the first half of the 2026 season with a 10-1 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers on Sunday afternoon at Gwinnett Field, wrapping up a six-game series split.

The Bats end the first half with a 39-34 record, their best record in a first half since going 40-33 during the 2023 season. This also marks their third winning first half in four seasons since the International League adopted the current split-season format ahead of the 2023 season.

Louisville opened the scoring in the first with a two-out rally as Hector Rodriguez reached with a two-out double, Michael Toglia walked, and Ivan Johnson drove in the first run of the afternoon with an RBI single to left.

With two outs and a runner on third in the bottom of the frame, Sam Benschoter (L, 3-4) was nearly through the inning unscathed as Brewer Hicklen chopped a grounder to short. However, rehabbing Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz misplayed the grounder for an error, allowing the tying run to score. The Stripers would take the lead a couple hitters later on Jose Azocar’s RBI single.

Gwinnett added another run in the third, which would be Benschoter’s final inning. He was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs, one earned, over the three innings.

The Stripers continued to add on in the fifth off Darren McCaughan as Jim Jarvis led off the inning with a home run and a sacrifice fly from Aaron Schunk made it 5-1 after five. Jared Lyons was next into the game and similarly struggled, allowing a run in the sixth. An inning later, Hicklen crushed a two-run homer to increase the lead to 8-1 before Cal Conley’s RBI double knocked Lyons out of the game with the score 9-1. The Stripers concluded the scoring with an unearned run off Hagen Danner in the eighth.

Louisville’s offense was unable to get much going off the Stripers pitching staff after the first. Starter Hurston Waldrep finished one out shy of being able to record the win, giving up one run on two this with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings. Connor Thomas (W, 1-0) would pick up the win with 2.1 scoreless relief innings. Daysbel Hernandez and Ian Hamilton pitched the final two innings to end the win.

Offensively, Johnson and Rodriguez each posted a pair of hits in the loss for the Bats. In his third rehab game, De La Cruz was 0-for-3 with a two strikeouts while committing an error at shortstop.

The Bats (39-34) return home to begin a six-game series against the St. Paul Saints on Tuesday night to start the second half. Hunter Greene is expected to start on the mound for the Bats as part of a Major Leauge Rehab Assignment. First pitch at Louisville Slugger Field is set for 6:35 p.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Sports Talk 790.