Margevicius shines but the Hens fall 2-1 to the Clippers

COLUMBUS, OH - The Toledo Mud Hens lost 2-1 to the Columbus Clippers in game five of their series Saturday night. Toledo hoped that their lineup, featuring seven batters who have had stints with Detroit this season, would overwhelm the Columbus defense.

The play of lefty Nick Margevicius played a big role in holding off the Clippers offense, as he left runners stranded in all five of his innings pitched. The Cleveland, OH native would pick up four strikeouts while holding Columbus scoreless through five.

The Hens got to work quickly with Ryan Webb on the mound for the Clippers. Justyn-Henry Malloy drew a walk and stole a base before Jace Jung brought him in with an RBI double to give Toledo the first-frame 1-0 lead.

Andy Ibanez would get his first hit of the season in a Mud Hens uniform in the first inning, but the hard-hit grounder clipped the ankle of Webb. This led to a lengthy injury timeout, but Webb remained on the mound despite some clear discomfort.

Following Columbus’s half of the first inning, Webb would not return to the mound as Will Dion took over for him.

Toledo tried to extend their 1-0 lead in the fourth with Tomas Nido earning a two-out single and Ryan Kreidler following that up with a double off the wall. Things just didn’t shake out for the Hens however, as Andrew Navigato struck out with a full count.

Dion enjoyed a lengthy, scoreless four-inning relief effort, following the injury to Webb. He gave up five hits, but Toledo was unable to score. Zak Kent would replace Dion, quickly earning two strikeouts in his first inning.

Ricky Vanasco would be given the relief duties in the sixth inning, but got off to a rough start. He gave Columbus their first lead-off base runner of the game with a four-pitch walk to Michah Pries. The Clippers then took the lead as Milan Tolentino cleared the center-field wall to make it 2-1.

After an eleven pitch seventh, Matt Manning was given closing responsibilities as Toledo hoped to hold things at 2-1 before their final chance at a rally. Manning shut down the Clippers, going one, two, three to give his team one last chance to get ahead.

With Tomas Nido, Kreidler, and Navigato due up, the Mud Hens needed to get at least one run to extend the game and two runs to take the lead. Toledo’s challenger, Franco Aleman, would look to get his second save of the season. The 6’6, 235 lbs giant sat the Hens down in order to secure a series win for Columbus.

The Toledo Mud Hens and the Columbus Clippers will face off once more Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Notables:

• Nick Margevicius (5.0 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)
• Justyn-Henry Malloy (2-2, R, 2 BB)
• Jace Jung (1-4, 2B, RBI, K)