Mud Hens rally to topple Bats in 10 innings

TOLEDO, Ohio – After seeing their shutout bid slip away in the top of the ninth inning before falling behind in the 10th, the Toledo Mud Hens rallied to score twice in the bottom of the extra frame to capture a 3-2 victory over the Louisville Bats on Thursday at Fifth Third Field.

The Bats (12-20) scored on a two-out double to grab a 2-1 lead in the visiting half of the 10th, but the Mud Hens (16-16) immediately responded as Aderlin Rodríguez lined a leadoff double down the left-field line that scored Yariel Gonzalez, who started the half-inning on second base. Jacob Robson then hit a fielder’s choice to short that caught Rodríguez in a rundown, but Robson was eventually able to steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch. With Robson still 90 feet away from home plate, Dustin Garneau drew a base on balls and Christin Stewart was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out, but Christopher Proctor grounded into a fielder's choice that forced out Robson at home. However, Toledo did plate the winning run with its next plate appearance, as Zack Short was struck on his left elbow by a pitch to drive in Garneau and end the ballgame.

Rodríguez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI double, while Proctor went 2-for-4 with a pair of base hits for his multi-hit game at the Triple-A level. Meanwhile, Stewart was 1-for-2 with a single, two walks and a run, while Short contributed a pair of RBI.

Wladimir Pinto made his first professional start and struck out a trio of Bats in 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a pair of walks. Drew Carlton added 2.1 shutout innings, Buck Farmer kept the Bats off the board for two frames and Angel De Jesus struck out a pair in his only inning of relief. Despite surrendering two runs (one earned) in the closing stages, Robbie Ross Jr. was credited with his second win of the campaign.

The Mud Hens manufactured a run to open the scoring in the bottom of the third. After battling back from a two-strike deficit to earn a walk, Stewart advanced to third when Proctor singled through the right side, and came home as Zack Short chopped a ground ball to third.

Louisville, who left the bases loaded in the third inning and stranded a runner on third base on two other occasions, finally pulled even in the top of the ninth. Brantley Bell and Chris Okey drew back-to-back walks, and T.J. Friedl followed with a single to left to jam the basepaths with one out. Errol Robinson then reached on a fielding error by Rodríguez that brought home Bell to send the game into extras. The Bats briefly held the lead in the 10th inning when Alfredo Rodriguez sliced a two-out double into the right-field corner that knocked in Alejo Lopez.

What’s Next:
The Mud Hens and Bats look for their third consecutive win against the Bats when the two teams meet on Friday at Fifth Third Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Hens Notes:
• The Mud Hens are 1-1 this season in games decided in extra innings.
• Toledo holds a 6-3 record against Louisville in the regular-season series.
• Thursday’s result is the first time Toledo has won when recording six or fewer hits this season.
• The Mud Hens have the third-highest batting average in the Triple-A East with a .262 clip.