Game Recap | Sold-out crowd, big-time performance
On Saturday, July 25, the Toledo Mud Hens and Louisville Bats squared off in Game 5 of their six-game series, with the Hens rolling to a 9-4 victory. The game also featured Detroit Tigers infielder Javier Báez, who continued his rehab assignment with Toledo, starting at shortstop and batting second
On Saturday, July 25, the Toledo Mud Hens and Louisville Bats squared off in Game 5 of their six-game series, with the Hens rolling to a 9-4 victory. The game also featured Detroit Tigers infielder Javier Báez, who continued his rehab assignment with Toledo, starting at shortstop and batting second in the lineup.
After Toledo claimed the previous two games of the series, Louisville wasted no time trying to swing the momentum back in its favor. Sawyer Gipson-Long struggled to settle in during the opening inning, and the Bats capitalized. Ivan Johnson worked a leadoff walk before Matt McLain followed with a single. After both runners moved up on a groundout, Will Benson lined a single into center field to drive in two runs and give Louisville an early 2-0 lead. Benson then stole second before Michael Toglia singled up the middle to plate another run, extending the Bats' advantage to 3-0 before the Hens had even come to the plate.
Toledo answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Max Clark worked a leadoff walk after battling through a full count before Javier Báez wasted little time making an impact, ripping a double down the third-base line that rolled into the corner to score Clark. One batter later, Gage Workman drilled a ball off the wall in right-center field for an RBI triple, cutting the deficit to one. Corey Julks followed with an RBI single to left, capping off Toledo's three-run response and knotting the game at 3-3 after just one inning.
The game remained quiet until the bottom of the 4th, when the Hens grabbed their first lead of the evening. With two outs, Carlos Pérez drew a walk before Max Clark once again put together a quality at-bat. On the seventh pitch he saw, Clark launched a 106.9 mph home run over the right-field wall, giving Toledo a 5-3 lead and energizing the sold-out crowd.
Louisville answered with a run of its own in the top of the 5th. Benson led off the inning with a double into left field before advancing to third and eventually scoring on a pair of groundouts, trimming Toledo's lead to 5-4.
But the Mud Hens had no interest in letting Louisville hang around. In the bottom of the 5th, Toledo broke the game open. Jace Jung, Trei Cruz, and Cal Stevenson drew three consecutive walks to load the bases with one out. Carlos Pérez then stepped to the plate and crushed a 400-foot grand slam out of the stadium, sending the sold-out crowd into a frenzy and extending Toledo's lead to 9-4.
That would be where the game wrapped up. Backed by another strong offensive performance, the Mud Hens secured a 9-4 victory in front of a packed Fifth Third Field crowd. The two clubs wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 4:05 p.m.
Notables:
Carlos Pérez
1-2 (HR, BB, HBP, 4 RBI, 2 R)
Javier Báez
3-4 (3 2B, RBI, R)