Bats come alive in Toledo's 17-7 win over Syracuse

Your Toledo Mud Hens add another win to their season scoring 17 runs to the Syracuse Mets’ 7. After a 55 min rain delay the first pitch was at 5:00 P.M. The Hens came out swinging and then it seemed like they just couldn’t be stopped! The Mets went through 7 pitchers to try and get a grasp on the situation, while the Hens had 18 hits off of 45 at bats on the day.

The game started off to a hot start in the top of the 1st. It began with centerfielder, Max Clark, hitting a double down the 3rd base line. Trei Cruz and Jace Jung follow this with two walks of their own, loading the bases. All three base runners come around to score due to Corey Julks ripping the ball fair, down the left field line for a double. The Hens don’t score any more in the 1st, leaving the total run count at 3-0 (Hens) after 1 full inning.

Nevertheless, Toledo gets right back to it in the top of the 2nd. Max Burt gets the bats going with a double due to an error by the third baseman. Wenceel Pérez capitalizes off this with a homer to deep right field, bringing the score to 5-0 (Hens). Toledo then continues adding base runners when Trei Cruz and Jace Jung end up on 1st and 2nd, from a fielder’s choice and walk. Up next, Eduardo Valencia doubles, scoring both players. After this, Syracuse puts a plug on the scoring wave of Toledo for the next full inning, leaving the score at 7-0 (Hens) after 2.5 innings.

Syracuse begins their climb to a comeback in the bottom of the 3rd. Jackson Cluff singles on a liner to left field and Nick Morabito walks. Now runners are on first and second, with 2 outs, when Ronny Mauricio steps up to the plate. He doubles with a line drive to Pérez in left, scoring Cluff in the process. This puts the score at 7-1 (Hens) after 3.

The Mud Hens continue to add tally marks in the sand when Eduardo Valencia hits for extra bases again in the 4th. He hits a ball down into the right field corner while he takes three bases. Gage Workman then begins tacking on one of his many RBIs tonight with a double in the gap between right and center, scoring Valencia. After the top of the 4th the score is 8-1 (Hens).

The Mets respond right away, scoring a run in the bottom half of the inning. First, Christian Arroyo singles. Then, Vidal Bruján doubles on a ground ball to left field, advancing Arroyo to third. After this, there is a wild pitch by pitcher Bryan Sammons, allowing Arroyo to take his chance and score uncontested. Bruján is also able to move up to third in the process. He then scores when Christian Pache grounds out to third. These runs bring the Mets two runs closer after 4, with the score sitting at 8-3 (Hens).

Toledo busts the game wide open in the top of the 5th, starting with Max Burt leading off. He hits a high chopper, infield single to third. Then Burt steals second and Wenceel Pérez joins the bases by drawing a walk. Max Clark begins a 7-run 5th inning when he hits an RBI double, scoring Burts, and allowing Pérez to advance to third (9-3). Jace Jung continues with a 2 run double off the right/centerfield wall, Clark and Pérez score (11-3). The bases reload with Valencia and Julks having back-to-back walks. Gage Workman then singles on a line drive to rightfield, scoring Jung (12-3). Ben Malgeri now becomes the 8th batter of the inning, and he hits an RBI chopper over the shortstops head, scoring Julks from third (13-3). Max Burt now steps up to the plate for the second time this inning and hits an RBI single to short right field–Workman scores (14-3). The inning comes to an end after Balgeri scores, from third, on a wild pitch from Ofreidy Gómez, pausing the score at 15-3 (Hens).

Syracuse continues their fight in the bottom of the 5th. Nick Morabito singles on a ground ball to center and MJ Melendez adds another base runner with his walk. Ronny Mauricio then hits a ball into center field. Max Clark catches the ball and throws it into shortstop, Gage Workman, who causes Melendez to enter into a run-down. Workman throws it to Max Burt at first, who then tosses it right back to Jace Jung at second. Jung is then able to tag Melendez and complete the double play. However, Nick Morabito uses this chaos to score the Mets’ 4th run of the game. After the 5th inning is over the score sits at 15-4 (Hens).

After keeping Toledo from scoring in the top of the 6th, Syracuse strikes again in the bottom. After a hard fought 8 pitch at bat, Jackson Cluff is awarded a walk. After this Hayden Senger hits his first homer of the night. The score then becomes 15-6 (Hens) after 6 complete innings.

In the 8th, the Mud Hens add an exclamation to the night’s score by racking up two more runs. The first run is possible after Wenceel Pérez doubles and then moves forward to third with Max Clark’s fly out. Trei Cruz then scores Pérez with a single to center field (16-6). The next run comes after Jace Jung doubles, moving Cruz to third. Then Eduardo Valencia grounds out to short stop, and Cruz steps on home plate. This leaves the score at 17-6 (Hens).

The Mets try to rally one last time in the bottom of the 8th. Hayden Senger hits his second homerun of the night with a solo shot to center field (17-7). This is where their comeback falls short and where the Hens get to call the night a success with a W on their record.

The final score remained the same, at 17 runs for the Toledo Mud Hens and 7 runs for the Syracuse Mets. The win goes to Hens’ pitcher Tanner Rainey and the loss, to Mets’ pitcher Jonah Tong. This brings Toledo’s overall record to 2-4 and Syracuse to 3-3. They will be back tomorrow afternoon, at 4:05 P.M. to compete once again!

Noteables

Hitting:

Wenceel Pérez

2 - 5 (HR, 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 3 R)

Jace Jung

2 - 4 (2 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 3 R)

Eduardo Valencia

2 - 4 (2B, 3B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, R)

Gage Workman

3 - 5 (2 2B, BB, 2 RBI, R)