Eighth inning rally gives Hens the Friday night win

Toledo, OH – The Toledo Mud Hens defeated the Iowa Cubs on Friday night at Fifth Third Field with a final score of 7–3.

The Hens sent left-handed pitcher Nick Margevicius (0–0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound to start the game, while the Cubs countered with right-hander Connor Noland (3–1, 3.64 ERA).

The Cubs opened the game with a leadoff double by Matt Shaw, who then stole third. However, back-to-back strikeouts by Margevicius and a groundout to first prevented any early damage.

The Hens responded with a leadoff double of their own from Carlos Mendoza. After a flyout to right moved him into scoring position, Iowa recorded two strikeouts to keep the game scoreless after one inning.

In the third, Toledo retired the Cubs in order and looked to generate some offense in the bottom half.

Stephen Scott got things going with a one-out triple to center field, and Mendoza followed with a sacrifice fly to bring him home. Hao-Yu Lee and Manuel Margot followed with back-to-back doubles, adding another run and giving the Hens a 2–0 lead.

The fourth inning went quietly for both teams, with each going down 1-2-3.

Iowa threatened in the fifth. After two quick outs, Reese McGuire doubled, followed by a triple from Shaw to make it a one-run game. James Triantos then hit a double of his own to tie the score at 2–2. With a runner in scoring position, the Hens managed to stop the momentum and escaped the inning.

The Cubs took their first lead in the sixth following back-to-back doubles by Jonathon Long and Ben Cowles, prompting Toledo to make a pitching change. Bailey Horn came on in relief of Margevicius, who finished with 5.0 innings pitched, three earned runs on seven hits, one walk, eight strikeouts, and a 2.70 ERA.

Jahmai Jones led off the bottom of the sixth with a drop-down double after a miscommunication between the Iowa infielders allowed a base hit. Andrew Navigato followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Jones home and tie the game at 3–3.

In the eighth, the Hens turned to the bullpen again, calling on Matt Seelinger to replace Horn, who had thrown two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no hits allowed.

Toledo's offense erupted in the bottom of the eighth as Iowa’s defense continued to falter.

Akil Baddoo got things started with a one-out single, followed by an RBI double from Ryan Kreidler down the left-field line to restore the lead. Navigato then hit a fly-ball double as another miscommunication in the Iowa outfield allowed Kreidler to advance to third. After Riley Unroe walked to load the bases, Scott hit a line drive, and another Iowa throwing error allowed two more runs to score.

Mendoza capped off the rally with a sacrifice fly to bring home Unroe and extend Toledo’s lead to 7–3 heading into the ninth. The Mud Hens closed the game with a strong defensive frame to secure the win.

Notables:

Hao-Yu Lee: 1 R, 3 H, .228 AVG

Stephen Scott: 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI

Carlos Mendoza: 2 H, 2 RBI

Ryan Kreidler: 1 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, .2333 AVG

The Mud Hens will look to continue this momentum into tomorrow evening for Malmo Oat Milkers night at Fifth Third Field. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m.