Game Recap | Three Straight

Toledo and St. Paul faced off in Game 4 of their six-game series, where the Hens came away with a 4-1 win and their third straight victory.

The Mud Hens picked up right where they left off the previous night: with hot bats. Trei Cruz was once again the one to lead the charge. He led the game off with a single on a hard line drive to left field. Jace Jung joined him on the base paths after drawing a walk. Max Anderson then advanced Cruz another 90 feet, allowing him to tag up on a flyout to center field. This was followed by back-to-back singles from Josue Briceño and John Peck. Briceño’s went to right field, allowing Cruz to score, while Peck’s went to center, bringing Jung home and giving the Hens an early 2-0 lead.

Toledo went right back to work in their half of the 2nd. Cal Stevenson drew a walk and then stole second base before advancing another bag on a throwing error by the Saints’ catcher. Jace Jung then continued to be effective with a double on a line drive to right field, scoring Stevenson and giving the Hens a 3-0 lead.

The St. Paul defense settled in for a time after the first two innings and was able to keep Toledo from adding on. That was until the top of the 6th inning, when the Hens manufactured another run. Cal Stevenson kept things moving in the top of the 6th, hustling out a double. Michael Siani then moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. After that, the Saints’ pitcher threw a wild pitch, allowing Stevenson to easily score and make it 4-0 after five and a half innings.

Jackson Wolf was the starting pitcher for the Hens, and he put on a show. The southpaw recorded 11 strikeouts through five innings while keeping the Saints off the scoreboard. He tied his career high of 11 strikeouts and had a huge influence on the outcome of tonight’s game. Overall, Toledo’s entire pitching staff had a solid outing, even setting a new record for the most strikeouts recorded against the St. Paul Saints with 19.

The Mud Hens were three outs away from a shutout, but in the bottom of the 9th, the Saints were able to muster up a run. Kala’i Rosario led the inning off with a double on a line drive to left field. Tanner Schobel then reached on an infield play gone wrong. Hens shortstop John Peck fielded the ball and tried to get the lead runner at third, but misfired and overthrew the base. With that, Rosario scored and the Saints had their first run of the night.

However, it was also their last. Toledo got the final three outs and ended the night with another win, making it three straight. Both teams will be back tomorrow night for Game 5 of the series, with first pitch set for 7:37 p.m.

Notables:

Jackson Wolf

W, 5.0 IP (3 H, 0 ER, 11 SO)

John Peck

3-3 (BB, RBI, 2 SB)

Cal Stevenson

1-3 (2B, BB, 2 R, SB)