Hens win in come from behind fashion

TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo Mud Hens came back from a five-run deficit to defeat division foe the Indianapolis Indians 7-6 on Sunday evening at Fifth Third Field.

Christin Stewart made the difference with a three-RBI double to right field to take the lead in the sixth inning. Four Mud Hens batters hit .500 or better in the contest led by Dawel Lugo who finished 2-for-3. Jacob Robson and Pete Kozma each went 2-for-4 and Harold Castro went 3-for-5 in the lead off slot.
Castro led off the bottom of the first inning with a single into right field and was moved to second on a hit and run groundout by Robson. Lugo earned a two-out walk but Toledo stranded two runners as the inning ended.
In the second inning, Indianapolis got on the board on an RBI single from Jacob Stallings scoring Ryan Lavarnway. With one out Wyatt Mathisen dribbled a ball towards first to score Kevin Kramer as Jason Krizan tagged out Mathisen.
Mud Hens starting pitcher Tyler Alexander needed five pitches to take down the Indians in order in the third inning. Alexander forced two groundouts to the short stop and a pop-up bunt to the second baseman Lugo.
Mathisen made the Hens pay for an error by third baseman Castro as he put a ball on Monroe Street behind the left field fence to score three runs and give the Indians a 5-0 lead. Toledo answered in the bottom half of the inning scoring two runs on a double by Grayson Greiner. Lugo led off with a single then Krizan reached first on a walk. Greiner then lifted a ball to deep left field just in front of the warning track to score Lugo and Krizan.
Warwick Sauplod entered the game in the fifth inning to replace Alexander. Alexander allowed five runs, two of which were earned, on six hits while fanning two.
Robson beat the shift with a one-out single past the short stop. Stewart then watched four straight balls and trotted down to first. Lugo poked a single to right field to score Robson and move Stewart to third. Lugo then moved to second on a passed ball before Krizan grounded out to first to score Stewart with Lugo moving to third. The inning ended with the Mud Hens trailing 5-4 and Lugo stranded on third.
Eric Wood sent a single to right to score Max Moroff in the sixth inning to extend its lead to two.
The Mud Hens juiced the bases in the sixth inning causing Indianapolis to bring in a relief pitcher with two outs. Kozma and Castro hit back to back two out singles followed by a walk by Robson to load the bases. Stewart the ripped a double to the right field wall to clear the bases and give Toledo a 7-6 lead going into the seventh inning.

YES! YES! YES! pic.twitter.com/XOXU07kwKC

— Toledo Mud Hens (@MudHens) August 6, 2018

Zac Houston came on in relief in the seventh inning in place of Sauplod. Saupold recorded his second win surrendered one run on four hits in two innings of work. He also struck out two batters before handing the ball off to Houston.
Houston delivered two scoreless and hitless innings while punching out three and walking one before handing the ball off to Johnny Barbato. Barbato allowed one hit in the ninth but recorded his eighth save of the campaign. He struck out two of the four batters he faced.
What's Next:
The Mud Hens take tomorrow off before going on a six-game road trip. On Tuesday the Mud Hens open a three-game series with the Rochester Red Wings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 from Frontier Field.
#RoadToDetroit Report (rankings according to MLB.com 2018 Prospect Watch):
6. OF Christin Stewart: 1-for-3, double, 3 RBI, run scored
9. RHP Kyle Funkhouser: DNP (DL)
14. IF Dawel Lugo: 2-for-3, RBI, run scored
16. OF Jacob Robson: 2-for-4, double, run scored
20. RHP Bryan Garcia: DNP (DL)
21. LHP Matt Hall: DNP
22. LHP Tyler Alexander: DNP
Hens Notes:
• Houston has not allowed an earned run in his last nine outings which has spanned over 11 innings. After today he has an ERA 1.54 of and a WHIP of 0.94.
• After today, Toledo is tied for second at 3.5 games back from Indianapolis in the West Division and 1.5 back in the wild card race.
• The Mud Hens are 16-39 when their opponent scores first.
• Toledo is 21-2 when scoring seven or more runs this season.