The Louisville Bats survived a late comeback attempt from the Columbus Clippers and etched out a 5-3 win for their first win of the series at Huntington Park on Thursday night. Michael Chavis and Austin Hendrick each went deep in the third to put the Bats ahead, while Zach McCambley battled through the late scare and sealed the victory.
Carlos Jorge continued to look comfortable in his Louisville threads and batted leadoff for the first time in his Triple-A career. He got off to a fast start, notching a hit off of Columbus starter Yorman Gomez (L, 0-1) and stealing a base in a scoreless first inning for the Bats offense.
Louisville starter Jose Franco (W, 2-2) had to grind through the first inning after walking two batters with one out, but did so successfully after forcing a ground out and striking out a Clipper to end the inning.
Jorge continued to utilize his speed in the third, stealing second once again on a Francisco Urbaez strikeout. Will Benson walked to put two runners on, and Chavis mashed a first-pitch hanging slider deep over the left field fence to give the Bats an early lead. Just two batters later, Hendrick extended the lead with his own solo homer, giving Louisville a 4-0 advantage after the frame.
Franco made quick work of Columbus in the second and third innings, retiring three batters in order in both frames. Things got more precarious for him in the fourth as the Clippers put runners on the corners with two outs. Franco still stood strong and struck out the final batter to keep the opposing side scoreless.
Franco managed another scoreless fifth, officially ending his line at just two hits and three walks allowed with four strikeouts through the five innings. That paved the way for Johnathan Lavallee to make his Bats debut in the sixth, and he swiftly worked two straight 1-2-3 innings to keep the shutout alive.
Hendrick put the Bats in position for more insurance runs, leading off the eighth with a single and stealing second. Will Banfield provided the hit to get him home, lining a single into right field to extend the tally to 5-0.
However, the shutout didn’t last much longer, as Columbus put together a late effort at the plate to inch their way back down the stretch. McCambley began his outing with a strikeout, but then gave up hard contact on back-to-back singles. Juan Brito gave the Clippers life in a big way, flying a three-run homer to cut Louisville’s lead to 5-3. McCambley worked around the scare, striking out the next two batters to keep Columbus at bay.
After the Bats went down empty in the top of the ninth, McCambley returned to the bump to redeem himself and keep the Bats’ lead intact. Despite giving up a one-out single, McCambley secured the save with some help from his defense and gave the Bats their first win of the series.
Hendrick was a heavy contributor in the tight win, scoring two runs while recording the lone multi-hit performance of the night for Louisville. Hendrick and Chavis’s homers in the third mark the 10th instance the Bats have hit multiple home runs in an inning this season.
The Bats will continue their series against Columbus on Friday night, with first pitch set for 6:05 p.m. ET at Huntington Park. Jose Acuna is scheduled to make his season debut with his first Bats start since 2024, and will oppose Columbus starter Austin Peterson (0-6, 4.74). Nick Curran will have the call on Sports Talk 790.