The Louisville Bats kept it close for a while, but let Thursday night’s game against the Toledo Mud Hens get away from them and suffered a 13-3 loss at Fifth Third Field. Louisville held a 3-2 lead after five innings, but the Bats couldn’t cool down a Toledo offense that took over the game late.
Davis Daniel made the start for Louisville and tossed a quick scoreless inning. However, he gave up the first run of the game to Toledo after a leadoff double kicked off the second, and a run came home off an RBI single later in the inning.
Toledo manufactured another run in the third after leading off with a single and an error put runners on the corners. Louisville was able to limit damage with a double play, but that was enough to give the Mud Hens a 2-0 lead after the inning.
The Bats had just one hit to their name from Carlos Jorge before the fourth inning, when they crossed their first run of the game. Francisco Urbaez singled to get on base with one out, and Michael Toglia brought him home with two outs.
Daniel battled around some pressure in the fourth after getting out of a bases-loaded jam, striking out two batters in the process. The Bats took advantage after P.J. Higgins and Will Banfield both reached base to begin the fifth. Back-to-back singles from Dominic Pitelli and Jorge put the game back in Louisville’s favor at 3-2. The Bats were able to load the bases with two outs, but couldn’t convert any further.
Daniel was pulled for Anthony Misiewicz in the bottom frame, finishing his line at two runs, one earned, on five hits and four walks with six strikeouts through the four innings. After being released after the All-Star break but resigning with the Reds on Tuesday, Misiewicz tossed a 1-2-3 scoreless inning to keep Toledo at bay.
Connor Phillips (L, 1-1) was tasked with doing the same as Misiewicz, but didn’t have the same success. With two runners aboard on singles and two outs, Toledo brought home a run on an RBI single. Phillips made a command mistake not long after, throwing a wild pitch to surrender the lead and give the Mud Hens a 4-3 advantage.
Jorge recorded his third hit of the night with another single in the seventh, but nothing came from it. With Zach Maxwell on the mound for the Bats, Toledo provided a huge blow to extend their lead, with Cal Stevenson homering after two runners reached with two outs. Maxwell was able to obtain an out shortly thereafter, but not after giving Louisville a 7-3 deficit.
The Bats weren’t willing to go down easy, however, as they loaded the bases after a single from Toglia and two walks. However, Toledo stood strong and gathered three outs in a row to quickly snuff out a golden opportunity from the Bats.
Toledo delivered the knockout punch to the Bats and all but sealed the deal in the eighth. Hunter Parks gave up six runs in the frame, including a three-run homer to bring the total to 13 runs on the night for the Mud Hens. The Bats went down in order in the ninth, capping off the brutal loss.
Jorge led the way with three hits and an RBI in the leadoff spot, while Toglia and Pitelli accounted for the rest of the Bats’ runs. Phillips was also credited with his second blown save of the season, as the bullpen faced plenty of struggles.
The Bats (48-48) continue their series against the Toledo Mud Hens (46-51) on Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET at Fifth Third Field. Johnathan Harmon will make his Triple-A debut for the Bats, while Dylan File (5-6, 5.63) will take the bump for Toledo. Nick Curran will have the call on Sports Talk 790.