Toledo and Louisville wrapped up their six-game series on Sunday afternoon, where the Mud Hens put an electric finish on their homestand with a 10-2 victory over the Bats, securing a 5-1 series win.
Lael Lockhart got the start for Toledo and settled in after a rocky beginning, tossing five innings while allowing just two runs and striking out six batters. Louisville, however, wasted no time getting on the board. On the very first pitch of the game, Ivan Johnson launched a home run over the left-field wall to give the Bats an immediate 1-0 lead.
Louisville added another run in the 2nd inning when Carlos Jorge sent a deep fly ball to center field that sailed just beyond Javier Báez's reach. Using his speed, Jorge raced all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run, extending the Bats' lead to 2-0.
Although Toledo had already collected three hits through the first two innings, the Hens were unable to capitalize early. That changed in the bottom of the 3rd. With two outs, Max Anderson ripped a double into center field before Eduardo Valencia worked a walk. Corey Julks then lined a single into center, scoring Anderson and cutting Louisville's lead to 2-1.
The Mud Hens continued to chip away in the 4th inning, and once again it came with two outs. Andrew Navigato singled to left before Gage Workman followed with a base hit to center. Navigato never slowed down, scoring all the way from first to tie the game at 2-2.
For the third consecutive inning, Toledo delivered with two outs. In the 5th, Julks collected his second hit of the afternoon before Trei Cruz lined a single to put runners on the corners. Tyler Gentry then chopped a swinging-bunt single toward third base, bringing Julks home and giving the Hens their first lead of the afternoon at 3-2.
The two-out offense wasn't finished there. In the bottom of the 6th, Javier Báez reached with a two-out single to right field before Max Anderson followed with a base hit to left. After a pitching change, Eduardo Valencia lined a single into center, scoring Báez from second and extending Toledo's advantage to 4-2.
After spending the afternoon making Louisville pay with two outs, the Mud Hens finally blew the game open in the 8th inning. Following two walks, an out, and another walk, Eduardo Valencia stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. On the second pitch he saw, Valencia crushed a 104.3 mph grand slam that traveled 400 feet over the center-field wall, giving the crowd a show and extending Toledo's lead to 8-2. The Hens still weren't finished. Trei Cruz picked up his fourth hit of the afternoon with a ground-ball single before Tyler Gentry launched the second home run of the inning to right field, putting the finishing touches on Toledo's 10-2 victory.
The score held the rest of the way as the Mud Hens wrapped up the homestand by taking five of six games from Louisville. Toledo's offense put together an impressive afternoon, finishing with 10 runs on 18 hits, two home runs, and just two strikeouts. The Hens now head to Columbus to begin a six-game series against the Clippers, with first pitch set for Tuesday, July 28, at 7:05 p.m.
Notables:
Eduardo Valencia
2-4 (HR, BB, 5 RBI, R)
Max Anderson
2-3 (2B, 2 BB, 2 R)
Tyler Gentry
2-5 (HR, 3 RBI, R)