Tonight, the Toledo Mud Hens and Indianapolis Indians met for Game 3 of their six-game series, where the Hens held on for a 2-1 victory and took a 3-0 series lead.
The first run of the game didn’t come until the 6th, and it was the Hens who finally broke through. Corey Julks got things started with a double on a sharp liner into left field. Jace Jung followed with an opposite-field hit into left, allowing Julks to hustle around the bases and score. The hit gave Toledo the first lead of the night at 1-0.
Toledo’s pitching staff kept Indianapolis quiet through the first seven innings, with the Indians unable to record a hit. Jackson Wolf set the tone on the mound, tossing six complete innings without allowing a run or a hit while striking out eight. Hayden Minton took over for the 7th and kept the no-hit bid intact before Ty Madden entered in the 8th.
Madden gave up Indianapolis’ first hit of the night, but it came in the form of a solo home run from Cameron Barstad that landed in dead center field. The blast tied the game at 1-1 and brought the Indians back into the game.
Toledo didn’t let the game stay tied for long, answering in the bottom of the 8th. Jung picked up his third hit of the night with a hard-hit liner into right field. A wild pitch and a walk to James Outman put runners on first and second, before an intentional walk to Chris Meyers loaded the bases. With one out, it was up to Andrew Navigato to break the tie. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Navigato hit a chopper up the middle that was fielded by the shortstop, who tried to turn two. Indianapolis was only able to get the out at second, however, as Navigato beat the throw to first. The play also brought a run home, giving Toledo a 2-1 lead.
The pitching duel continued into the final inning, with Tanner Rainery taking over in the 9th to close things out for a save. After holding Indianapolis to just one hit all night, the Toledo pitching staff had themselves a one-hit ballgame.
Navigato’s RBI in the 8th proved to be the winning run as the Hens took Game 3, 2-1, and moved to 3-0 in the series. Toledo and Indianapolis will meet again tomorrow night at Fifth Third Field for a Star Wars-themed game, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.
Notables:
Jackson Wolf
6.0 IP (0 H, 0 ER, 8 SO)
Jace Jung
3-4 (RBI, R)