Indianapolis, IN- The Toledo Mud Hens (43-47) fell at the Indianapolis Indians (41-50) on Friday, July 10 at Victory Field. Despite a seventh-inning rally that narrowed the gap, Indianapolis pulled further ahead in the eighth and couldn't be caught.
Back-to-back strikeouts opened the day for the Hens, back-to-back singles followed, but the momentum was cut short from a pop out over the foul lines. The Indians didn’t take long to get some bats to balls. Their second man up, Ronny Simon, knocked a double as the first hit for the home team. The second base hit came in for an RBI and the early Indy lead. (1-0)
For the second consecutive inning, a pair of strikeouts started Toledo’s at bat, and they failed to match the single Indianapolis run. Three Indians went down in order in the bottom half.
The Hens couldn’t tally a hit again in the third, meanwhile, bats were on fire for the Indians. A single, double, and yard ball quickly extended their lead to four (4-0). Troy Watson allowed five straight two-out hits before the inning ended.
Brett Callahan reached base after getting hit by a pitch; first Toledo runner on base since the opener. Trei Cruz’s single placed runners on the corners but a double play ended it before anything could transpire. Watson bounced back with a 1-2-3-inning on defense.
Toledo fell victim to another double play early in the fifth. Opportunity still knocked for the Hens even with two men gone. Luke Shliger earned his first Triple-A hit immediately after the double play. Clark followed with a double and Max Anderson’s walk loaded the bases. Gage Workman couldn’t capitalize as the Hen went down swinging. Clark caught all three fly balls that retired the opponent in the bottom.
Toledo continued to be shutout through six. Watson retired after five, Brenan Hanifee piggybacked him.
The Hens saw a glimmer of hope in the seventh. Andrew Navigato dropped a no-man’s-land double and Clark homered for the second time in the series to quickly cut the lead in half (4-2). A near foul ball from Anderson's swing bounced off the yellow padding against the wall for a stand-up triple. Workman sacrificed his hit, earning an RBI that pressured Indianapolis (4-3). Defensively, the Hens got out of a bases loaded jam unblemished.
The Indians added insurance to their lead in the eighth with a two-run long shot to the right which ultimately sealed the deal. (6-3)
The Hens were unable to answer in the ninth and the Indians handed them their third loss of the series. Toledo will be back again for game four in Indianapolis on Saturday, July 11, at 7:05p.m. looking for that next victory.
Notables
M. Clark – 2/5, HR, 2RBI
M. Anderson – 1/4, R, 3B, BB
A. Navigato – 1/4, R, 2B